It’s like Christmas in Chautauqua County now that the corn has hit the farmstands. I started to wonder if there was something unusual about my family and corn season. It’s always been an important ritual for us: awaiting corn, buying corn at our favorite places, discussing corn and eating corn.

My brother came all the way from Michigan last weekend to visit family and yes, to eat corn. He told us he drove a long way a few weeks earlier from his home in Michigan to find a place he’d heard had good corn. He thought it tasted pretty good, but when he came to the lake to visit, and sank his teeth into Chautauqua County corn, he knew Michigan would never measure up.

If I owned a cute little restaurant here, I’d have a Sunday boil, with a big black pot out front to boil ears of corn in and serve with burgers. If you’ve ever been to Maine in the summer, you know this is exactly what they do for lobster: big black pot over a fire on the side of the road, and a couple of picnic tables. No fanfare; casual roadside lobster dinner.

I think our corn deserves to be prized across the country. We should have a corn festival every August–an outdoor party with lots of corn on the cob served a variety of ways (hot sauce? Herbs? Cheese?) set outdoors with a good band and lots of beer. We should also have a corn council, a corn marketing campaign and a real corn queen. (I’d be happy to volunteer for the role as long as a tiara is included in the deal.)

I’ve been trying to come up with good corn recipes to serve so we can enjoy the season beyond just eating the corn off the cob, and we have a few favorites. Mexican street corn is a great dish, and last week, I made a southern corn dish that had bits of roasted red peppers and bacon, sauteed shallots and garlic and a good hint of paprika. It was delicious and tastes even better the next day. I’m including the recipe below, so now you’ve got another dish to celebrate the season with. This is called Southern Fried Corn, a dish with deep roots in African American cooking, which preserves fresh kernels and their natural sweetness. It’s traditionally made with corn shucked fresh from the cobs. Reserving the “milk” — the milky liquid from the lining of the cob — makes this dish lightly creamy without any cream. SautEed with onions and jarred peppers, the kernels pick up loads of fresh flavor, then a final shower of bacon and sliced scallions adds crunch for a side dish that’s sweet, salty and perfect for any Sunday dinner. Here’s the recipe:

6 fresh ears of corn

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large shallots, finely chopped

1 teaspoons kosher salt

1teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon granulated sugar

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1(12-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced

2 large scallions, thinly sliced

Step 1

Slice off the kernels from each ear of corn (you should have about 4 cups). Then, with the flat edge of the knife or the edge of a small spoon, scrape each corn cob over a plate to collect the starchy “milk.” Discard the cobs.

Step 2

Heat the bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium. Cook until crisp, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels. Drain any fat into a small heatproof bowl, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet.

Step 3

Add the butter to the skillet to melt. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.

Step 4

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add corn kernels to the skillet, along with the reserved starchy milk, the salt, paprika, pepper and sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until corn is softened and lightly browned in spots, 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 5

In a small bowl, combine ¾ cup water with the cornstarch; stir until well combined to create a slurry.

Step 6

Add the slurry to the corn mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until it’s smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 7

Stir in cooked bacon, red peppers and half the scallions to heat through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve topped with remaining scallions.