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Corn on the 4th of July

by Leah Koenig · July 3rd, 2007
Community Agri., Farming, Tuv Ha'Aretz

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Last summer I had a conversation with Tuv Ha’Aretz farmer, Chris Kaplan Walbrecht (of the Garden of Eve Farm) that shocked the jaded pants off of me. It was the Tuv Ha’Aretz pick up before the 4th of July - and plump, juicy sweet corn slathered in butter was on everyone’s mind. Chris told me how difficult it was to grow corn organically, and to have it ready to harvest by July 4th. But - sweet corn is so firmly rooted in American’s minds as a July 4th staple, that he, along with many other farmers, did their best to make it happen.

Some farmers, he said, fight that corn out of the ground at all costs. Chris described the conventional farms he drives past on long Island that produce vast fields of corn. He told me how they spray a thick layer of pesticides on the baby corn plants and then literally cover the field in plastic (imagine covering a bowl in Saran Wrap) which keeps the bugs out and allows the pesticides to bake in. When the corn is big enough, the chemical-soaked plastic is removed and - no surprise - thrown away into landfills. The corn is large, ripe, and ready for the grill. But at what cost to the earth and our bodies? I knew that industrial, conventional farming was not earth-friendly, but this just absolutely stunned me. How could I possibly celebrate our country’s independence while eating corn that ruined its fertile land?

The Garden of Eve uses organic methods and timing to coax - not force - their corn to grow tall and yellow by Independence Day. I applaud them in their efforts but even so - this 4th of July, as part of my patriotic duty, I vow to eat beautiful, locally grown yellow summer squash instead of corn.

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7 Responses to “Corn on the 4th of July”

  1. Anna Stevenson Says:
    July 3rd, 2007 at 11:14 am

    We just learned about the three sister plants and companion planting: corn, beans and squash. The corn grows in tall stalks, which the beans climb up, and the squash leaves, which grow big and wide and low to the ground, cover the soil to prevent weeds. Nutrient-wise, corn is a ‘heavy-feeder’, eating up a lot of the nitrogen in the soil. Fortunately (surprise!) beans (and other legumes) fix nitrogen from the air back into the soil. Finally, the three make a complete protein — yummy dinner that’s local, endemic to north america, and super tasty. You just might have to wait a little later in the season for corn, at least in the northeast…. happy in-ter-dependence day!

  2. Katie Says:
    July 3rd, 2007 at 12:09 pm

    I grew up in Ohio, and the saying there is that corn should only be “knee high by the 4th of July.” We didn’t expect to eat corn until the end of July at the earliest.

  3. Edith Stevenson Says:
    July 3rd, 2007 at 12:39 pm

    So I guess Oscar Hammerstein must have been writing about a beautiful September morning in Oklahoma, “…where the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye!”

    Our problem with growing corn is how to compost the stalks at the end of the season without a machine. Any suggestions, backyard farmers?

  4. Rachel Says:
    July 3rd, 2007 at 2:37 pm

    I grew up in south Texas, where the growing season begins an awful lot earlier than it does here in western Massachusetts. Here I’m pleased to see local cornfields green — full of pretty little tufts that are maybe knee-high this week! We won’t have fresh corn until August.

    Fortunately, last summer I made many jars of a truly fantastic sweetcorn relish (made from local corn, diced onion and bell pepper, cider vinegar and well water and spices) and your post has just inspired me to crack a few of the remaining jars tomorrow, so we can have beautiful fresh local corn…from last year…on the 4th!

  5. Leah Koenig Says:
    July 3rd, 2007 at 3:37 pm

    Anna - how amazing that the same vegetables that grow well together, taste great together!

    Katie - thanks for sharing that bit of local wisdom :)

    Edith - living in urban Brooklyn, I’m unfortunately no help on the backyard composting question!

    Rachel, that sweetcorn relish sounds absolutely amazing - would you be willing to share the full recipe?

  6. judi Says:
    July 3rd, 2007 at 6:31 pm

    I second the request for your recipe, Rachel. It’s been three years since I last put up anything and I’m aching to get going again this year!

  7. Don Kerstetter Says:
    July 14th, 2007 at 11:36 am

    We do eat local sweet corn that is grown using drip irrigation and fertigation which minimizes its negative effect on water quality in our Choptank watershed. However we stopped eating confinement chicken in part because of its diet of principally feed corn the overwhelming cause of nitrate pollution of our watershed and a major factor in the overall pollution of Chesapeake Bay. This year is particullarly bad because the drought has caused many corn crops to fail and virtually all the nitrogen applied in May will wind up in aquifers and eventually a large portion of it will reach surface water.

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