That's so corny.

Here are the varieties of corn we’ve chosen to grow in the BEEKMAN 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Garden this summer.

Stowell’s Evergreen White Corn – 8 in. ears. One of the oldest named varieties of sweet corn in existence. It was developed by Nathan Stowell of Burlington, New Jersey in 1848. U. P. Hedrick said it was probably the most widely known and appreciated variety of corn ever to be introduced. Evergreen refers to its ability to hold its fresh quality for a long time in the field, allowing a long harvest period. Requires a long growing season.

Country Gentlemen Corn –  7 in. white ears. Introduced in 1890 and known as a ’shoepeg’ corn because the kernels grow randomly all over the ear as if they were ’shoepegged’ onto the ear and not in uniform rows. Excellent flavor, but not very drought resistant.

Silver Queen Corn – One of the sweetest white corns, must be eaten within minutes of picking for optimum sweetness.

Godlen Bantam Corn – 7 in. ears, two per stalk. Early main crop for the home garden. This has been the standard yellow sweet corn for American home gardens for more than 100 years. Excellent, sweet flavor.

Trucker’s Favorite White Corn –  8 12 in. ears. For early quick crop or late planting.

But as most of our neighbors can attest, this has not been a good season for corn.  We’ve even tried going out to the garden and singing lullabies to each ear, but it doesn’t seem to be working.

But that is part of the experience of gardening.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but ultimately it’s the “bad” years that make you so much more appreciate of the “good” ones.

We’ve vowed that with the few ears of corn we are likely to harvest this year, we’re going to make the most of them, and we think we’ve developed a recipe that will do just that.

Give this delicious recipe a try and let us know what you think.

Corn Chowder Salad

Not really a corn chowder but made with the same ingredients that might go into one, this is a burst of summer. When corn season is over, you can substitute 3 cups of frozen corn kernels. Scraping the corn off the cob is really easy; cut off a small slice from the bottom of each shucked ear so it will stand upright, then working in a large bowl, cut from the top to the bottom to release all the corn kernels.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces

1 Yukon gold potato, about 8 ounces (or other if you prefer), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 red bell pepper, ribs and seeds discarded, cut into 1/2 inch dice coarse salt

6 ears of corn, shucked and kernels scraped from cob with a knife (3 cups)

1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

red pepper flakes

Instructions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel to drain. Measure the fat remaining in the skillet – you need 2 tablespoons (if the bacon was particularly lean and you don’t have enough, add olive oil to make up the difference.)

Add the potato to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper, season with salt, and cook, tossing occasionally until the pepper and potato are tender, about 5 minutes longer. Add the corn and cook until piping hot, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, season with salt and red pepper and stir to combine. Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

All this season we’re working with our friend Sandy Gluck to develop recipes fresh from the heirloom garden.

Ready for a good cry?  Next week onions are on the menu