Homemade Cream Style Corn

Tried and True Thursday (flashback to July 2009) Homemade Cream Style Corn I grew up in a family of gardeners.  We ate fresh vegetables all summer long and canned and froze and preserved everything we could for eating the other nine months of the year.  Fresh foods are soooooo much better than the stuff we get today in the grocery. I've made the most of corn on the cob thus far this summer.  But I was homesick for some of the foods I grew up eating...like homemade cream style corn, which has absolutely no relationship to the canned stuff on the grocery shelves, nor the frozen stuff that comes in tubes either.  Twenty years ago, when Mackenzie Foods was still a small independent produce plant in the small town I lived in, they offered up packages of frozen cream style corn that was like homemade.  Alas, that business bit the dust after the union came in and took over the plant. So this past week, while I was with Granny I asked: How do you make cream style corn?  I well remember the shucking and silking of ears each year.  But the part that came after we weren't allowed to participate in.  So Granny told me how to do it with a knife and as an afterthought she told me I could also use my box grater and use the long slicing side. I bought corn on Big Shop day and yesterday I set to work.  First I cut off the tassels and the stem.  Then I shucked the corn and silked it and washed the ears well.  Then I put the box grater in a big deep bowl.  I did recall this part correctly.  Grating corn is a messy splattery sort of job.  I ran the ears of corn over the box grater until I saw nothing but cob on them.  And then I began the cooking of the corn.  It was delicious!  We had fried green tomatoes with the dish (I'll try and remember to share that recipe with you next week) and cold ham slices and freshly buttered homemade bread.  While Katie declares me a gourmet cook, this was pure country cooking, good food, and boy was it worth every bit of my time and effort! Homemade Cream Style Corn 6 ears of corn, trimmed, shucked, silked and washed Place box grater in deep dish pan, or pot.  Grate corn on box grater (use the cheese slicer side) until nothing but cob remains. Put corn in frying pan.  Add just enough water to cover slightly, then bring to boil over medium heat.  Stir and scrape pan often (I found about every ten minutes was just about right).  Add more water as needed.  Corn will need to simmer over medium to medium low heat for about 40 minutes.  Taste to determine 'doneness'.  It will taste sweet and not have the 'raw' milky taste of fresh uncooked corn. When done, slowly stir in 3 tbsps cream, and 1 generous tbsp of butter.  Salt and pepper to taste and cook a few minutes longer until corn is thick and creamy.