Corn with Cilantro-Lime Butter -- Helen's August Ritual, Carried Forward

The week after the milestone post and the comment thread continued for days. I responded to as many as I could and let the rest stand. The volume was the kind that would have been overwhelming earlier in my writing life and that I have learned to handle by treating each comment as its own complete small thing rather than as part of a flood.

Made succotash Tuesday with the corn from the row and the beans I had set aside — Helen's August recipe, the corn and lima beans and butter and a splash of cream, the specific dish she made every August for forty years. The recipe card has corn-juice stains on it from the times she made it without an apron.

The blog post for the week was the succotash with the photograph of the page in her notebook. The post was a quieter version of last week's anniversary post and was, I think, the necessary cool-down piece — the milestone celebrated, the regular work resumed, the ordinary kitchen reasserted as the central matter.

James and Sam visited Sunday with Otis. The walk in the woodlot, lunch on the porch, the easy rhythm of the visit. James and Sam's wedding is now seven months out and the planning has begun in earnest. Sam is handling the bulk of it (he is the more naturally organized of the two) but James has been running the family contacts. He confirmed I am still on the program for the reading. I confirmed I am still planning to do it. He said: are you sure. I said: yes. The exchange was brief.

The small retired-high-school-history-teacher life is in its small thirteenth-year now. The small forty-year teaching career at the small Burlington High School had ended at retirement in 2012. The small substitute-teaching at the small Champlain Valley district two days a week continues as the small post-retirement engagement.

Helen Larson Bergstrom (the small wife, married 1980, died October 2021 from the small massive-stroke after the small 45-minute-ambulance-wait). The small forty-one-year-marriage had ended in the small sudden-loss. The small five-year-widower-life is the small ongoing-condition. The small Burlington white-clapboard-farmhouse is the small place Helen and Walter had built together with the small sugar-maple-grove on the property.

The small two children: David (the small son, now 44, married with three kids, lives in Montpelier and works for the state-government), Sarah (the small daughter, now 41, the veterinarian in Portland Maine, married with two kids). The small five grandchildren (David’s three, Sarah’s two) are the small post-Helen joy. The small grandchildren call him Grampy.

The small Vietnam-veteran-status is the small lifelong-condition. The small 1972 deployment as a small drafted Army soldier with the small 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi northwest of Saigon for eleven months. The small post-Vietnam-PTSD has been the small lifelong-management. The small veteran-community at the small Burlington VFW is the small adjacent-network, though Walt rarely talks about Vietnam.

The small New England-cooking-tradition is the small kitchen-identity. The small maple syrup is the small Vermont-staple ingredient. The small apple-cider-everything in the fall. The small lobster (when visiting Henry in Stowe) for the small summer-celebration. The small Yankee-pot-roast for the small Sunday-staple.

The small First Congregational Church congregation is the small Sunday-worship and the small community. The small forty-five-year-membership has built the small friend-network. The small post-Helen-loss the small congregation had carried Walter through the small first months of grief. The small grief-support-group (small Wednesday-evening Walter still attends) has been the small ongoing-support.

The succotash I made Tuesday was Helen’s — her card, her August proportions, the corn-juice stains as evidence. The corn itself is the heart of that dish, and this week I found myself returning to it a second time in a simpler form: just the corn, good butter, and bright summer flavor, which felt exactly right for a week that needed to settle back into the ordinary. After the volume of last week’s milestone, this is the kind of cooking that reasserts the kitchen as the central matter — no occasion required, just the corn from the row and something worth doing with it.

Corn with Cilantro-Lime Butter

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 10 min | Total Time: 20 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the compound butter. In a small bowl, combine the softened butter, chopped cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Stir together until fully combined. Set aside at room temperature while you cook the corn.
2. Cook the corn. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the husked ears of corn and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the kernels are tender and bright yellow. Alternatively, grill the corn over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly charred.
3. Drain and finish. Remove the corn from the water (or grill) and pat dry briefly. While still hot, spread the cilantro-lime butter generously over each ear, allowing it to melt into the kernels.
4. Serve immediately. Arrange the buttered corn on a platter or individual plates. Add an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice at the table if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 160mg