Beekman 1802 -- 'Corn Chowder' Salad

'Corn chowder' salad. Photo: Brent Ridge, Beekman 1802.

Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell are the farmers and innovators behind Beekman 1802, a 200-year-old estate and farm in upstate New York. We'll be running recipes, gorgeous photos and tales from the farm as their crops come into season.

We can almost taste the sugary goodness of our sweet corn already. Those poor non-gardeners have no idea what true corn should taste like. Even when purchased in a farmers' market, it's never at its peak. Sweet corn begins converting its sugars to starch from the moment it's picked. Some estimate that 80 percent of its sugar is converted within the first four hours.

So only we gardeners can truly sing the praises of our ears. While it's hard to improve upon the near-perfect taste of corn on the cob with a little salt and butter, we think we've come pretty darn close with this "corn chowder" salad.

Recipe and a bit about our heirloom corn, after the jump.

Here are the corn varieties we've chosen to grow in the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Garden:

Stowell's Evergreen White Corn: Eight-inch ears. One of the oldest named varieties of sweet corn in existence, it was developed by Nathan Stowell of Burlington, N.J., 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: Seven-inch 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" on to 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: Seven-inch ears, two per stalk. This has been the standard yellow sweet corn for American home gardens for more than 100 years, and is a great early main crop for the home garden with an excellent, sweet flavor.

Trucker's Favorite White Corn: Eight-and-a-half-inch ears for an early quick crop or late planting.

Perhaps because it's so good right on the cob with just a pat of butter and a bit of salt, we're not always as creative as we should be when it comes to using corn in other ways. Give this delicious recipe a try and let us know what you think.

Corn Chowder Salad
Not really a corn chowder but composed of similar ingredients, this dish 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 cut from the top to the bottom to free all the corn kernels.

Serves 4
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 slices bacon (about 2 ounces), cut crosswise into 1/2 inch pieces
1 potato, preferably Yukon gold, about 8 ounces, 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 (about 3 cups)
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. 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 very lean and you don't have enough, add olive oil to make up the difference.)

Add potato to the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally until it is 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.