Introducing ChopChop: Let's Get Corny!
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Hey, it's Jane. We're doing things a little bit differently today, so before the episode starts, let me explain. There's a new food podcast for kids called Chop Chop, and we contributed to their first episode. If you're amazed by all things corn, you won't want to miss it. So get ready for some corny jokes and tasty recipes as we listen to this very first episode of Chop Chop. Let's cook it! ♪

Welcome to the Chop Chop Podcast. I'm Sally Sampson. And I'm Harry Rosenblum. Our mission at Chop Chop is to enrich the lives of families by inspiring and teaching them to cook and eat real food together. Here at Chop Chop, we celebrate ingredients, kitchen tools, and recipes while having a great time in the kitchen. You can find us on social media at Chop Chop Kids and find all of our episodes on chopchopfamily.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Today, we're talking about cooking with corn, or at least we're sharing our simplest, most delicious ways to showcase it. Do you eat corn on the cob, around and around, or in rows like a typewriter, or randomly? Take a poll at your dinner table. I once had a dog who loved corn and would hold the ear on the ground with his paws and eat across very carefully, just like a typewriter. I love corn on its own, but I also love it in a nice warm bowl of chowder with lots of black pepper.

Sally, how do you like to eat corn? My favorite way is raw. I know it sounds crazy, but I like to eat it raw, right off the cob, with nothing on it, not even salt. I also add it raw to salads. Well, that sounds like the easiest way to eat it. No cooking needed. Coming up in this episode, we have an interview about masa, some talk about the science of popcorn, and we'll hear about some books. Honestly, I know almost nothing about masa, so I'm really excited to hear more from Jorge.

Here's our top 10 things to cook with corn. Raw corn, on or off the cob. Tacos. Cornbread. Corn on the cob. Corn pancakes. Corn chowder. Popcorn. Grilled corn. Spicy corn and black bean salsa. And Johnny cakes. I'm sure we've forgotten some. If you have a favorite thing to make with corn, please let us know. Did you know? Did you know? Did

Did you know that the ear or cob of corn is actually a flower while the kernel is a seed? We share a lot of cool information on this show, and we want you to listen carefully and see if you can find this fact. What is the only continent where corn is not grown? Keep an ear out for the answer. Get it?

The corn cob refused to sing. His voice was too husky. Corn is a seriously good listener. It's all ears. How is an ear of corn like an army? Both have lots of kernels. When we were getting ready to make this episode, I was thinking about where I have corn in my kitchen and what I think of when I hear the word corn.

It reminds me of summertime and shucking ears of corn outside, and it reminds me of really long drives through endless cornfields. And of course, there are corn mazes. Our family loves to visit a maize maze anytime we get the chance. Sometimes they're really confusing. When I started to think about it, it seemed like corn was everywhere. Sally, have you heard of the Three Sisters? I have, Harry. Indigenous farmers refer to corn, bean, and squash as the Three Sisters because they nurture each other when planted together.

The corn grows up straight and tall, the beans climb the corn and wrap around the stalk, and the squash grows low to the ground and use their spiky leaves and stems to provide shade, which keeps moisture in the soil and pests away. Today, this type of planting is known as companion planting.

I love the idea that these different plants take care of each other, and they all taste delicious when cooked together. I'm trying to grow these three plants in my garden this year, and I hope I can get them to grow. And listeners, keep an ear out, because we're going to cover all three of these things in upcoming episodes. Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? The world record for the tallest corn stalk is over 48 feet.

One of my favorite foods made with corn is the taco. Delicious fillings inside a toasty corn tortilla with some hot chilies. Yum. Jorge is the founder of Masienda, a company that specializes in masa, a type of cornmeal that is used for tacos, tamales, and tostadas.

