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Tuesday, August 24, 2021
The Observer & Baker City Herald
Summer pleasure: Sweet corn
By JEANMARIE BROWNSON
The Daily Meal
When friends ask about
my favorite foods, my
answer changes with the
season. In August, the
answer is corn, and I enjoy
it as often as possible in
any form.
One of summer’s
greatest pleasures is grilled
corn. As it turns out, there
are two ways to grill corn:
in and out of the husk.
To cook corn in the
husk, first do your best to
extract the silk from whole
ears, taking care to keep
the husk intact. After a
soak in cool water, the ears
can be roasted over a gas
or charcoal grill, turning
often until the husks are
beautifully charred, about
30 minutes. The interior
will taste of smoke and
sweetness. Be sure to roast
at least two per guest —
nobody will eat just one.
Grilling shucked ears
adds char directly to the
kernels and takes a mere
15 minutes on the grill.
This is my preferred
method when sprinkling
the kernels over salads or
adding them to sautés and
stir-fries.
But the joys of corn
don’t have to be limited to
late summer. You can make
frozen corn (grilled or raw)
to enjoy after the season
ends by freezing corn ker-
nels in a shallow layer on
a baking sheet until the
corn is solid. Then spoon
it into freezer bags or con-
tainers and freeze for up
to four months. An aver-
age-size ear of corn yields
about 1 cup of corn ker-
nels, so plan your freezing
accordingly.
If you’re new to
enjoying fresh ears of corn
off the cob, it’s important
to know how to cut the
kernels off the cob safely.
First, stand the cob up in
a large bowl holding it
at the top with one hand.
Starting at the top, use a
sharp knife to cut the ker-
nels from the cob, working
Abel Uribe/The Daily Meal-TNS
Corn and edamame succotash salad, top with quest fresco, prepared and style by Shannon Kinsella.
Abel Uribe/The Daily Meal-TNS
Corn and maple ice cream, prepared and style by Shannon Kinsella.
your way down. Turn the
cob and repeat the cutting
until the cob is clean.
What to do with all that
corn? You can cook it in a
skillet — corn and bacon
pair as perfectly as peanut
butter and jelly. Add ripe
tomatoes and lots of basil
for a skillet full of good-
ness that pleases just about
everyone. Serve it over let-
tuce leaves as a side dish
to grilled fish, chicken or
skewered shrimp. You can
also stir in sautéed chunks
of tofu or feta to turn this
into a main dish.
In another classic
combo, I love corn and
lima beans in a summery
succotash. Here, the corn
gets grilled along with
sweet onion and tender
napa cabbage. Shelled eda-
mame makes a more con-
temporary version of the
old-time dish, but we don’t
pass up lima beans when
we can find baby limas in
the freezer case. Crumbled
fresh cheese or a drizzle of
heavy cream enriches the
dish.
Sweet corn ice cream
always brings back memo-
ries of a family vacation in
Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
We ordered it sprinkled
with hot chile and lime.
The surprising combina-
tion is as addicting as the
sweet and salty duo of
cheese popcorn and car-
amel corn, making this
one of the things every
foodie should have on their
summer bucket list.
BACON, BASIL
AND TOMATO
SKILLET CORN
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Makes 4 cups (about 6 servings)
Ingredients:
4 thick slices (8 ounces total)
smoky bacon, cut crosswise
into ¼ inch pieces
2 shallots or 1 small white
onion, finely chopped
1 large poblano chile,
seeded, chopped
1 large or 2 small cloves
garlic, finely minced
3 cups fresh or grilled corn kernels
1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes,
halved or 2 to 3 cups large
chunks ripe tomatoes
½ teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
1 cup loosely packed thinly
sliced fresh basil leaves,
about 1 ¼ ounces
Directions:
Step 1: In a large, well-sea-
soned cast-iron or nonstick skillet
over medium heat, cook 8 ounces
sliced bacon, stirring often, until
bacon is crisp and golden, about
10 minutes. Remove bacon with
a slotted spoon to a plate. Tip off
(and save for another use) all but
2 tablespoons of the rendered fat
from the pan.
Step 2: Add 2 chopped shallots
and 1 seeded, chopped poblano
to the pan. Cook over medium
heat, stirring often until soft,
about 4 minutes.
See, Corn/Page B3
Historic building’s story has a tragic chapter
By GINNY MAMMEN
Traveling back in time east on Adams
Avenue in La Grande, next to the N.
K. West Building and currently the
home of Community Merchants, we
arrive at a vacant lot which will become
1210 Adams, the home of the Gardner
Building, the tallest building on the block.
In the mid 1880s the railroad came to
La Grande and over the years had intro-
duced new people, many being railroad
employees, to this enterprising new town.
