Best Corn Ever? Aw, Shucks – That's Sweet!

Corn is the essence of summer. It’s also a reminder that fall is on its way. The sells plenty of fresh, sweet corn that’s perfect for eating raw, steamed or, my personal favorite, grilling.

The corn at the market is sweet, fresh and grown locally, which means the kernels are tender and there is plenty of flavor to savor. Market manager and both have fresh corn hiding away in their husks ready for consumption. Valdivia even has baby corn!

“It’s like the stuff you see in stir frys,” said , an operator for Valdivia Farms.

Corn is one of the hardest vegetables to grow , though Valdivia’s corn is pesticide-free.

“Anything that has this much sugar in it draws a lot of bugs,” Hillebrecht said, emphasizing the need for pesticides with corn. “We use something that’s the most benign—that has the least residual effect.”

Hillebrecht’s corn is the sweetest variety out there and is so tender, it can be eaten raw. Her ears of corn are a gorgeous color with a beautiful natural shine. And all of her corn is picked by hand, which means extra TLC is put into these crops.

“They’re all hand-picked,” Hillebrecht said. “It’s not fun. It’s wet, you’re slipping in the mud. It itches.”

Thank Hillebrecht for all her hard work in the fields by stocking up on her corn, just $1 an ear, or buy some of Valdivia's baby corn, 5 for $1. Use it in soups, as a side dish, or grill it up with this smoky butter.

Chipotle-Buttered Corn

• 4 ears of corn
• 1 stick of butter, softened
• 1 chipotle in adobo sauce, minced (found in the supermarket by the enchilada sauces)
• 1-2 tsp. adobo sauce, depending on how smoky you like your food
• 1 tsp. lime zest, optional
• Sea salt, to taste

Whip It Together

1. Combine all ingredients, stirring well.
2. Pull back the husks of each ear of corn, stopping at the base (You can remove the outer layer of husks completely). Remove all silk and cover the corn with an even layer of butter.
3. Cover the corn back up with the attached husks.
4. Grill over direct heat for 10 minutes, then indirect heat for 5 minutes (I have an upper tray on my grill that I set my corn on, so it's never truly touching the flame).
5. Remove from the grill, peel back the husks and dig in.
6. If you like it really smoky, smother more chipotle butter on after it's off the grill.
7. Thank me in the comments section the day after you've tried this recipe for your newfound love of all-things smoky.

Tip for leftover chipotle butter

• Got left over chipotle butter? Wrap it up in plastic wrap, in a log shape (refer to the pictures) and cut pieces off as you need them for future cooking. The leftover butter will go great on steaks, baked potatoes or to saute vegetables. You could even melt it and dip some crab in it.