Book of Days Tales

Today is the birthday (1706) of Benjamin Franklin, one of the so-called Founding Fathers of the United States, a renowned polymath – author, printer, political theorist, politician, freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As an inventor, he is known for the lightning rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove, among other inventions. He facilitated many civic organizations, including Philadelphia’s fire department and a university.

Franklin has a great deal to say about food, and, in particular, promoted native American cultigens in Europe where they were largely disapproved of. Both potatoes and tomatoes were considered by some to be poisonous. He is credited, also, with introducing tofu, rhubarb, and kale into the U.S. (in the latter 2 cases sending seeds from Scotland).  He ardently defended maize (Indian corn) as a staple:

Indian corn, take it for all in all, is one of the most agreeable and wholesome grains in the world; that its green leaves roasted are a delicacy beyond expression; that samp, hominy, succotash, and nokehock, made of it, are so many pleasing varieties; and that johny or hoecake, hot from the fire, is better than a Yorkshire muffin . . .

Succotash it is:

Using a sharp knife scrape the whole kernels from corn cobs. Add an equal quantity of lima beans. Seed and dice some tomato and bell pepper (green or red or both), and add them to the mix. Place the vegetables in a large pot, cover with water, and simmer. Length of cooking time is cook’s choice. I prefer the vegetables to be al dente, but my Southern friends used to boil them to death.

Succotash is normally served warm as a side dish, but you can also serve it chilled, dressed with a little vinegar, as a salad.