good things - Liz Posmyk
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs

Picking sweet corn at The Henge + a recipe for corn and polenta pancakes with bacon and maple syrup

27/4/2014

 
Robbie Wallace picking corn at The Henge by Liz Posmyk
'We have much sweet corn for just $1.00 per cob. Freshly picked. All organic,' announced the tweet from Robbie Wallace earlier this month. Peter and I were travelling interstate at the time, but we'd been wanting to pop out and meet Robbie and see his fascinating rock structure for ages. And, besides, we love sweet corn, so I arranged a visit, pronto.

The Henge...

The Henge, Sutton, by Liz Posmyk
Not far from Canberra city on the corner of the Federal Highway and Macs Reef Road in Sutton there is a remarkable ring of blue limestone rocks that looks distinctly like a smaller version of the prehistoric monument in Wiltshire, England. Known as The Henge, the formation sits on a property owned by Robbie and Tracey Wallace, and since its opening it has become a popular tourist attraction.

In this 2012 interview with Ginger Gorman on 666 ABC Canberra, Robbie and Tracey explained how The Henge came about. Robbie and Tracey enjoy photographing The Henge in different light at various times of the day: morning, afternoon, evening and night; as well as during fog and snow. As you'll see from the images on their web site, The Henge really is quite spectacular. There are small solar lights that illuminate the rocks in the darkness and there's a large fire cauldron in the centre of The Henge, which makes for a warm gathering spot for winter evenings. We are really looking forward to visiting again in May as part of a night time 'Mystery' tour with Tim the Yowie Man (my birthday gift to Peter!).

I chatted with Robbie before we wandered down into the gully to pick some delicious sweet corn. Here is our conversation:

Robbie, it's great to finally meet you. We've been following each other on Twitter for so long.
It's great to meet you too, Liz and put a face to the name.

Tell me, Robbie, how long have you and your wife, Tracey, been at the property at Sutton? 
We have been here for eight years.

What good things do you grow and farm here? 
We grow oats and corn and raise black Angus cattle.

What inspired the building of The Henge? 
I was doing a job for a sheep farmer cleaning up his paddocks and the rocks came out of the ground in the column shapes. So, I rang Tracey at work and told her about it and we talked about building our own 'henge'. The idea developed from there when I asked her to print out the original plan of Stonehenge.

What kinds of events do you host at The Henge? 
We have had model photo shoots, weddings, ghost tours with Tim the Yowie Man, and engagement parties; as well as the solstice events which are held on the summer and winter solstices. At these times, we open up The Henge for free for locals and passers-by, who can attend and bring a picnic and enjoy

What inspired you to grow corn and how much did you plant? 
I tried the year before but it failed, so I was more determined this year. We really enjoy our corn, so I ploughed the ground and planted an acre. It's doing really well this time!

What's your favourite way of cooking corn? 
We like to steam it with butter, garlic and cracked pepper…  that is, until you told me about sweet corn with chilli butter, Liz.

Picking corn with Robbie Wallace at The Henge...

Picking corn with Robbie Wallace at The Henge by Liz Posmyk

Sweet corn growing at The Henge...

Corn at The Henge

Black Angus cattle at The Henge...

Black Angus at The Henge

The corn and polenta pancakes...

I've resurrected a recipe from the archives of my Bookshelf page, but it's simply too good not to share. The recipe is from the Farmers' Market Family Cookbook, published by Murdoch Books. Use good quality maple syrup and bacon, and freshly harvested sweet corn!
Making corn and polenta pancakes by Good Things, Liz Posmyk
CORN AND POLENTA PANCAKES WITH BACON AND MAPLE SYRUP
90g or 3/4 cup self-raising flour
110g or 3/4 cup fine polenta
310g or 1 1/2 cups sweet corn kernels (about three small cobs)
375mls or 1 1/2 cups milk
a little spray of light olive oil, for frying
8 slices rindless bacon
1/2 cup maple syrup

Mix together the flour and polenta in a bowl. Add the corn and a little of the milk. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the remaining milk. Note: I found the mixture was a little too runny with the quantities listed above, so I added a little extra polenta. Use your judgement.

Heat a frypan or griddle and spray lightly with light olive oil. Spoon the batter into pancakes shapes and cook over a medium heat for about two minutes on each side until cooked through. Meanwhile, cook the bacon and drain it on paper towels. Serve the pancakes with a bacon rasher on top and drizzle generously with maple syrup. This recipe will serve 4-6.

