vegetables tagged posts

I’m making vegetables the star of my plate by preparing them with a little extra love instead of treating them as an afterthought. I’ll either give them a leading role across half of my dinner plate or serve them solo in individual courses – as the French do – and give them centre stage. It is so satisfying to be served one or two carefully prepared vegetable courses (salads, soups, or cooked vegetables), followed by a smaller main dish.

You don’t have to serve my Mashed Caramelized Cauliflower and Steamed Vegetables with Flavoured Butter together but I think they make a nicely composed plate. The cauliflower steps in for mashed potatoes and is mounded on the plate first; the steamed veggies are stacked artfully around the cauliflower and then adorned with fine sea salt and a tiny dollop of flavoured butter.

Make the flavoured butter first, ideally well ahead of time (you can even freeze it for longer storage). Prep the cauliflower and mixed vegetables earlier in the day. When you are ready to cook the vegetables, prepare the cauliflower first and keep it warm; then steam the vegetables. You can even make the cauliflower ahead and reheat it gently in the microwave just before serving; and you can make the steamed veggies ahead if you undercook them slightly, then later sauté them in the flavoured butter just until heated through – but they only take up to 8 minutes to steam, making them easy to do last minute.

Mashed Caramelized Cauliflower

Serves 4

The key to mashed cauliflower is to add as little liquid as possible. Roasting the cauliflower in the oven instead of boiling it prevents the cauliflower from becoming waterlogged and adds a delicious caramelized flavour. You can play with the flavours of this basic mash when you are puréeing the cauliflower, by adding curry powder, grated parmesan, or whatever you like to pair with cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon butter, softened
3 tablespoons or more of milk or cream, warmed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove and discard the leaves and large centre stalk of the cauliflower; cut the remaining cauliflower into evenly-sized florets; wash and then thoroughly drain.
2. Dump the cauliflower (including the crumbly bits) onto a large, parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Add oil and salt; toss with your hands to coat evenly; spread out evenly in a single layer. Roast for about 40 minutes, until the largest pieces are very tender and cauliflower is golden, turning once after 25 minutes.
3. Transfer cauliflower to the large bowl of a food processor. Add butter. Purée until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula when necessary, and adding milk or cream slowly, only a bit at a time and just enough to get the consistency you want. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and additional salt, if necessary. Serve hot.
4. If making ahead, transfer to an airtight container, cover, and store in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to serve, reheat gently in the microwave, stirring occasionally, until hot throughout.

Steamed Mixed Vegetables with Flavoured Butter

Serves 4

The butter is your palette and the vegetables are your canvas; choose whatever vegetables and butter flavouring combinations that please you most.

Curried Tomato Clementine Butter

Makes ¼ cup

This recipe is just a suggestion of how you can play around with different butter flavourings; the possibilities are endless – perhaps lemon and fresh thyme or lime and fresh basil (omit the curry powder, tomato paste, and clementine zest)?

Ingredients:

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt
⅛ teaspoon Arvinda’s curry powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Finely grated zest of 1 clementine (avoid white pith)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl; mash with a fork, stirring to mix thoroughly.
2. Place on a small sheet of parchment paper; roll into log, twisting both ends tightly to seal. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Slice or shave off the desired amount of butter onto freshly steamed vegetables, grilled fish, or roasted chicken. Any unused portions can be stored in parchment paper, enclosed in a resealable freezer bag, and placed in the freezer for longer storage.

Steamed Mixed Vegetables

Serves 4

Choose whatever combination of colourful, seasonal vegetables you like; again the possibilities are nearly endless. My local Longo’s carries baby Sunburst squash, baby zucchini, baby turnips, and real baby carrots (Harvest Fresh Sweet Nantes Carrots and not those bagged, pared down “baby” carrots). If you can’t find baby veggies, just cut whole veggies into smaller portions.

If you have a stacked steamer, place the veggies that take longest to cook on the bottom level and those that cook more quickly on the top level. I only have a single steamer, so I place them in groups all in one steamer. Either way, watch them carefully and remove each group of vegetables as soon as they are cooked to your liking.

