Monday, July 13, 2009

Happy Corn=domestic bliss.

Warning:I am about to babble about corn on the cob!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I don't have a green thumb but I really want to be the type of girl that has a vegetable garden in my back yard. I can just see myself with the big straw hat perched on my head and white gloves decorated with little red strawberries on my hands. That's about as far as the fantasy goes. I pretty much envision gardening accessories and then stop daydreaming before I have a chance to kill my pretend vegetables.

Those who know me also know that I am a self proclaimed disaster in the kitchen.
If given the choice between preparing a microwaved meal or a lasagna from scratch,
it's no mystery that I would have dinner rotating on a dirty turntable in the microwave
before you could say the words TV Dinner.

So I was shocked and surprised when my dad gave me a gift of corn on the cob still in the husk. He got it from a dude at the flea market who grew them in his backyard. It is the happiest corn I've ever tasted because he has a well and doesn't have to follow water restrictions like the rest of us in Georgia do. He can water that corn as much as his little heart desires and you can tell with each sweet bite that the corn feels loved and well taken care of.

Anyway, my dad got me some because I had enjoyed it so much when he prepared
it for us on the 4th of July. This is some special corn. He goes to the flea market every Saturday and I have a feeling that if this guy is there, I will receive a bag of corn. My dad is so pleased with himself that he can share this with me.

The thing is, I have never imagined that I would shuck corn in my lifetime. It's just not like me to handle locally grown foods. If it's in my kitchen, it's usually in a can. As nonsensical as it may seem, I must admit that I felt a little threatened by the corn when I went to prepare it this evening.

Yet, I mustered up all my courage as I started to peel back the husk over my kitchen sink. Suddenly, I felt very capable as I shucked the corn. Then, I started to feel really connected to the earth and less connected to the grocery store. It took all of 30 seconds to expose the cob beneath the husk but in that short time I had an awakening. The simple task of handling fresh vegetables invigorated me and now I feel a little less like a disaster. It's these almost elementary moments that boost my confidence in the kitchen. My father's gift of happy corn gave me a flash of domestic bliss.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My sister and I got inspired and bough bean and zucchini seeds to plant... they are still in the paper packet filled with potential :) One day I shall have a lovely backyard garden :P Can't imagine being able to grow corn. yum!

Erin Bennett Jenkins said...

I'm so proud of you!