The verdict: the pancakes were quick and easy to prepare. They were tasty and had great texture, but we found them to be quite filling so next time we will happily eat just eat one each. (The remaining pancakes were refrigerated overnight and reheated perfectly well for breakfast the following morning).
Print Friendly and PDF
Corn and Polenta pancakes with maple syrup and bacon by Liz Posmyk, Good Things

Sunset at The Henge...

Sunset at The Henge
The Henge is situated at 992 Macs Reef Road, Bywong, New South Wales (on the corner of Macs Reef Road and Federal Highway). It is open from Monday to Friday between 7am and 4pm; and Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 1pm. Entry is $5 per person or $15 per family. For more information, send Robbie an email.

Tell me dear readers, have you ever been to Stonehenge in the UK, or The Henge in Sutton, Australia? And do you like sweet corn?
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella link
25/4/2014 02:52:44 pm

I'm no a corn cake thing at the moment too! I was so excited to find corn in the husk at the supermarket. The whole husk was on it and it makes for great grilled corn! :D

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:09:56 pm

Hi Lorraine, isn't that great when that happens! I love corn too. : )

Liz link
26/4/2014 08:44:33 am

Wow, The Henge is a gorgeous spot! And how wonderful to get fresh sweet corn...one of my favorite treats of late summer. And your corn cakes sound amazing!

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:10:22 pm

Thanks Liz… The Henge is rather amazing isn't it! Thanks for your kind words.

Martyna @ WholesomeCook link
26/4/2014 12:52:46 pm

Hi Liz, what a great post and a great opportunity to bring the concept of social media to life :-) Love the corncakes... Like Lorraine, I've been craving them a little of late too.

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:10:49 pm

Hi Martyna… thanks so much for your kind words… : )

Kyrstie @ A Fresh Legacy link
26/4/2014 01:44:02 pm

What a fabulous property Liz and so great that they share it. We are sweet corn fans, nothing beats home grown corn freshly picked and cooked. I harvested our second crop a couple of weeks ago. I was planning on freezing most to use later on, after keeping some aside to have with dinner. When the kids saw all of the corn they wanted it straight away and so we ended up having a huge corn feast for lunch! Your corn cakes look divine.

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:11:24 pm

Kyrstie, you really can't beat a corn feast for lunch, can you, especially when it's home grown! Yummy.

Adri link
26/4/2014 01:45:56 pm

Wow- The Henge is absolutely gorgeous. This is as close as I have gotten to it, and although I was close to England's Stonehenge, I never did make the trek out there either! Thank you for the introduction.

Bart and I adore corn, and each year we enjoy growing our own. Your corn and polenta pancakes sound fab. I often like to make small corn or polenta pancakes for horws d'oeuvers - sometimes topped with a mushroom ragout or sometimes with ham and chives. I've got to try your version.

I am so pleased that I found your site. You post frequently, and every post is wonderful. I'll be frank-I can not say that for every site out there. You do excellent, high quality work. Your photography is just smashing and your writing is smooth, beautifully crafted and evocative. I always learn something when I visit. I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I enjoy your work.

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:12:26 pm

Adri, wow, thank you so very much for your very kind words… I am quite chuffed by those comments. Thank you again… The Henge is an amazing place and Robbie and Tracey have really hit on something good out there. : )

Eha
26/4/2014 04:05:32 pm

Nice, Liz!! Both the yummy 'pancakes' and a rural 'happening' about which I did not know :) !

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:12:37 pm

Thank you Eha : )

Hotly Spiced link
26/4/2014 04:48:45 pm

The corn does look lovely and that's a great price, especially as it's organic. I love the photo of the black angus that's almost hidden in the grasses. I love your recipe too - what lovely pancakes and I love the combination of the corn, bacon and maple syrup xx

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:13:22 pm

Hi Charlie, the Black Angus are gorgeous and very spoiled apparently. Nice thing is, they are not beef cattle, they just have a really nice life out there on the property. xox

celia
26/4/2014 08:02:07 pm

Lizzy, what gorgeous photos! The corn looks amazing too - great to have access to such fresh produce!