Ingredients:

Salt for water
3 baby turnips, cut into eighths
6 baby carrots (comments in intro above), longer ones cut half
200 g baby Sunburst squash
200 g baby green zucchini
Flavoured butter (see recipe above)
Fine sea salt

Directions:

1. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Arrange vegetables in groups in a steamer placed over the simmering water; cover and steam for 5 to 8 minutes, checking carefully and removing the vegetables as soon as they become tender (some will be ready before others).
2. Serve hot, seasoned to taste with fine sea salt and adorned with flavoured butter.

I love to do Christmas to the nines, with silver bells and all the trimmings. My best friend shares my Martha Stewart-ish passion for Christmas. We start every season with big dreams but as Christmas Day approaches, find ourselves more stressed with less and less time, until we are gritting our teeth while peeling potatoes to It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and feeling like pulling our hair out while fiddling with fancy last minute fixings.

As a solution, we started a tradition of gently nudging each other to get an early start on Christmas, so when it is time to celebrate we can step out of our kitchens and enjoy it with our families. Beginning in November, we send each other a flutter of quick emails like: Christmas cards ordered CHECK, outdoor lights up CHECK, cookie dough frozen CHECK. What starts off as encouragement to prepare as much as possible in advance, often ends up in a hilarious race of merrily checking off our own list while sending out cheeky CHECKS if the other has fallen behind.

From now until Christmas, I’d like to share some of my Christmas survival tips with you: suggestions to make your holiday entertaining well-planned, stress-free, and delicious with make-ahead, easy-assemble, or store-bought ideas. Think of them as little gifts from your freezer or pantry to you, with love from Olive.

Let’s get a head start on Christmas dinner this week with a freezer-friendly mashed potato casserole and sweet-and-sour cabbage that you can make now and freeze. All you will need to prepare on the day of your feast is turkey, stuffing (I love My Mom’s Sage & Onion Bread Stuffing), perhaps another family-favourite vegetable dish, and gravy.

Because we have such a big clan, my family keeps our feasts as simple as possible. Here is my tip for the gravy (but don’t tell anybody): homemade gravy from Longo’s turkey kits. The gravy is sold separately and tastes homemade. I don’t have to fuss at the last minute and I know it’s going to be good. As soon as the kits come out, I buy the gravy individually and freeze it. I just defrost the night before serving and reheat gently the next day. Sometimes I add a little white wine, just to make it extra special. After December 19th, the individual side dishes (including the gravy) and complete turkey kits will be available in all Longo’s stores. If you want to pre-order the entire turkey kit (includes pre-cooked turkey, butternut squash, herbed mash potatoes, multigrain rice stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy – all just requiring reheating) for you feast, you need to place your order by 5 p.m. December 18, 2013.

Christmas potatoes done CHECK. Christmas cabbage done CHECK.

Please visit my Grocery Store Directory for Longo’s locations.

Aunt Connie’s Swedish Potatoes

A long-time family favourite (just like my Aunt Connie), we serve these make-ahead potatoes at every Thanksgiving or Christmas family feast. This time-tested recipe has been around for ages but did you know you can freeze it for up to 3 months? Don’t tell my family, but I make a double batch of these just before Thanksgiving and freeze a batch in throwaway aluminum foil pans to have ready for Christmas dinner. You’ll be so happy to pop these out of the freezer and then pop the tray in recycling after the feast is over. Take the potatoes out of the freezer two days before serving and defrost in the refrigerator. Bake them while the turkey has a good long rest and then gets carved up.

My Aunt Connie’s version calls for a crumb topping made with fine bread crumbs and melted butter, but I omit the crumb topping so I can stir the potatoes as they are warming up in the oven.

