Memories can come up at any random moment. My wife and I recently spent half day at a working farm in Clermont, Fl called Southern Hill Farms. We usually go strawberry picking when in season, but they also have a variety of veggies, flowers and fruit that you can pick yourself. It is a lot of fun, and the taste can’t be beat.

On our last visit this weekend, we picked some amazing blueberries (in full season now) and cut some beautiful Zinnias to make several bouquets. On the way out, we noticed many people purchasing ears of fresh corn, something you can’t pick yourself, but they sell at the stands around the farm. We picked up six ears as it looked so fresh.

That evening, husking the beautiful yellow and white ears, took me right back to the many BBQ’s my parents used to have in our Manhattan Beach Brooklyn backyard in the spring and summer. My dad would roll out the large charcoal grill (never gas) and proceeded to make a chimney starter fire to get the coals nice and hot (no lighter fluid, ever). It was an art, rolling the coal, setting the grates to the correct height and cooking burgers, hot dogs, and delicious grilled chicken wings. My mom always briefly boiled the corn on the cob, inside, to preserve the crisp, juicy, and sweet young yellow and white kernels. It was like eating candy and enjoyed by all at the table. 

It’s been likely 40 or more years since the last BBQ there and yet, husking the corn and seeing the colors and tasting the sweetness, just brought me right back to that old backyard and the great family meals we had. 

What brings you back in time?