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County Faretasty fresh mer's extreme heat is great- ly reducing the amount of corn many growers will be bringing to farmers markets or doing in their corn crops altogether. But those who irrigate are having better luck, and what does show up at market is likely to have an added benefit: Freshly picked corn, always remarkably sweet, gets even sweeter when temperatures soar. (MCT) — This sum- MCT photo A Coke and Jack slushie is sure to please the inner child in any adult in the summertime. Frozen libations for adult tastes By John Kessler The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (MCT) I sure could use a pina colada right about now. Or even a frozen daiquiri. This summer has been hot. But that's not going to happen because I don't do blender drinks anymore. I never buy white rum or Coco Lopez. The last time I actually sat down to one of those pina coladas in a foot-high punch glass with a maraschino cherry and pineapple wedge on the side was, oh, I'm going to say 1982. I drink much more serious beverages now, like rye Man- hattans and Sazeracs. I like my spirits brown and my flavors bitter. year, the flavor is better because the sugar content is a little higher," says Dave Thies, whose Thies Farm and Greenhouse grows corn in Maryland Heights, Mo., and sells it at farm stands and farmers markets. Thies has been able to bring in a steady crop —and expects to continue into the fall with only minor gaps — because his corn fields are irrigated. "In such a real dry, hot MCT photo Bibb lettuce or red leaf lettuce bulks out this corn 'ceviche' in corn water. During the past few years I've figured out ways to make frozen cocktails that appeal more to my palate today. For starters, I put away the blender because I don't want any- thing that remotely resembles a smoothie. A few years ago when I was writing a story about cook- ing with Coke in honor of the New World of Coca-Cola, I discovered churning Coke and limeade concentrate in my ice cream maker resulted in something delicious — a kind of slushy sorbet the kids around the table loved. The adults loved it even better with a wee splash of brown liquor. I seem to have stumbled backward into a time-honored Kentucky tradition. My friend Kat Kinsman grew up in the Bluegrass State, where her relatives made a slightly more complex version of this concoction. There, they freeze cit- rus juices, strong black tea and bourbon together into a sweet-yet-potent ice to top with a splash of soda. I'm lucky enough to have had more than a few of these bourbon slushies at Kat's annual Derby Day party. Then, the other day, I surveyed some sad-looking grape- fruits in our fruit bowl that needed using fast and thought to turn them into a frozen dessert. I juiced the grapefruit and sweetened it lightly with honey. I also added a few drops of orange flower water for a kick. After freezing it, I broke it up into the crystalline, snowy concoction called granita. I loved the flavor — even more so when I realized I was one ingredient away from a frozen Brown Derby cocktail. A splash of bourbon fixed that situation nicely. KAT'S BOURBON SLUSH 12 ounces lemonade frozen concentrate 6 ounces orange juice frozen concentrate 2 cups sugar Ginger ale or lemon-lime soda to taste In a lidded, freezer-proof container or two (Tupperware and Rubbermaid pitchers work well), mix all ingredients except ginger ale until thoroughly blended. Place the container(s) in the freezer overnight or for at least 4-6 hours. It should be firm all the way through, but it will not freeze completely solid. 2 cups hot strong tea 2 cups bourbon 7 cups water bler, top with ginger ale or lemon-lime soda to taste and serve. FROZEN BROWN DERBY Scoop about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of the slush into a tum- Juice of four pink grapefruits (about 4 cups) 3 tablespoons honey 1/2 teaspoon orange flower water (optional) Bourbon to taste Combine juice, honey and orange flower water and pour into a sealable freezer bag. When frozen solid, smash the side of the bag with a mallet or hammer to break the con- tents into snowy crystals. Spoon into rocks glasses and drizzle with bourbon. Serve with a spoon. COKE AND JACK SLUSHIES 2 (12-ounce) cans cold Coca-Cola 6 ounces limeade concentrate 6 ounces bourbon, chilled Meanwhile, at his Three Girls and a Tractor farm in Warren County, John Kop- mann is using all of his ingenuity to try to salvage his later-season corn crop. (The farm name comes from the help he gets grow- ing and selling from his three preteen daughters.) "We haven't ever watered before," Kopmann says. "This year, we ran a black hose from the line near our house out into the field and then ran soakers." Kopmann grows Boda- cious and Incredible vari- eties of