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ByDebraChase SpecialtoTheWoodlandDaily Democrat Theyearofmythirteenth birthday I fell in love, with a vegetable. It was the sum- mer of 1972 and driving across country with rela- tives to visit relatives wasn't exactly a teenager's idea of a dream summer vacation. The goal was a small town in Indiana primarily inhabited by farmers, and corn. Miles and miles of corn, (I was soon to learn not all corn is sweet corn, much is field corn). I am from the south, Tennessee to be exact and Tennesse- ans are no stranger to corn, but the farmers in Indiana were truly "corn people." Like the Mayans and their descendants in Mexico, the farmers I met in Indiana depended on this "grass" as a staple in their diet and as a livelihood. They lived and breathed corn, as part of their everyday survival. Arriving at the farm we were just in time for a home cooked mid-day meal of, corn — boiled and but- tered — along with green beans, new potatoes, corn bread and ham. Every day for a week I ate corn. There were corn cakes, corn pone, corn bread, corn fritters and more corn — boiled and but- tered. I was in corn heaven. The corn served was as sweet as candy and when bitten the juice from the kernels would trickle down my chin. Struck by the beauty and grace of this vegetable and its many uses, I was instantly head over heels in love with corn. I learned as much as I could from my Indiana farmer relatives about how to grow, harvest and cook sweet corn. Sweet corn is picky about its soil, preferring aged compost or manure that has had a chance to winter over and the soil temperature needs to be just right for planting, around 60 to 65 degrees. The seeds planted one inch deep in the rich soil are best sown in blocks of rows rather than long lines of rows so pollination can easily take place. Sweet corn is wind polli- nated so for its male and fe- male parts to get together and create all those juicy kernels on a cob it often needs some help. When the corn stalk is in "full tassel" and the tips of the ears have hairy tufts of silk showing, the pollination process has begun. When the grain of pollen falls on a sticky strand of silk it imbeds it- self and then forms a tube down to the waiting ovary and a corn kernel is born. If there is no wind the farmer has to help things along. That's why sometimes a farmer or back yard gar- dener will be seen walking among the corn rows with a pie tin tapping the stalks to shake out the pollen, pur- posely catching some pol- len in the pie tin to sprin- kle on the stalks along the edges of the plantings. If the wind still fails to blow, this hand pollination will take place over a four or five day period. After the silk turns brown the farmer waits about two to three weeks and it's time to harvest. Walk- ing through the corn rows choosing the ears that are full they are pulled down- ward with a twist so as not to damage the ear. After harvest the corn needs to be kept cool as it will begin to lose sweetness as soon as it picked from the stalk. The sweet corn grown back then, on that small Indiana farm was hand planted and hand har- vested like many of our own local sweet corn farm- ers still do to this day. Yolo County small farmers grow plenty of sweet corn. Ignor- ing the low profit margin, they continue to grow it as a labor of love and an ode to tradition. Choose corn ears that are fully encased in their husks with the silk poking out at the top. Grown organically without pesticides there will be the occasional cut worm at the tip of the cob, don't be concerned, just cut that off and feed it to the chickens or toss it in the compost pile. The rest of the cob is still in good shape. Sweet corn is best fresh off the cob, dropped into boiling water for about 3-5 minutes then slathered in butter. Spice up this tradi- tional dish with a jalapeño and honey butter by mix- ing one stick of softened butter with one tablespoon of finely minced jalapeño pepper and one tablespoon of local honey. Set in the fridge to harden. Hard but- ter is easier to spread on a hot corn cob than soft but- ter is. For a healthier alterna- tive to butter, pour ½ cup of olive oil into a bowl and add one teaspoon of minced gar- lic, 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped cilantro, ½ tea- spoon each salt and pepper and ¼ teaspoon smoked pa- prika. Freeze this mixture until it is solid then spread by the teaspoon full over a hot cob. Corn on the cob is great grilled and easy to do. Husk the corn reserving the husks that are free of silk. While waiting for the grill to get hot, soak the husks in warm water for about 