I'll admit that when I saw the cobs of popcorn in the last box, I thought, "Uh, oh, I won't know what to do with that." But at the Slow Food potluck, a fellow CSA-er had actually brought some of it, popped in coconut oil and with a little sugar ... it made a great dessert!Honestly, thanks to Landon, I had the initiative to try popping some of the corn in my air popper. I absolutely could not believe how fluffy, flavorful and fresh it was.
A strange metamorphosis is taking place ... as enthused about fresh local produce as I am, I tend to retain a bit of skepticism that local produce I'm not familiar with using (like popcorn) can hold its own and even surpass "store bought." I'm becoming thoroughly convinced that it can!
It helps to take some non-sharp thing like the handles of a can opener to grasp, twist and loosen the kernels off the cob. They tend to fly around a little, so put the bowl down into the sink or go outside! I always warm up my air popper for a couple of minutes (run it with nothing in it) so that it's hot when I put the kernels in.
One cob of corn yielded almost exactly 1/2 cup popcorn, the amount my popper uses.
I like to use ghee or olive oil on popcorn, and season it with curry powder and/or nutritional yeast from the health food store for interesting flavors. But you really can't beat butter and salt. However, this popcorn has flavor enough to hold its own even with no toppings.
As Sargent Schultz (of early TV sitcom fame) used to say, "Werry interresting." So, do you think popcorn cobs are available in our local SUPERmarkets at any other time than at Halloween?
ReplyDeleteI'll have to quote Schultzie, too ... "I know nut-ting" about local cob popcorn availability, though our CSA farmer must have gotten it somewhere nearby if he didn't grow it himself.
ReplyDeleteDon't recall seeing popcorn at any farmer's markets, maybe because it becomes ready in midwinter! A neighbor of ours used to grow it, and sold it off the cob. It has to be dried properly in order to pop well.
Not to confuse any old ornamental corn with popcorn ... they are often different varieties entirely.