My name is Jorge Gaviria and Masienda is a better for you premium Mexican food company with an emphasis and focus on masa. Masa is the Spanish word for dough, but it is specifically here in Mexico or Central America. It refers to a type of dough that is made from corn and not just any corn, but a corn that is cooked in...

an alkaline water that makes it super nutritious, super delicious, and kind of a superfood. Oh, wow. I love a superfood. And corn is not usually what I think of when I hear that word. How someone or a group of someones figured out how to treat corn to make it more nutritious, easier to digest, more shelf-stable, and more delicious is really cool to think about.

This process is called nixtamalization, which is a chemical process where the nutritional compounds in the corn are broken down and changed. The word comes from the Aztecs, and the process dates back at least 3,500 years.

I think the first thing that's really fascinating about the history of basa is that in order to make it, there had to be corn in the first place. And that's not something we should take for granted because it's a man-made crop. It requires human intervention to survive.

Corn itself is a miracle. And so that took a long time. And there's a lot of debate about when exactly that jumped from being just a wild grass into this phenomenon that we all know and love. Macianda sources corn from Mexico, which is believed to be the birthplace of corn. Mexico has a really, really longstanding relationship with corn and invented it. And

And so as a result, you have an extraordinary diversity of corn, which makes for incredible flavors and textures and experiences. And you see that all throughout Mexico. No tortilla is built equally, you know, in any part of Mexico. It all takes on different shapes and forms and colors.

Making fresh corn tortillas at home is super easy, and you don't need any special tools at all. You mix the masa with water and form a dough, and then make a thin, flat patty. You can do this with your hands or with a rolling pin. And then you cook the tortilla on a hot pan until it is browned. The smell is amazing. There is a special tool called a tortilla press that makes the process easier if you find yourself making them often or are making tacos for your whole family.

When you see a ball of masa shaped into a tortilla before your eyes, it becomes one of the most addictive things to do. It's something I love to do with my kids. Actually, I just gave my daughter, my two and a half year old daughter, a tortilla press and masa to take to school. And it's now the favorite activity that the kids do once a week. You know, I've got parents calling me, my kid just ate an entire pound of masa, like raw. Is that OK? And I'm like, it's OK. The corn is cooked.

It's raw dough, but it's not raw. Like it's totally, it's edible Play-Doh. So that's the process of making a tortilla. You can cook it on a pan, you know, 30, 45 seconds per side. And then you've got something really amazing that is a building block for the best

the best meal I've ever had, a taco. Tacos have really expanded in the United States since I was a kid. I remember my mom bringing home these taco kits in the 80s with hard taco shells and a very overbearing and salty spice packet to add to ground beef. Taco Tuesday became quite a thing.

More authentic tacos have spread throughout the country thanks to the rise in food trucks. These tacos are soft corn tortillas filled with things like chicken, beef, pork, tongue, and vegetables. And they sometimes come with cooked cactus called nopales, radishes, and hot chilies. We're working on getting our masa into space right now. Flour tortillas kind of have a monopoly on space, as I understand it.

you know, I don't want to talk about it. It's a sensitive subject. But we're working on it. We have some friends at SpaceX hoping for the best. But, you know, SpaceX, if you're listening, please, we would like to join the Dragon capsule on its next voyage to the International Space Station. When I got to Mexico, I started working with farmers to see, you know, what they were growing. And the best way to tell what corn tastes like, actually,

to eat a raw corn kernel itself. They're very hard. Like I said before, they're not super palatable. But a farmer told me to just take a bite out of a kernel and chew it and ask what I tasted. And it was a yellow kernel, incredibly deep yellow. It almost looked fake. I mean, it was just, it was so beautifully vibrant yellow, almost had an orange quality to it.

And I took a bite of a kernel and started sort of swishing it around my mouth. And I honestly, I tasted things that had nothing to do with corn. I was like, I think I taste carrots and butternut squash. And he's like, totally. That actually has a lot of beta carotene in it, which is something that is usually bred out in industrial agriculture in the United States. It's just not a quality that is looked for. And that kind of flavor is going to make its way into the tortilla. And it sort of makes it for a really nutty quality and finish. Wow.

