On the way to the Mercedes dealership, Scott pointed out a roadside farm stand, the first I've seen around here. It was nothing like the roadside farm stands I'm used to from Hawaii or rural towns In the west. It was a fully built out unit, bags of basil in a mini fridge, a blackboard with Venmo payment instructions, and a clean yard with views of the fields behind the house, so we could even look at the land that grew this food. He suggested we stop on the way back, I insisted we turn around, not willing to take the chance we couldn't find it again, never willing to wait when a moment like this calls.
Once we were in front of the tomatoes the size of his fist, it was hard not to overbuy, knowing how short the harvest season is around here. They had baskets of tomatoes in all colors and sizes, heads of fresh garlic, and ears of sweet corn so fresh I would have enjoyed them even if they had come from Monsanto seed. This was food undoubtedly grown with love and a magical farmer's hand. We collected our goodies, went on to pick up the van, grab brie and bread at Trader Joe's, and eat fresh bruschetta as our first meal in the back of the van.
After watching the sunset over Onandaga Lake, we headed back to the townhouse, driving our new home to our transition townhome. When we arrived, we unpacked the coolers, I started the pot of boiling water, and we had sweet corn for our dinner. I tasted the first bite raw and was blown away by the favor. It only needed a minute in the boiling water, not even adding salt it was already so good. We'd pulled out some of the Dubliner we'd been snacking on on the water, and for the first time in over a year I remembered the genius Peruvian specialty, queso con choclo. They've got thousands of varieties of corn there, and found that boiling it on the street and serving it with a slice of cheese makes a perfect lunch. Now those flavors mixed in my mouth for the first time in the US, and the quality of these was far superior to anything I've every had in South America. How is it that this has not caught on when corn fed Iowa is sitting full of cows and next to the Wisconsin Cheese Trail? Come on Midwest, take your happy cows and show them how corn can be!
