I hit one of those moments last week that was filled with memories and nostalgia. No surprise that it related to something foodie, but not quite what you think. Summertime growing up was filled with weeding the garden, picking whatever happened to be ripe and freezing or canning said fruit or veggie for the upcoming winter. The cellar was lined with floor to ceiling shelves loaded with beautiful glass jars filled with peaches, cherries, green beans, tomatoes and chow chow. Two full-sized freezers stood on the other side of the room loaded with sweet corn (emphasis on sweet!), lima beans ( a royal pain to shell), peas, apple sauce, strawberries, raspberries and the list goes on. Meals were understandably crafted from what was found on these shelves, and man was it good.
So, when my sister Joanna called and wanted to know if I “needed” corn and would I like to come cut corn, I was all over it. As I thought of the whole process that, admittedly I have not done as much of since opening the Inn, I realized it was less about putting up food for the winter than it was about family and connection.Years ago it was my elderly aunts and grandmothers who would show up with their freshly sharpened knives, corn pans low and long to cut into and an good old apron. Now it was me showing up with, you guessed it, newly sharpened knives, apron and pan, to help Joanna and the next generation, my nephew and his wife. Babies played in playpens, lots of conversation under the tree on a perfect summer day. Wait… does that mean I am now the elderly grandmother?! Everything in perspective!
Let’s just say it was an ah-hah moment. Not sure good or bad. All that to say I am going to share my mother’s recipe for corn fritters, which is nothing more than a fresh corn pancake that we enjoyed with sticky bun syrup for supper. Today we serve them in silver dollar size at the Inn as a side to a savory breakfast and rave reviews!
Good recipes