15 minutes. Remove them from the water and sprinkle the in- side of the husks with salt and pepper and lay on springs of fresh herbs like lemon thyme or sage. Cover the corn cob with these husks and twist the ends tightly until the cob is well sealed in husks once again. Place on the grill for about 10 minutes turning often. The husks will char, the corn will steam and the fla- vor will be intense. Corn pairs well with all other vegetables and will be in the Woodland farm- ers market very soon. One of the Farmers Mar- ket food vendors that cel- ebrate corn every week is the Savory Café serving up fresh tamales. Tamales are a traditional dish of the Mayan "corn people" and their Mexican descendants and are beautifully pre- pared by the Chefs at the Savory Café. Creatively pre- pared fillings are encased in a tender corn masa, covered in a corn husk with a variety of fillings, steamed, then covered in a rich sauce and topped with cheese. Shop at the Farm- ers Market this week and make a sensational dinner of tamales, grilled corn with jalapeño honey but- ter, steamed green beans and fruit salad. Emotive of childhood summers like mine, sweet corn is an epicurean expe- rience that defines summer and us as Americans. When we eat corn all five senses are involved and memo- ries are invoked. The sweet smell of the kernels and the muskiness of the husks, the soft silk, luxurious to the touch and the sounds of husking an ear of corn make us all "corn people." AT THE MARKET Atheart,we'reall'cornpeople' JIMSMITH-DAILYDEMOCRAT Choose corn ears that are fully encased in their husks with the silk poking out at the top. By Lynsey Chutel and Candice Choi The Associated Press JOHANNESBURG Starbucks is jumping into the surging coffee market in South Af- rica, where the number of cafes has expanded rapidly in recent years. The company says the first store will open in Jo- hannesburg by mid-2016 through a deal with Taste Holdings, a licensor of global brands in the region. Even though Starbucks doesn't yet have locations in sub-Saharan Africa, the company is betting people may be familiar with the name through TV, movies and media. The company's coffee, which includes sourcing from nine African coun- tries, was available through a foodservice deal during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. And the chain's green-and- white siren logo could be a familiar draw for peo- ple visiting Johannesburg from other parts of the world. Kris Engskov, who heads Europe, the Middle East and Africa for Starbucks Corp., said South Africa is an "as- pirational country" with a growing economy and that there is now a "much larger group of people that can ac- cess our brand." Starbucks, which has 22,000 locations globally, said the coffee served in the Johannesburg store will be similar to the coffee Star- bucks serves elsewhere in the world, but that it will create "special reserves" for the location. With the addition of the Johannesburg location, Starbucks is entering an already lively coffee mar- ket, thanks to a mix of in- dependent cafes and chains that have popped up in re- cent years. T he Seattle Cof fee Company has about 90 stores in the country. Barry Parker, a direc- tor for the company, said he's excited about the a r r iva l of St a r- bucks, but that inde- pendent shops might be worried. To the contrary, David Donde, owner of Truth Coffee, a Cape Town cafe known for its brass steam- punk design and a remod- eled 1940s cast iron roast- ing drum also says he wel- comes the competition from Starbucks. "They're going to bench- mark South African pric- ing with world pricing. We've been selling our cof- fee too cheap here," Donde said, adding that he thinks South African coffee drink- ers are becoming more dis- cerning about the quality of the brew, favoring "fla- vor over bitterness." Ultimately, coffee drink- ers will be the winners, said Karabo Kgole, a media ana- lyst who lives in Johannes- burg: "Coffee lovers will benefit from having another brand to explore." Alison Ritchie, a com- munications specialist who lives in Cape Town first walked into a Starbucks' store while living in South Korea, said she is "stoked" about their arrival in South Africa. "I loved it in Asia and I will most definitely love it here," said Ritchie, who is also a regular at Truth Cof- fee. Starbucks and Taste aren't disclosing the finan- cial terms of their deal, but Starbucks says it will sim- ilar to its other licensing deals around the world. The companies say their partnership will eventually lead to additional Starbucks stores in South Africa. 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