July 13. Really? It is July 13?! It is funny how we always wish our summers away, because of so many events that happen during those precious months from mid-May to mid-August. About this time of the year was when I'd always wish I had something going on when I was living at home. For those who are trained in the seasons of sweet corn, you know that it's about that time that that juicy goodness is ready to be plucked from the tall stalks. One of my Daddy's siblings started planting sweet corn in with the field corn and lo-and-behold, guess whose farm was doing it the next year? Mmhm. That is right. The Ponderosa located in the heart of Harvey County. It is funny and amusing now that I am older, looking back at all the things/equipment purchases my uncles made and how not long after that, Daddy was looking into the same thing. Thankfully, the Bergkamps are not foolish with their money, so we never ended up with an infomercial midnight purchase. We did end up with some plastic poly-pipe for the flood irrigation. Back to the point: when the Bergkamps do something, they do it BIG and sweet corn is/was no exception. I can still remember the aggravation waking up to husk countless ears of corn in the pickup bed, while Daddy was out in the field picking more. After husking and doing a half assed job on plucking off all that damn silk, we would place it in boiling water to kill off all the crap that festers in a field over a few months. Then, the best part: cutting the corn off the cob (ugh) or placing it on the cob in massive bags. Seeing that keeping it on the cob took up so much space, Mom would do about 90% of the "crop" off the cob. And that stunk, let me tell you. All that work, slicing it off the cob for a wittle baggie of sweet corn was not fun. At.all.
However, the taste when it was all said and done was amazing and it was awesome having sweet corn for dinner during those winter months. I guess that is another lesson in life: sometimes you have to slice countless ears and enjoy sweet corn juice hitting you in the eye to appreciate the good stuff.
However, I do have a good excuse to get out of putting up sweet corn this year, but I still want my stake in a few baggies.