When it's all said and done. And I thought that that was just such a revelation that a tortilla didn't have to taste like every other tortilla. Huge thanks to Jorge for telling us more about masa and tortillas. Check out masienda.com and use code CHOPCHOP10 for 10% off your order through the end of this year. And follow us on social media too for a chance to win your very own tortilla making kit from Masienda. We're on Instagram at chopchopkids. Coming up, more Chop Chop.

But first, a message for the adults who are listening. Support comes from Wild Interest, the new podcast created by and for kids. Do you speak kid? Wild Interest does. Wild Interest is the new podcast that explores the magic that happens when grown-ups give up the mic and let kids run the show. Parents are going to love Wild Interest because it's rooted in kindness, compassion, and curiosity. Kids are going to love Wild Interest because it's made by kids like them.

Hear what it's like to track nature in the deep woods, to avoid being tracked on the internet, and why some sailors are living on a half-sunken ship in the middle of the South China Sea. Wild Interest. Find it wherever you get your podcasts. It's wild. Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know?

Corn can also be found in many non-food items such as fireworks, glue, paint, dyes, laundry detergent, soap, antibiotics, cosmetics, and the production of plastics. Now it's time for some kitchen science. Why does popcorn pop?

Our podcast is a member of Kids Listen, which is a group of awesome kids' podcasts about all sorts of topics. Our friends over at But Why from Vermont Public are here to tell us about how and why popcorn pops. Hi, my name's Will. I'm six. I live in Watertown. I have a question. How do popcorn kernels pop and turn into popcorn to eat?

Hi Will, what a coincidence! I just so happen to be standing in my kitchen in Vermont in front of my stove with a little bottle of Poppin' Corn in my hand. So I'm gonna answer your question, but why don't I make us some popcorn while I do? A half a cup of Poppin' Corn kernels. All right, I'm gonna put them into my pot. And three tablespoons of oil.

Okay, now I'm going to turn the heat to medium and I'm going to put the lid on but leave it slightly open so the steam can come out. So while that's heating up, let's talk about popcorn. Okay, so first of all, picture a tiny kernel of unpopped popcorn. I'm going to get one in my hand. It's teeny tiny, you know what it looks like. It's yellow, it's kind of shaped like a teardrop.

Well, on the outside, that yellow part, is a hard outside coating known as the husk. The husk protects the rest of the seed and doesn't let any moisture in or out. And it kind of protects the seed from getting crushed, too.

Inside the husk is a tiny little droplet of water surrounded by something called the endosperm. The endosperm is what you're actually really eating when you eat popcorn. Do you know what endosperm means?

Okay, all of you 10 year olds can stop giggling right now. Endosperm literally means inside of a seed or within the seed. The word comes from the ancient Greek language. Endo means in or inside, sperm means seed.

So endosperm is a starch or a fuel and it's protection for the inner part of the seed. The germ is really the part of the seed that can turn the seed into more ears of corn, more corn plants. Anyway, this endosperm is a starch or a fuel and it's this protection. And in the case of popcorn, it's very hard. Try biting into a kernel of popcorn and you'll see it feels like you're going to break your teeth.

Yeah, can't do that. Here's what happens when you heat up a kernel of popcorn. That tiny droplet of water I mentioned before, well, it starts to get really hot. It gets hotter and hotter. And what happens to water when it gets really hot? I mean, even after it starts to boil? Well, the water turns into steam. So that steam pushes through that endosperm and turns the endosperm kind of soft and gelatinous.

That endosperm builds up pressure. It wants to expand. So it builds up and builds up and builds up. And finally, it has enough force that it can explode through that hard outer coating, that husk. Listen, we're starting to hear it happen right now.

So it explodes outward, breaking through that outer shell, the husk. And you hear that process as the popping sound that gives popcorn its name because the kernel explodes and it pops right out of it. And then it might even hit the side of your pot and make an even louder bang.

When it explodes, that soft, gelatinous endosperm hits cooler air, and it hardens up in whatever weird, wild popcorn shape it has exploded into. So that's why popcorn has all those funny shapes, and it feels kind of like foam. It's that soft material, that starchy endosperm that has exploded and then hits the cold air and sort of freezes.

