First, shell the corn from the cobs and winnow out any chaff. Dry the kernels in a low oven, then store in a tight container.

Grind the corn coarsely. Sift the ground corn to remove most of the finer flour (use it for cornbread, etc.).

Add salt and 4 cups of water or milk to each cup of coarsely ground corn. (Use your fingers to sift out most of the red material that will float to the top.) Cook the corn slowly in a double boiler or a heavy pan, for several hours. If you don’t use a double boiler, you will need to stir the mixture often. Add cheese and/or butter if you want, and serve the grits/polenta hot. One pound of cooked breakfast sausage mixed with four cups of the coarse cooked grits is excellent. Or some folks like to add mushrooms or tomato sauce.

For fried polenta, pour the hot corn into loaf pans and refrigerate. Cut slices about a half inch thick and fry in butter plus a little olive oil until brown and crisp on both sides (frying time is longer than for many foods, but the resulting crunch is terrific).