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:13:47 pm

Thanks Celia, there are some hidden gems in and around Canberra… if only one has the time to find them xox

Krista Bjorn link
26/4/2014 08:23:16 pm

What a beautiful place, Liz, and inspiring people. The sweet corn looks so plump and delicious. :-)

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:14:09 pm

Thanks Krista, it surely is! Somewhere for you to visit when you get down this way : )

ela@GrayApron link
26/4/2014 08:49:55 pm

Robbie looks very able to work in the fields! Nice pancakes, love that chunky corn bite! :) ela

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:14:28 pm

Yes, Ela, Robbie sure is fit! The corn is yummy!

Robbie Wallace at The Henge
26/4/2014 09:00:52 pm

Thanks Liz,
Really enjoyed this and looking forward to trying your corn cakes too :)

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:14:49 pm

Robbie, thanks so much for welcoming us out there. Very kind of you.

John @ Kitchen Riffs link
27/4/2014 05:40:39 am

The Henge is very cool! And this recipe is really nice! Love corn pancakes, and bacon is such a great accompaniment. Really nice -- thanks.

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:15:22 pm

Thanks John, it is a very cool venue… and corn and bacon do go well, don't they, especially with the maple syrup. : )

Zsuzsa link
27/4/2014 06:23:43 am

I read about the Henge with great interest. So Australia has its own Stonehenge. How interesting! I should not be surprised, humans are humans everywhere.

I have been thinking of trying my hand at polenta. Never made it, never tasted it before. Polenta always looked heavy to me. This might be a good way to introduce myself to polenta. But I will have to wait to try this - I refuse to buy genetically modified American corn - I will wait for the local corn to appear. We don't grow corn anymore, we gave up a section of our garden to an apartment dweller friend. She gets to grow her own vegetables and in the summer we have a daily visit. I look forward to those times when she comes over to work in her garden and afterwards we sit in the shade with a cool drink.

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:18:02 pm

Zsuzsa, you know you might find these corn pancakes a little on the heavy side…. why don't you try making some polenta first… serve it with a good osso bucco… it is soooooooooo delicious that way, especially with parmesan. Isn't it wonderful that you have shared your garden that way! I am really impressed : )

Eva Taylor link
27/4/2014 06:41:31 am

How very interesting about The Henge, I visited the real Stone Henge several years ago on our first trip to the UK, it was very impressive. What a nice day you must have had and to top it all off with those delicious fresh corn pancakes must have been wonderful!

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:16:27 pm

Thanks Eva… oh wow, so you went to The Stonehenge in the UK… how awesome! I am hoping to do that soon. The corn pancakes are really quite good!

Jennifer Milk and Honey link
27/4/2014 11:36:34 am

Looks like the perfect breakfast/brunch... or brinner.

Lizzy
27/4/2014 05:15:43 pm

Absolutely, Jennifer :)

MaameJ link
29/4/2014 08:14:30 pm

Fascinating story about the henge. I wonder if in 1,000 years people will be speculating about what it was for & imagining all kinds of things that are far from the truth.

I don't understand the bacon & maple syrup thing but the pancakes look definitely worth a try, thanks for recipe.

Lizzy
9/5/2014 06:25:11 pm

Hello there... your comment made me smile... this is a true thought... in 1,000 years people could indeed be wondering about The Henge near Canberra. Thank you for stopping by.

Anna Johnston link
29/4/2014 09:41:36 pm

Wowza, I did not know the henge existed, awesome, defo adding this to the list to visit. Argh.... drooling, love corn, even more in cake form. Yarm!

Lizzy
9/5/2014 06:25:28 pm

Thanks Anna! Glad to introduce you to something new!

Rosemarie link
30/4/2014 07:52:10 pm

Loved the way you pieced both a travel and food post together! I would love to visit the Henge but I rather just eat food prepared for me than prepare it myself. But as soon as I get my kitchen, I know Joseph is going to have a list of things he will ask me to make. Love the shots!

Lizzy
9/5/2014 06:25:44 pm

Thanks so much Rosemarie! : )

Fiona @TIFFIN bite sized food adventures link
30/4/2014 10:32:07 pm

I'm loving this recipe Liz. I love corn fritters but am so often disappointed as they are limp and flacid as a result of too much flour and the steam trapped inside. It had never ocurred to me to use polenta (which I love) to balance out the flour. Thanks

Lizzy
9/5/2014 06:26:18 pm

Fiona, I think you might like this recipe then, for limp and flaccid these are not.