Now, actually, popcorn, Will, is a very special kind of corn. Not every kind of corn would do that if you heated it up. For example, let's say your family is having corn on the cob for dinner some summer night. If you took a kernel of that corn and dried it out and then tried to pop it in a popcorn popper, it probably wouldn't work.

People have actually been making popcorn for more than a thousand years. Archaeologists even found some popcorn kernels in a cave in the southwestern United States that are more than 5,000 years old. This species is indigenous to the Americas. Indigenous means something that originates or comes from a specific place. So it's native to a specific place.

So indigenous people in North and South America figured out how to make popcorn from this species of corn that was growing here many, many, many years ago. And they showed colonists from Europe how to make it, and it took off as a snack from there. Popcorn was especially popular in the United States in the 1800s. People used to peddle carts around in the cities and give, well, sell people popcorn for five or ten cents a bag.

And today, the National Popcorn Board says Americans eat about 14 billion quarts of popcorn every year. That is a lot of popcorn. By the way, have you ever wondered why some kernels of popcorn don't pop?

Apparently, those kernels are called spinsters and they usually don't pop because something is wrong with the kernel. Either there isn't enough water inside the center of the kernel to build up that steam and that pressure, or sometimes that outer shell, that husk, is actually cracked and if the shell is cracked, the pressure can't build up inside it because the steam can just kind of escape through that crack. So when the water droplet gets heated up, it never explodes.

All right, our popcorn is done popping. I'm going to move it off of the stove. And Will, I hope that answers your question. Good popcorn. That is so cool. The transformation of a seed into one of the most popular and one of my most favorite snacks is a very interesting process that hides a lot of science. The kernel is hard and when popped, transforms into light, crunchy, and delightfully fluffy popcorn. That's pretty amazing.

Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Although we are most familiar with yellow variety, corn has red, blue, purple, black, brown, pink, and so many others. There's even multicolored corn called calico corn with kernels that look like colorful gemstones. Food safety. Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them well. Clean the countertop. Gather all your kitchen gear and ingredients and put them on the counter.

Scrub all the fruits and vegetables and lay them out on a clean dish towel to dry. Prepare your ingredients, which means you may have to do something before you get started with the instructions. What are we making, guys? Quesadillas! Now, let's make double corn quesadillas. You can find the recipe on chopchopfamily.org. Double corn!

Okay, I'm making me an Enzo's, you're making yours. Okay, cool. Are we having like a tortilla off? Yeah. I've put cheese and corn and chicken on the tortilla. I'm going to put a second tortilla on top. And I'm going to add a little bit of oil to the skillet. A quesadilla is like a grilled cheese sandwich, but instead of bread you use tortillas. It's a perfect after school snack, quick lunch, or dinner when you serve it with salad.

Listen to that sizzle in a couple of minutes when the cheese is melted. I'm going to turn it over and heat the other tortilla and then it will be time to eat. You can make it more filling by adding your favorite beans or fresh vegetables. All right, look at that. So how did the quesadillas turn out guys? I'm going to taste this one which has the corn and the chicken in it. Ooh, it looks delicious. I'm going to dip it in a little bit of yogurt and I have a little salsa here too. That better be sour cream.

Let me let you in on a little secret. Yogurt essentially is sour. Mmm. Excellent. Love a double corn quesadilla. Did you know? Did you know? Corn is grown on every continent except Antarctica. With so many great books out there, how do we choose one to talk about?

We've asked Rebecca Robinson, Chop Chop's book reviewer, to talk about a book she loves. I met Rebecca the day she was born, so I know her pretty well. Two things I know about Rebecca is that she is crazy about animals, especially dogs, and that she reads everything. If anyone knows books, it's Rebecca, who's a librarian at the College of St. Rose in New York. Let's check it out.