Ingredients:

6 medium-sized russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into sixteenths
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
¾ cup dairy sour cream
1 package (125g) cream cheese, cubed, softened to room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons onion salt
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper or freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Place potatoes in a large pot; cover with cold, salted water; bring to a boil, then adjust heat to medium to maintain a gentle boil; cook uncovered, until potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Immediately drain into a colander placed in the sink. Return potatoes to pot and place pot back over very low heat for a few moments, shaking constantly, until all water evaporates. Remove pot from heat.
2. Add butter to potatoes; mash with a potato masher, until potatoes are smooth and lump-free. Fold in remaining ingredients; beat gently with a mixer, just until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
3. If freezing, turn potatoes into a large, well-buttered, disposable aluminum-foil baking dish. Let cool completely in the fridge; then place a sheet of parchment paper over top of potatoes; double wrap with aluminum foil, sealing securely; label with baking instructions; freeze up to 3 months. Remove wrapping and parchment prior to baking. Defrost in refrigerator for two days before serving. Bake uncovered, in the centre of a preheated 350°F oven, just until hot throughout, about 30 minutes or longer (stir once halfway through baking). Watch carefully after 30 minutes.
4. If baking immediately after preparing, turn potatoes into a large, well-buttered casserole. Bake uncovered, in the centre of a preheated 350°F oven, just until hot throughout, about 30 minutes or longer (stir once halfway through baking). Watch carefully after 30 minutes. Note: prepared potatoes can be stored, covered in the fridge, for up to two days prior to baking. When ready to bake, bring casserole to room temperature before placing in a hot oven.

Jeff’s Sweet-Sour Purple Cabbage with Apples

Adapted from Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage with Apples by Johanna Burkhard (The Best Freezer Cookbook by Jan Main).

This sweet and sour cabbage recipe has always been a favourite of both my brother and my son. I just gave a bowl to my son and he said “Yo, cabbage for breakfast is awesome”. I love it because it’s a healthy and delicious way to easily add a pop of colour to a holiday plate – the purple looks so pretty beside green beans, broccoli, carrots, or squash.

It takes some work to finely shred the cabbage and prepare the apples and onions but it freezes really well for 3 months, so I make a double batch of this recipe at Thanksgiving and freeze the second batch for our Christmas feast. Or I freeze in smaller containers to use throughout the winter. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat gently on the stove. The flavours meld together with the second simmer.

If you are able to finely shred the cabbage in a food processor, cook this in one large pot. It will almost fill the pot but will cook down. Before I used a food-processor to shred my cabbage, I shredded it by hand; the cabbage wasn’t as fine and took longer to cook, so I had to divide one recipe between two large pots to speed the cooking – the end result was still delicious.

The recipe is from a cookbook called The Best Freezer Cookbook by Jan Main. It is the best freezer cookbook I have ever had my hands on – full of good freezing advice and comforting recipes, including a good Veggie, Beef & Pasta Bake, a yummy Chicken Tetrazzini, as well as some tempting soups and special occasion desserts I haven’t tried yet. I have changed the Sweet-and-Sour Red Cabbage with Apples recipe slightly, adding more apples, a touch more sugar, and using white wine and apple cider vinegar instead of red wine and red wine vinegar. It’s lovely with the red wine and the colour is a bit deeper, but I don’t drink red wine and hate wasting the rest of the bottle. I’ve also arranged the steps in a way that will keep your apples from browning before they hit the pot.

Equipment Notes:

Requires food processor and 1 large pot or two large pots

Ingredients:

1 medium purple cabbage
2 small yellow cooking onions
6 apples

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken stock
½ cup white wine (or red wine)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Tiny pinch ground cloves

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Directions:

1. Finely shred cabbage and measure out exactly 10 cups to use for this recipe; set aside (use remainder in a salad). Finely chop onions; set aside. Peel, core, and dice apples.
2. In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and apples; sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Add stock, wine, vinegar, sugar, bay leaf, salt, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves. Bring to a boil, and then stir in cabbage. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is very tender, about 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
4. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with cold water; blend well, then stir into cabbage. Cook until sauce has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve hot.
5. If freezing, let cool then divide into airtight freezer containers or resealable freezer bags, label, and freeze up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in refrigerator. Reheat gently on stove.

