I’m currently reading a wonderful new book by local food writer Claire Hopley, “Eating in Leverett, 1774-2024.” It will be the topic of this column in a couple of weeks.

In it, Hopley outlines what people in Leverett (and in greater New England as well) have eaten over the past two and a half centuries. I’m learning a lot from it.

One of the lessons I have learned isn’t so much a lesson as a reminder. Hopley points out that although corn has been a staple of the American diet from pre-colonial days to the present — it was, after all, one of this continent’s gifts to the world — it hasn’t always taken the form it takes now.

In August and September we’re used to stopping by local farm stands to stock up on sweet corn. Hopley’s book reminded me that earlier Americans didn’t munch on corn on the cob. Their corn was much tougher than the varieties we currently enjoy, and that more substantial corn was ground to make bread and other products and of course to feed animals.

Corn is used in many more ways today as well. Most American kitchens have some cornstarch (finely ground corn kernels) in their cupboards to thicken soups and stir-fry sauces. It was invented in 1840 and was first used as a laundry starch. About a decade later it started to be used in food preparation.

Corn also gives us cornmeal for making cornbread; corn syrup for making candy; and the latter’s notorious industrial cousin, high-fructose corn syrup. According to the Texas Farm Bureau, corn products find their way into an astonishing variety of manufactured goods — more than 4,200 of them — including adhesives, textiles, crayons, linoleum, book binding, and fireworks. Corn even finds its way into our cars’ gasoline tanks as ethanol.

Yikes. Back to food! I tend to think of corn chowder as a classic New England dish. Nevertheless, according to Hopley, it was unknown until the late 19th century because it relies on relatively soft corn like our sweet corn.

Hopley notes that many of the first recipes for the chowder used canned corn, which was available year round and had been pre-softened by the manufacturing process.

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At this time of year, of course, I opt for corn from the farmstand, cut off the cob. Many cooks recommend breaking up the bare cobs and covering them with water, then boiling them, covered, until they release their flavor, up to an hour.

If you want to throw a few herbs and some onion into this corn stock, by all means do so. The corn stock can be substituted for the water in the recipe below to add extra corn flavor. On the other hand, if you want to make this soup in winter with frozen corn, you’re fine with other stocks.

Corn chowder is ideal at this time of year. It celebrates summer’s bounty, using not only corn but another seasonal vegetable, new potatoes.

Its heartiness suits late summer weather, when the air is beginning to get chilly. I love to sip on it for supper after I have swum in icy cold water and need to warm my body.

If you’re serving vegetarians, this recipe can be adapted thanks to a trick I learned from MegginThwing Eastman, who lived for years in Greenfield but is currently based in London.

Start with a little vegetable oil instead of bacon fat. When you add the corn, add a couple of seeded and minced canned chipotles (smoked jalapeño peppers, available in the Latin section of many supermarkets).

The chipotles give you a smokiness that echoes that of the bacon in the original recipe. They also add a little heat, never a bad thing in my book.

Of course, you’ll want to use vegetable stock for that version of the recipe — or vegetable stock mixed with a little corn stock.

Ingredients:

5 thick pieces of bacon

1 onion, finely chopped

1 bell pepper (preferably not yellow because you already have a lot of yellow from the corn; I often use orange), finely chopped

1 pound tiny new potatoes, cut into quarters

3 cups corn kernels

2 cups chicken stock plus 2 cups water or corn stock

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup milk or cream (or half and half)

Instructions:

In a Dutch oven brown the bacon pieces to release their fat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon pieces. Drain and save them.

Quickly sauté the onion in the bacon fat, followed by the pepper. Add the potatoes to the pan, and toss them to coat them lightly in any remaining bacon fat.

Add the corn, the liquid, and the salt and pepper. Don’t salt too heavily; remember, the bacon fat is salty. You can always add more salt at the end if you need it.

Bring the chowder to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are soft, about 1/2 hour.

If you have time, allow the chowder to come to room temperature and then chill it. This way the fat will rise to the top and you can remove most of it. (The soup is filling and delicious without that additional fat.)

Puree a third to half of the soup in a blender or food processor to make the consistency more uniform. The soup needs a few pieces of potato and some corn kernels to seem like chowder so don’t over puree.

Stir in the milk or cream and adjust the seasonings. Heat the soup through, but do not return it to the boil. Garnish with the pieces of bacon. Serves 4.

Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit  her website, TinkyCooks.com.