One of these was John C. Gardner, an
engineer on the O&W route. Like many
of the other railroaders, he believed in
investing in this growing community and
purchased lot 5 in Chaplin’s Addition. In
May of 1901 he finalized plans for a two-
story brick building.
By late 1901 the building at 1210 was
completed and ready for occupancy. A
drug store formerly located in the Buzzini
Building since 1898 was ready for a new
location, so owners O.V. Allen and A.
T. Hill moved their establishment down
the street and set up shop in the Gardner
Building. This established the usage of
the building for the next 80-plus years as
a drug store, except for a few years in the
1930s when it was Wagner’s Hardware
Store. The last drug store to be located at
this location was Red Cross Drug owned
by Bob and Sue Coulter. When they relo-
cated, it became the home of McGlasson’s
Stationery.
That is not to say there weren’t other
activities and businesses happening at
that location. The second floor had a
variety of interesting occupants over the
years. In December of 1901 The Observer
ran the following: “The world’s most Cel-
ebrated Palmist and Clairvoyant who is
now located on Adams Avenue over Hill
& Allen’s drug store, has done a rushing
business all week.” This was Professor
Francis, who claimed “No matter what
your trouble is he can and will help you,
Fred Hill Collection
Adams Avenue in La Grande, about 1910.
and if you are not helped after a visit he
will refuse to accept a fee.”
Over the years there were more per-
manent occupants on the second floor
such as Drs. Newell L. Smith, and C. B.
Cauthorn, Dentists; Dr. P. A. Charlton,
veterinary surgeon; and Dr. Richard P.
Landus, physician and surgeon. In addi-
tion to the many medical providers, there
were other business such as The Ladies
Store where dressmaking, ladies tai-
loring and remodeling were specialties.
At one time the second floor even housed
a violin studio.
As stated before, businesses come
and go with their varying services and
goods, but the real story of a building is
the story of the people, both those who
constructed it and those who inhabited it.
This building is no exception. The people
make the story, whether it be happy or
sad. We first take a look at the life of John
Gardner, the man who built the building.
John was born in 1862 in Minnesota
to John Gardner, a farmer, and his wife
Kate, who had come to the U. S. from Ire-
land. Young John, like many other young
men of that time, saw great opportunity
in getting away from the farm by going
to work for the railroad. After traveling
through La Grande for some years as an
engineer, sometime in the late 1880s he
decided to make this his home.
John was a bachelor until he met young
Edith Turner, 21 years his junior, who was
working in the home of a fellow engineer
and his wife. John and Edith were married
in 1905. John Gardner was considered
one of the early pioneers of La Grande,
having been a part of the city govern-
ment, serving on the first La Grande
Commission when it was introduced in
1913 and later serving as president of the
Commission.
John and Edith moved from La Grande
in 1915 when John was transferred to
Portland. Then in December of 1921 there
was the news of a horrific train wreck
involving O.W.R. & N trains No 12 and
17, which met in a head-on collision near
Celilo. The engineer on No. 17 was John
Gardner. There were 10 people who lost
their lives in the crash. John survived but
was injured and never fully recovered. He
died in July 1928 at the age of 66, leaving
his wife and two sons.
The other person with an interesting
story was O. V. Allen. Orien Allen was
born in 1867 in Kansas to William K.
Allen, a farmer, and his wife Mary. In his
20s, Orien started his journey west. It is
not certain when he arrived in Oregon but
it was sometime in the mid to late 1880s.
He was living in Newberg where he met
Albert Hill. The two became friends and
by 1898 they had moved to La Grande
and opened a drug store in the Buzzini
Building.
Orien Allen was a bachelor when he
came to La Grande, but in 1901 he mar-
ried a young woman named Ambia
Wright. He was a young man with great
ambition and it wasn’t long until he and
Ambia moved to Boise. In March of 1904
he sold his interest in the business to
his partner Albert Hill. In Boise Orien
became well known as a merchant and
served on numerous local boards and ran
for various offices. In 1910 he decided
to run for State Treasurer and he won
the election. Here is where Orien should
have contacted Professor Francis, the
clairvoyant.
In October of 1914, O.V. Allen pleaded
guilty to embezzling Idaho State funds
in the amount of $92,000. This would be
a current value of nearly $2.5 million.
He was sentenced to five to 10 years in
the Idaho State Prison in Ada County.
He was 47 years old. After five years he
was granted parole in October of 1919. A
year later he suffered a paralytic stroke.
Thinking the California climate would
benefit his health, he was moved there
in December of 1920 and died on Jan. 1,
1921 at the age of 53.
Keep looking up! Enjoy!