One fall, after taking his daughters on a lovely trip to Provence in the south of France, my father requested a Provençal-style Thanksgiving dinner. After such a memorable trip, we were more than happy to oblige. We spread out the sunny Provençal tablecloths that we bought at the market in Uzès. Then we laid out a delicious feast of roast turkey (and called it Dinde Rôtie), Potatoes Savoyard (Jane Rodmell’s Cottage Life’s Summer Weekends Cookbook), Cauliflower Gratin (Ina Garten’s Barefoot in Paris), Sweet Potato & Sage Brûlée (Lucy Waverman, Food & Drink Holiday 2007), and these pretty stuffed peppers, inspired by Laura Calder’s Tomato-stuffed Peppers (French Food at Home).  Colourful, flavourful, and oh so darling, they pair nicely with a glass of wine and a Provençal state of mind.

Provençal Stuffed Baby Peppers

The brainchild behind this recipe is Laura Calder. I changed her recipe slightly, using baby peppers and cherry tomatoes instead of big ones, my olive purée instead of the stronger tasting tapenade, and added goat cheese for creaminess and a touch of panko bread crumbs for a slight crunch. Make the olive purée ahead of time, so there is less to do at assembly time.

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. mini sweet bell peppers, in a colourful medley of orange, yellow, red

1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes in a colourful medley of orange, yellow, red

1 bunch of fresh basil, stems removed

¼ cup Black Olive Purée (see recipe below)

1 small package (130 g) soft, unripened chèvre (goat’s milk cheese)

¼ cup panko bread crumbs

⅛ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cut each pepper in half, lengthwise from stem to tip, leaving the stems intact on both halves; remove and discard the seeds. Place pepper halves, cut side up, on a parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet; roast until the peppers are slightly tender but still hold their shape, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pan from the oven; let peppers cool slightly but leave them on the tray and leave the oven on at 375°F.
3. Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half, lengthwise; remove and discard seeds and pulp. Turn halves upside down to drain while peppers are roasting.
4. When step two is completed, place 1 large basil leaf or two smaller basil leaves in each pepper half.
5. Place 1/8 teaspoon of olive purée on top of basil; carefully spread out the purée a little.
6. Place a tomato half, cut side up, on top of the olive purée, choosing a contrasting-coloured tomato for each pepper. If tomato halves are too big, cut them in half lengthwise again.
7. Place ½ teaspoon of goat cheese in each tomato half.
8. Repeat with remaining peppers.
9. Sprinkle the panko bread crumbs evenly over the top of the peppers.
10. Drizzle the peppers evenly with olive oil.
11. Return pan to the oven and bake until cheese is soft and bread crumbs are lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, to taste. Serve warm.

Black Olive Purée

Inspired by a Patricia Wells recipe (Olive Purée from Nyons, The Provence Cookbook), this spread is similar to tapenade but doesn’t include the strong flavours of capers, anchovies, and mustard which I find overpowering. Here, the olives are the star. I use thyme and rosemary (instead of herbes de Provence) and I throw in a garlic clove just for good measure. Oh, wouldn’t I love to get my hands on the Nyons olives that inspired Ms. Wells to create her recipe! Instead, I use the wrinkly but meaty, sun-dried black olives (such as the flavourful, sun-dried Moroccan olives that Longo’s currently carries in their olive bar). Whatever you do, don’t use totally flavorless canned black olives. Use this spread sparingly because it is quite salty.

Ingredients:

2 cups best-quality sun-dried black olives, pitted

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 clove of garlic

2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, if required

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor or blender. Blend to a thick paste; if too thick, add oil and blend again.
2. Serve immediately or transfer to an airtight container and cover; store in refrigerator for a few days or in the freezer for longer storage. Defrost before serving. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Here are some quick ideas for easy breezy assembly-only appetizers to download to your dock or deck this summer.  Gather some fresh and seasonal ingredients, make a few simple slices, and then assemble into beautiful and delicious appetizers that will leave you with more time to spend with your happy guests. Who wants to be in the kitchen when you can be down on the dock?

Spanish Twist: Peaches with Serrano Ham, Creamy Blue, & Honey

Wow your guests with a little Spanish flare: Spanish-style serrano ham, creamy blue cheese, and honey compliment juicy peaches, beautifully. Spanish food is hot in Toronto right now. Bring a little Barcelona to your own backyard.

