By The garden is at peak production and I am drowning in tomatoes, which is the best kind of drowning. Cherokee Purples on every surface — the counter, the table, the windowsill. I'm canning sauce, making soup, giving bags to anyone who makes eye contact. The Washingtons got a bag. Miss Corrine got a bag. Gladys got a bag with a note: "These tomatoes are from Earl's garden. He would have said they're too close together." Gladys wrote back: "They look fine to me. Your cobbler recipe is still wrong."
I love that woman.
Marcus and Tasha have news: Tasha is pregnant again. Due in November. Another great-grandchild — that's three, if you're counting, and I am counting, because each one is a vote for the future and the future needs all the votes it can get. Amara will be a big sister. Marcus says she doesn't understand yet. She will. The baby will arrive and Amara will realize that the universe no longer revolves exclusively around her, and that lesson is the beginning of all growth.
I started freezer meals immediately. Marcus said, "Granny, the baby isn't due for four months." I said, "Marcus, it takes four months to fill a freezer properly. The planning starts now." He sighed. He knows better than to argue. The cooler will be loaded and delivered via Earl Jr. same as before, and Tasha will eat and the baby will grow and the cycle will continue.
Made fried okra tonight — the garden okra, small and tender, the kind that crunches when you bite through the cornmeal crust. Summer food. Peak food. The food that exists only for a few weeks in July and August and then vanishes, which makes it more precious. Everything temporary is precious, baby. That's the lesson of the garden and the lesson of life.
Now go on and feed somebody.
The okra was the star tonight, no question — but every star needs a supporting cast, and this summer skillet Mexicorn has been showing up on this table for thirty years because it asks nothing of you except a hot pan and a little butter. When the garden is giving like it’s giving right now, you make as many dishes as the produce will allow, and corn this sweet in July doesn’t wait for a special occasion. You make it on a Tuesday. You make it because Tasha is growing a baby and Marcus is sighing and Gladys is still wrong about the cobbler and the world is wonderfully, riotously full.
Molly’s Mexicorn
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 6 ears), or 2 cans (15 oz each) whole kernel corn, drained
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of smoked paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife. Dice both bell peppers and the onion into roughly equal small pieces so everything cooks evenly.
- Melt the butter. In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, melt butter over medium heat until it begins to foam. Don’t rush this — you want the pan evenly hot before anything goes in.
- Soften the onion. Add the diced onion to the butter and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes until translucent and just starting to turn golden at the edges.
- Add the peppers. Stir in the green and red bell peppers. Cook another 3 to 4 minutes until the peppers are slightly softened but still have a little bite to them.
- Add the corn. Add the corn kernels and stir everything together to combine. Spread into an even layer and let it cook undisturbed for 2 minutes to get a little color, then stir and repeat once more. Total corn cooking time is about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Season and serve. Sprinkle with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika if using. Stir to combine, taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve warm straight from the skillet.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 148 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 205mg