Hi there, this is Rebecca the Librarian, and I want to tell you about Julie and the Mango Tree by Sadie Smith. Julie loves mangoes, and lucky for her, there's a mango tree in her family's front yard. But Julie is small, and the mango tree is very tall. How will she get tasty mangoes from the tree? Julie tries everything to convince the tree to drop a mango for her. But when she finally gets her wish, it may be more than she bargained for.

Thanks, Rebecca. I can't wait to borrow it from the library and read it. Did you know? Did you know? Did you know? Did you know that people have been popping corn for thousands of years? Archaeologists in Mexico, for example, found evidence of popcorn from more than 5,000 years ago. That's some pretty ancient snacking. In case you hadn't figured it out by now, we want to hear from you. Stella had the great idea to hit the streets and ask kids for their thoughts.

One of my favorite ways to spend a Sunday morning is exploring the farmer's market. There's often fresh and prepared foods, almost all of which are organic and seasonal, and it's a great way to feed all your senses: sight, smell, touch, and of course taste. This week I attended one of my local markets not just in search of some fresh fruits and veggies, but also some opinions from kids like you, specifically on the topic of corn.

And two things are for certain when it comes to corn. Most everyone enjoys it, and sometimes plain and simple is best. And do you like corn? Yeah. And what is your favorite way to eat it? On the cob. On the cob? Okay, butter or just like no butter? Plain. Plain, okay, gotcha. I just eat it like on the cob, like corn on the cob. Butter, no butter? Yes, I do. Okay, and do you like corn? No.

Yes. Okay. I love corn. Okay. And what's your favorite way to eat it? On the cob. On the cob. Do you like butter or do you like plain like your sister? I sometimes eat butter on it, but sometimes don't. I also got to hear some pretty horny stories. Once, we were in a corn maze with my cousins, and my cousin got his foot stuck in the mud. Dang. And how did he get out? It took a little while. Okay. Um...

Eventually my parents came and then they got up. But his shoe was really muddy. I think once I had a wriggly tooth and I bit corn and it came out. Oh my god! You guys have really good corn stories. We eat a lot of corn. We like corn a lot. It was so fun talking to everyone at the market and I'd love to do it again soon. A special thank you to Henry, Ayla and Zeke for sharing their opinions and stories.

At the beginning of the episode, we asked, What is the only continent where corn is not grown? Do you remember the answer? Corn is grown on every continent except Antarctica. Since corn is grown all over the world, keep your eyes open to see if you see corn growing near where you live.

Thanks for listening to the Chop Chop Podcast. We'll be back soon with more tasty stories. Our next episode is all about beans, so make sure to tune in for food, fun, and flavor. For more content, check out chopchopfamily.org and follow us on social media at Chop Chop Kids. This podcast is written, produced, edited, and hosted by Harry Rosenblum and Sally Sampson, with engineering by Matt Patterson. Stella Maiden is our intrepid intern. And

An extra special thanks this week to Rebecca Robinson, our resident librarian, Jorge Gaviria from Nacienda, and Jane Lindholm and the team at But Why from Vermont Public for sharing with us. Shout out to Olivia, Sabina, Esme, Heron, Emerson, Kalen, Frank, Enzo, Sam, Audrey, Amelia, Henry, Ayla, and Zeke. Thank you for adding your voices to our show. Music in this episode by Lisa Hammer, Juanitos, Mole, and M.V. Rassley.

We are also a part of Kids Listen, the number one place for finding great podcasts for kids of all ages. You can learn more at kidslisten.org. Don't forget to sign up for the Chop Chop newsletter to get more recipes in your inbox every month.

Please stay in touch with us. We're offering all podcast listeners a 15% discount on a subscription to Chop Chop magazine. Just go to www.chopchopfamily.org slash our shop slash and put in code POD15.

And if you have a joke you'd like to share, or if you'd just like to tell us what you had for lunch, we'd love to hear from you. So please send us your recipes, poems, book or podcast recommendations, or anything else you think we'd like. Ask a grown-up to help you email us at podcast at chopchopfamily.org. Please include your name, age, and your address. And if we use your voice on the show, we'll send you a special gift. Thanks for listening. From PR.