Ingredients:

Peaches – pick out some fragrant, ripe Ontario-grown beauties.

Mild, creamy blue cheese – my favourite is Devil’s Rock Creamy Blue Cheese. The sharpness of this milder blue is softened by the creamy, rich texture of the cheese.

Serrano ham – Spanish-style dry-cured ham (similar to prosciutto). I use the Campesino brand.

Honey – use your best honey. Try some wonderful, locally produced wildflower honey such as Gibbs. Gibbs bees live the good life, on a former Christmas tree farm (in Canfield, Ontario), surrounded by mixed pines, wildflowers, clover, pastures, and hay fields.

Directions:

1. Let the blue cheese come to room temperature to be easier to spread. The serrano ham should also be served at room temperature. Cut the ham into strips narrower than the width of the peach (so both ends of the peach will show through when you wrap it around) and long enough to wrap around the slice at least 1 ½ times.
2. Just before serving, slice the peaches into wedges. Smear a touch of blue cheese on each slice. Wrap with serrano ham. Drizzle with plenty of good honey. Serve immediately.

Balsamic-Drizzled Strawberries Stuffed with Prosciutto & Arugula

My friend attended an evening at a friend’s cottage on Prince Edward Island and came back with this delicious and different approach to the old standby of melon and prosciutto. The arugula adds a slight peppery punch that pairs well with the sweet tartness of the strawberries and balsamic glaze. The prosciutto brings in a touch of salt, leaving a wonderfully balanced combination of flavours in your mouth.

Ingredients:

Strawberries – locally grown and sweet. Strawberries in August? Well yes, if you buy local berries grown on ever-bearing plants that produce wonderful fruit right up until frost.

Prosciutto – buy the best you can find. I use Longo’s Prosciutto di Parma (ask for it at their deli counter).

Arugula – try to find baby arugula. Longo’s Organic Baby Arugula is tiny and perfect.

Balsamic glaze – I use De Nigris Balsamic Glaze. Don’t bother making your own. This glaze is priced right, keeps well, and best of all, comes in a squeezable bottle so you can add some drama to your drizzle.

Toothpicks

Directions:

1. Slice the top off the strawberries to remove the hull and leave a clean cut.
2. Cut a small piece of prosciutto (big enough that you can fold it over once or twice and fit it nicely inside the strawberry); place the prosciutto on the cut side of one strawberry half.
3. Place a small leaf of arugula (folded if necessary but you want a little green sticking out) on top of the prosciutto.
4. Place the other strawberry half on top; secure both halves with a toothpick. Place on a serving platter and drizzle a generous amount of balsamic glaze over top in an artful but haphazard pattern. Serve immediately.

Tomato Bocconcini Basil Skewers

When local tomatoes are in season, you can’t beat this colourful summer classic of juicy tomatoes, soft mini buffalo mozzarella cheese balls, the lovely licorice note of fragrant basil, a generous drizzle of balsamic glaze, and a sprinkling of crunchy sea salt.

Ingredients:

Cherry tomatoes – choose the ripest, most colourful, locally grown cherry tomatoes you can find. And for heaven’s sake, please don’t store them in your fridge.

Fresh basil leaves – hope you are lucky enough to have some growing in your garden!

Mini buffalo mozzarella cheese balls – top quality is crucial here. Bella Casara Mini Buffalo Mozzarella Soft Cheese is made from 100% buffalo milk. It’s locally produced in Vaughan, Ontario by family-run Quality Cheese Inc.

Balsamic glaze – I use De Nigris Balsamic Glaze. Don’t bother making your own. This glaze is priced right, keeps well, and best of all, comes in a squeezable bottle so you can add some drama to your drizzle.

Good quality sea salt

Mini skewers

Directions:

1. Cut the fresh basil leaves in long, wide strips (along the length of the leaf); wrap one strip around each cheese ball and skewer.
2. Anchor a cherry tomato at the bottom of the skewer.
3. Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with plenty of balsamic glaze. Serve immediately.

