Corn - that tall hard-to-grow-in-many-different-types-of-soil plant that has large ears holding many kernels (seeds) that we enjoy chomping on!!

Also known as maize, corn is a cereal grass related to wheat, rice, oats, and barley.

Mexican Indians, 10,000 years ago would gather corn from wild plants as a food source. It only took them 5,000 years to learn to grow it themselves. What they grew was multi-colored corn - known as Indian corn.

Although used for livestock and in industrial products such as ceramics, explosives, construction materials, metal molds, paints, paper goods, textiles, industrial alcohols, and ethanol - corn is still a number one as a food source for people and food products for people, making it our #1 food crop. Each corn kernel contains four major components: starch, protein, oil, and fiber. These kernel components are processed to create thousands of different products for all sorts of uses.

Corn is a major component in many food items like cereals, peanut butter, snack foods and soft drinks and Baby Food Baking Products Beer & Ale Canned Vegetables Chewing Gum Confectionery Powdered Sugar Pancake & Waffle Mixes Flours Mustard Puddings and Custards Salad Dressing Soups Pet Foods Sauces & Gravies - all made from the starch of the corn kernels.

Late corn is coming out soon in many areas - and the corn fields will be turned into corn mazes for Halloween and the dried corn stalks will be used to decorate for the fall of the year.

As for me, I simply love freshly picked and steamed corn on the cob, with a little butter of course.

Nowadays we call the multi-colored corn "Indian Corn." But it wasn't that way in colonial days.

Back then, all grains were colloquially called "corn." So when the settlers were introduced to maize by the Natives, they called it "Indian Corn" to differentiate it from wheat, rye, etc.

There are still echoes of that in such recipes as Rye & Injun, a bread that uses both rye flour and cornmeal. Here's one version:

Rye 'N Injun Bread

1 cup boiling water
2 envelopes yeast
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 cups rye flour
1/3 cup molasses
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
5 tbls butter
1 tsp salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal

Combine boiling water, pumpkin, molassas, butter and salt and stir in cornmeal. Let mixture stand.

Proof yeast in 1/3 cup lukewarm water with a pinch of sugar for 10 minutes. Add to pumpkin mixture, stir in rye and all purpose flours, and combine well.

Turn mixture out on surface sprinkled with 1/2 cup flour and knead it well, adding more flour if necessary, for 10 minutes. Put dough in greased bowl and let rise until double in bulk. Punch down, halve dough, and form each half into a ball.

Put each ball in a greased 8-inch loaf tin and let rise until double in pulk. Cut a cross in the top of each loaf and bake in a hot (375F) oven for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 325F and bake an addtional 45 minutes to one hour, until loaves are brown and sound hollw.

Alternative: Shape into balls about the size of handballs. Flatten into patties. Let rise until doubled, and bake.

1/4 cup butter
1 3/4 cups milk, heated
1/4 cup flour
3 cups corn kernels scraped from cobs; half whole half chopped
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs, beaten until frothy
2 tbls sugar
2 tsp nutmeg

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in flour, salt, nutmeg & sugar. Cook until bubbly. Slowly add milk and cook until thick. Temper eggs and stir them in.

Pour into well buttered 2 quart casserole and bake in a water bath at 350F for 45 minutes.

Corn was one of the tripods of Native American agriculture known as the Three Sacred Sisters. Corn was interplanted with beans and squash in a synergistic relationship that actually increased yields. Here is a soup that uses all three sisters:

1/2 lb dried baby limas
2 lb pumpkin, peeled and cubed (or 2 cups puree)
5 cups vegetable stock
1 onion, chopped fine
1 large leek, sliced
2 cups corn kernels
1 cup light cream
1/4 tsp white pepper
Chopped chives

Cook beans.

Put the pumpkin, stock, onion, and leek in a kettle. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer until pumpkin is soft.

Puree vegetable mixture in blender or food processor, or mash by hand. Return to kettle.

Add corn and beans, bring to boil, redcuce heat, and simmer five minutes. Add cream, salt and pepper. When very hot, but not boiling, serve. Sprinkle with chives.

I won't tread on Mama's turf and teach you how to make polenta. But here's a way to use any that's left over.

Pour the mush into a lightly greased pan. Let it set overnight. Unmold, cut into squares, and fry until browned on both sides. Serve with sauce of your choice; or cover with sauteed mushrooms.

You can, btw, use grits the same way. Fried grits was a mainstay breakfast in the Appalachians.