yellow corn and Obsession and Providence varieties of bi-color corn. He sells them at the Wash- ington, Mo., farmers market on Wednesdays and Satur- days and from a stand near the farm. Kopmann says he does- this year." HOW TO BUY, STORE AND COOK CORN Buying: Choose ears that are full and plump, with lots of silk and tightly wrapped husks. The silk should be moist and slightly sticky, and the more silk the better. Storing: In general, don't. Eat the corn as soon as pos- sible. The sugar in many types of corn —especially those preferred by small farmers — converts quickly to starch. If you must store corn, leave it in the husk, put it in a plastic bag with holes (or a special vegetable stor- age bag) and refrigerate for two days at the most. De-silking: Slightly dampen a paper towel and rub it from the top to bottom of each ear. Cutting off the kernels: Cut off the stem end of the corn. Stand it flat on that end in a wide bowl, and use a chef's knife to slice off the 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA n't know how much longer the season will run, espe- cially if he can't get in another planting. "It's very late to still be planting any more now, and there's not enough moisture to let it sprout," he says. The corn he has for sale almost certainly was picked that day. "Each day after it's picked, it loses a little bit of sugar content because it converts into starch," Kop- mann says. "Some people say they can taste the differ- ence real quick after it's picked." Sweetness, texture and shelf life all play a part in what varieties a farmer chooses to grow. For Thies and Kopmann, the short dis- tance between soil and sale makes long shelf life a non- issue. Still, Kopmann's cur- rent choices illustrate that consumers have a difficult task if they're interesting in determining the genetic background of the corn that they purchase. 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Many sources say that salting water used for boiling also toughens the corn. For uses such as sal- ads, freshly picked corn actually may be better raw. CORN 'CEVICHE' IN CORN WATER Yield: 6 servings 3 medium ears corn 4 cups vegetable broth Sea or kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 avocados 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved Bibb lettuce or red leaf lettuce, for serving 1. Cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Measure 2 cups kernels; cover and refrigerate. Refrigerate extra corn kernels for another use. 2. Combine the cobs and broth in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat and simmer for about 20 min- utes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the broth and cobs until chilled, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve. 3. Peel and pit the avoca- dos; cut into 1/4-inch slices. In a large bowl, combine corn kernels, avocados, tomatoes, radishes, red onion, red pepper and habanero. Season with a good amount of salt and a little bit of pepper. 4. In another bowl, com- bine ginger, cilantro, basil, lime juice and orange juice. Pour over the vegetables; marinate for at least 30 min- utes. 1 cup quartered radishes 1/4 cup shaved red onion 3 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper 1 teaspoon minced 5. Pour about 1/4 cup corn broth into individual bowls. Top broth with a let- tuce leaf, then top the leaf with some of the ceviche, repeating until all of the ceviche is used. Chill and serve cold. 384-1563 AT NO EXTRA CHARGE SPECIALLY CUT MEATS STAMPS ACCEPT FOOD WE We Accept EBT Snapper Fillets Wednesday, August 1, 2012 – Daily News 5A $599 lb. "Organic" Green or Red Grapes 4for Bodacious and Incredi- ble are known as sugary enhancer, or "se" corn, a term based on a gene dis- covered in the 1960s by A.M. "Dusty" Rhodes, a professor of horticulture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Sug- ary enhancer corn is sweet- er than standard corn, but it also has a relatively short shelf life. Drizzle each serving with 1 shot of bourbon. Serve with a spoon or a straw. Combine the cola and limeade with a whisk, then freeze in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer's direc- tions. Divide frozen mixture into four chilled glasses. Chase away the kids. Join the discussion on John Kessler's blog: ajc.com/go/foodandmore. Or email John at jkessler@ajc.com dence fall into categories known as augmented super- sweet or synergistic corn. Thies says that his farm mostly grows hybrid sugary enhancer varieties of corn. He hopes that a round of planting about three weeks ago will mean that he has corn available until about mid-September, reflecting a recent trend toward a later end to the season. "We'd usually shoot for Labor Day (for the end of the corn harvest)," Thies says. 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