Maureen link
3/5/2014 03:14:47 am

Everyone needs a point of difference and the henge certainly does that. The corn alone would have done it for me. :)

Lizzy
9/5/2014 06:26:39 pm

Aw Maureen, I am still envious of YOUR little corn patch xo

Karen (Back Road Journal) link
3/5/2014 11:22:38 am

Corn is always one of the pleasures of summer. I'll save your recipe to enjoy in a few months…it sounds terrific.

Lizzy
9/5/2014 06:26:48 pm

Karen, thanks so much!

David Scott Allen link
4/5/2014 07:24:42 am

The Henge is so beautiful, and so is the corn!! I love fresh corn so much! The season is just about to begin here.... Oh, and corn and polenta pancakes? Yes, please!!

Lizzy
9/5/2014 06:27:05 pm

Dig right in David, and thank you for stopping by! : )

Zsuzsa link
15/5/2014 04:34:40 am

Lizzy I think you wrote about the Henge before and I cannot help but wonder how human beings spread around and populated the Earth. My all time favorite program remains to be a BBC production with Alice Roberts the Incredible Human Journey - even though science has uncovered new evidence since she made the series if you haven't seen it yet its worthwhile to watch. Now for the polenta pancakes... this one is high on my list! Thanks. :-)

Zsuzsa link
15/5/2014 04:38:57 am

Oh and yes - I not only seen it, I commented on the post once, no now twice already and I bookmarked it for the second time. Forgive me for stalking you dear - I just had a senior moment - I am a real senior you know...


Comments are closed.

    Welcome...

    Üdvözölöm
    Photo of Liz Posmyk, Food Writer, Cook and Traveller

    ​Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion.
    ​
    Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers
    and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks
    ​and cooking.
    ​
    - Liz Posmyk

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner


    All
    Anzac
    Apple Growers
    Australia
    Australian Producers
    Autumn
    Baking
    Beverages
    Biscuits
    Book Reviews
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Butter
    Cakes & Slices
    Canberra
    Charmaine Solomon
    Cheese
    Chestnuts
    Christmas
    Cocktails
    Coffee
    Conversations
    Cookies
    Cookware
    Cuisine Companion
    Curries
    Dairy Products
    Desserts
    Diet
    Dough
    Drink Blog
    Easter
    Edible Gifts
    Eggs
    Egg Safety
    Essays
    Events
    Favourite Flavours
    Fish
    Food News
    Food TV
    Food Verse
    Fruit
    Giveaways
    Good Things Favourites
    Growers & Producers
    Guest Post
    Health
    Hummus
    Hungarian Recipe
    Ice Cream
    In My Kitchen
    Kids In The Kitchen
    Kitchen Garden
    Markets
    Meat
    Muffins
    Musings
    My Book
    My Family
    New Year
    Noodles
    Nuts
    Observations
    Olives
    Pancakes
    Pasta
    Pastry
    Pepe Saya
    Pink Martini
    Pizza
    Polenta
    Postcards And Morsels
    Poultry
    Preserves
    Prize Giveaways
    Prunes
    Reminiscences
    Retro
    Reviews
    Rice
    Ricotta
    Salad
    Salads
    Sandwiches
    Sauce
    Seafood
    Slow Cooking
    Snacks
    Soups
    Stop Hunger Start Cooking
    Sydney
    Tefal
    Thanksgiving
    Thank You
    The Barber From Budapest
    Tofu
    Travel
    Truffles
    Tweatup510064f8ec
    Tzatziki
    Valentines Day
    Vegetables
    Vinnies Christmas Appeal


    NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes. 

    Picture
    Winner ABC's 2015 Australia Cooks competition, ACT (mains category)
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Meet the Chefs - recipes featured on Australian Asparagus Council website

Good Things is written and published by Liz Posmyk © 2011-2020.   All rights reserved.
Excerpts may be used provided that full and clear credit is given. Thank you.


Photos used under Creative Commons from alantankenghoe, riptheskull, David Jackmanson, Amani Hasan, SuntanMidori, oropeza, Annie Mole, Vegan Feast Catering, avlxyz, jeffreyw, mockstar, jenly, Syeefa Jay, pizzodisevo (therapy - terapia - Therapie), ginnerobot, cliff1066™, Jim, the Photographer
  • Home
  • Blog
  • About
  • My book
  • Writing & Media
  • FAQs