Imagine, A Day Without This Essential

It’s Nov. 30…the last day of the “King Corn” Corn-Free Challenge.

I have to say, to anyone who made it, truly without ingesting any processed corn products, I applaud you. But I’m not sure I’d believe you.

I could hardly get through a meal, let alone a day or 30 without corn products.

So on this last day of the challenge, I thought I’d share a photo and select passages from a little treasure I dug up today among my mother-in-law’s effects:

McCahan’s Sunny Cane Sugar guide from 1936.

The ad booklet details the history of sugar cane, from references in the Old Testament, to a chronicle of how sugar cane was harvested and processed. But the rest of the 88 pages is devoted to recipes…adding flavor and color to carrots, eggplant, green beans, etc.

Substitute “corn syrup” and “high fructose corn syrup” for “sugar cane” and much of it could have been written yesterday.

Here’s my favorite though:

Modern menus which have contributed so much to the health and happiness of humanity would never have been possible without sugar.

Imagine, if you can, a day without this essential. Bread, rolls and muffins, as we know them, would be missing, as would also cookies, pies, cakes, jellies, ready-to-eat cereals, sauces, flavorings, dressing, syrups, many beverages and most desserts.

A day without corn syrup is tough enough. No corn at all, near impossible for my family.

[P.S. Urban Dweller, There’s a mulled cider recipe in the book that I’ll be testing for the holiday party.]