Corn at its peak in the summer is a real treat. It’s sweet, crisp and can almost be eaten raw. I just remember, as most of you do, that we would always have it on the cob. Well that always made for some fun messy eating and a serious session with the dental floss when you were finished. We lived in Trinidad for about a year when I was in third grade and one of my favorite snacks was “burnt corn.” Really, there would be folks on the side of the road roasting the corn over an open-flame until it was basically a charcoal briquette…I know this was awful for me now but, back then it was so tasty and it made us laugh like crazy since it turned our teeth all black. So, now I’m grown up and enlightened and not only do I not eat “burnt corn” but I also stay away from corn that is not “organic.” Unless a farmer can tell you that he used organic seed for his corn crop or he/she has always used their own heirloom seeds then it’s probably genetically modified corn. A tragedy in our generation for sure and I say this because there is an enormous amount of corn being consumed around the world and most of it is genetically modified. Sadly, we do not know the long-term side effects of GMO’s or I should say that scientists have been studying the effects of GMO’s and they may know but it’s just not really public knowledge at this point. And, companies are not required to state on the labels of food if there are GMO’s in the ingredient list or not, so you never know, unless of course, you buy 100% organic and then by law that food item cannot be genetically modified in any way or contain any genetically modified organisms. If you want to know more then please check out the movie, “The Future of Food” and the book, “Seeds of Deception.” I’m just saying - be aware - because that is a big part of the whole, real food journey we’re all on. Funny how I can turn a happy little blog about corn into the dark side of the GMO world but it’s one we all need to see. So back to the bright side, I’ve got a great little recipe for you that is all sweetness and light - that is if you use organic corn! When you hit the farmer’s market tomorrow just ask the farmer if they used organic practices when growing their corn because it doesn't need to be certified in that case and pick up some corn and make my“Sautéed Summer Corn and Basil.” It’s super easy, delicious and you won’t need to run for the dental floss when you're done eating!