isn’t the one that’s most delicious or the one with the prettiest kernels. In fact it tastes terrible and you can’t see the kernels at all, because the corn I have in mind is Zea mays var. japonica, usually sold as Zea japonica or Japanese ornamental corn.

Zea mays var. japonica
Whatever you call it, it produces brilliantly striped green, white and pink foliage, starting quite early in the season. First growth is plain green, but as long as the leaves get plenty of sun, they start coloring up when the plants are about 3 feet tall.
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“But how did you stand the winters?”
Anyone who’s lived in Maine year round and now doesn’t will be familiar with this question. There are lots of good answers but right now all I can think of is Northern shrimp, Pandalus borealis, the glory of the Maine winter, sweet, tender and buttery.
Like the wild mushrooms of the warmer months, Maine shrimp are a gift of place. If you’re near the coast, they’re everywhere, especially in a good season. Never mind fishmarkets and grocery stores. Trucks! By the side of the road. Two or three dollars a pound. Or you can be part of community supported fishing (CSF), pay in advance and be confident of the freshest and best every week.

Typical size is 40 or 50 per pound (headless)
The farther they must travel, the more they cost. But even at the 8.00/pound I recently paid in Manhattan out of a giant fit of homesickness, they’re a bargain. And talk about easy to cook!
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