The Details:

 

I have a deep appreciation for good corn, rooted in the fields of Kent County that surround my mother’s childhood hometown of Chatham, Ontario.

I was raised to worship Kent County corn. My mom fondly recounted how her sister Jean would come home from work with an armful of the precious cobs, freshly picked and so sweet. Dinner that night would be a corn feast, honouring cob after sweet cob of golden summer.

The key to being crazy about corn is to buy the very best locally grown corn you can find; then cook it and eat it as soon as possible on the day you buy it. When you bring it home from the farm market, get it straight into the fridge and don’t husk it until just before you plan to boil it. Then boil it in plenty of fresh water without any additions: once the water is boiling, cook for 3 to 4 minutes for young cobs and 5 to 7 minutes for mature cobs.

Where can we find the best corn in the Peel Halton area? My answer is Allison’s Farm Market in Georgetown, Ontario.

The first time I tasted Allison’s tender, sweet corn I was hooked-at-hello. Olive Allison’s Farm Market corn so much that when the local corn season arrives, I make the journey to Georgetown from Streetsville. This year, I was so eager that I showed up a bit too early, LOL. Next year, I’ll call first to find out when the corn will be coming in from the fields.

Bob Allison was kind enough to invite me onto his corn fields recently, to teach me a bit about what makes his corn taste especially good.

The Allisons have been farming their land since 1965 and have been growing sweet corn since about 1975. They started out with an honesty box on their front yard and have grown into a permanent farm market where they sell their homegrown corn and pumpkins, as well as a bounty of fresh, local fruits and vegetables they bring in from other farms.

The Allison’s grow Gourmet Sweet supersweet corn: 1 acre of yellow corn and about 30 acres of bi-colour (Peaches & Cream) corn. Colour is just visual and doesn’t affect the taste of the corn. They plant a new patch of corn about every three days. The last patch is planted in early July and ripens the end of September. Bob’s crew looks for ripe ears on the stalks and hand picks them.

As soon as the corn is picked, its sugar starts to turn to starch. The hotter the weather, the faster the corn will deteriorate. That’s why Bob and his crew take extra special care to chill the corn right after it is picked. You will notice the difference between Bob’s corn and grocery store corn, which can get left out in warmer temperatures for a week.

When selecting corn, look for big cobs with moist, dark green husks and moist, stiff and dark silk.

All of these beautiful ears of corn that I bought from Allison’s Farm Market were perfect.

Please don’t buy already husked, cello wrapped, foam tray packets of corn. Please buy your corn locally and fresh, the day that you want to use it, ideally from a farm market. If you are a corn worshiper like me, it’s well worth the lovely country drive to Allison’s Farm Market in Georgetown. I often drive to Georgetown just to get their corn but come back with a bounty of fresh summer fruits and vegetables.

The Allisons also have a stand at Georgetown Farmers’ Market – so if you go on a Saturday morning, you can enjoy this lovely, vibrant market that runs along Main Street in historic downtown Georgetown.

Allison’s corn is so delicious that (dare I say it?) it is even better than the Kent County corn that my Chatham cousins brought to our cottage last week. Perhaps I overcooked the Kent County corn? I am grasping at corn stalks here, trying to remain in good standing with my dear Chatham family. I can hear the butter knives being dropped on the floor in Chatham right now. I will have a lot of explaining to do.

I don’t have a recipe for you because good corn should be served unadulterated…

Or perhaps with a splurge of Stirling Whey Butter smeared over top. Mmm…creamy, slightly nutty, all natural buttery goodness. Artisanally crafted in Stirling, Ontario at Stirling Creamery since 1925.

Tel: 905-873-8283

Open: 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. from June to Oct 31^st

On-Farm Market: Grow and sell their own sweet corn and pumpkins. Bring in strawberries, apples, tomatoes, potatoes, squash, green beans, blueberries, peaches, melons, preserves, pies, bread (weekends only), fall décor, mums.

Farm Market Stand at: Georgetown Farmers’ Market

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Stirling Creamery Butter: Available at Longo’s & Goodness Me! Visit Stirling Creamery’s website for other GTA locations.