Mile End Farmers' Market: Corn

The Mile End Market is run by the same organization as the Sunday Plateau Market, but some of the vendors are different. Most important, La Perle and her baker aren't there, so no muffins or incredible bread for me, malheureusement.

On the upside, however, there is always a guest chef. Often they'll bring something half pre-done, like La Montée du Lait's chef did when he brought his eggplant pancakes, then put some goat's milk cheese available at the market on top and covered it all with some fresh arugula. Voila, snack.

Another chef from...hmm...I forget...somewhere that specialized in pig. Anyway, this chef made tacos with pork butt. I ran before they were done. Better to run away than explain my reasons for not-eating pork.

So my favourite stall is currently the corn and raspberries guy. The corn is a recent addition to the stall's offerings. I met him about three weeks ago when I was busily not buying raspberries. I was walking around the market and seeing all these raspberries that looked delicious but I'd try them and they just weren't. Nothing special, not worth the high price tag, but then I got to this guy and he had some that were bigger, and normally to me that's a bad sign. It often means they're genetically modified, like the oversized everything at normal grocery stores or even Atwater Market. Except the Mile End market is all organics, so I asked why they were bigger, and he said they were a different varietal of raspberry, a little sweeter...good salesman. So I caved and bought them, and yes, the bigger ones were sweeter, but they were mixed in with smaller ones that I didn't like much. Still, I somehow managed to get through them, force them down and all, while waiting for that day's chef to decide to make yet another salad with goat cheese...

Now what really got me with this man was that he immediately said, "First time? I don't think I've seen you here before," and he was right. Then when I came back two weeks later, he said, "I remember you," and I believe he did, even though I was wearing my contacts that day instead of my glasses, a very Superman-like change in appearance.

So I decided to buy his corn. I love fresh corn. I was in Appleton, Wisconsin one summer and bought corn by the dozen off the back of a truck. That was the sweetest, most amazing corn I've ever eaten. You don't even cook that corn. I've had good corn since then from the corn guy at Atwater, but so far this year neither his corn nor this Mile End Market corn guy's corn has compared. I'll try again in a few weeks. It's not bad, and I like this guy so much now that I will continue to buy his corn anyway. I mean, it's better than potatoes as far as starchy vegetables go, especially with some lime juice and salt, but it's not amazing. It's the human element that brings me back; this man remembers me. Maybe his week is a little more complete if he sees me, and mine a little more complete if I buy corn or berries from him.