Aw Shucks! (Freezing Corn)

I love corn on the cob! In the summer, I anxiously await for the harvest of corn about mid-August so I can get my fill. This year I am even more excited because now we have an extra freezer so I can put some up for winter (if it lasts till then!).

Today Ed and I drove down to a small town south of us and bought a bushel and a half of freshly picked corn. After lunch, we shucked all five dozen ears and then began the process of freezing the corn.

We love the bi-color corn and this is what was available today at the market. This little market also has many other fresh fruits and veggies - like the enormous and sweet blackberries we bought today also! I don't think they'll last to put into a cobbler - we're eating them like candy right out of the quart box!

When freezing corn, it must be blanched first. Blanching is the process of placing the vegetable in boiling water for a certain amount of time to stop the enzyme action. Enzymes cause the vegetable to grow and mature - this continues even after the vegetable is harvested ( that's why veggies/fruit ripen and can spoil if the vegetable isn't eaten or blanched (preserved) soon after harvesting). I blanched six ears of corn at a time in boiling water in a pot on my stove for 4 minutes.

After the ears of corn have been blanched for four minutes, I removed them from the boiling water and immediately immersed them into a sink full of ice cold water. See the big chunk of ice floating around with the corn? Anticipating this day, I froze a couple half gallon jugs (paper milk or juice containers work well) filled with water. Just pop them into the water and the corn will cool quickly.

I leave the ears of corn in the cold water for about 4 minutes, then remove them to an absorbent towel to dry thoroughly.

Now, at this point you can cut the kernels off the cobs and I had originally thought to do this with half the ears I bought, then changed my mind. I think I'll get a couple more dozen later and do that. This group is staying as is!

I can fit six ears into a gallon sized freezer bag and this is a good serving size for our family. I can always cut it off the cob when I thaw it out, too.

So, my freezer is loaded with five dozen ears of corn and I am thrilled!

In other news, my oven has finally conked out for good (which is not making our resident baker very happy - Emilee!), so we're off to buy a new gas range/oven tomorrow. It's the last of our appliances to be replaced since we moved here 15 years ago. We bought all new appliances when we bought this house and have slowly replaced each one of them over the years (the fridge, just a year and a half ago), so it's time.

Comments

[dawn]

There is nothing better! You have such good stuff to look forward to.

We have lots of peaches - I bought some at a fruit stand, then a neighbor brought us some from the western slope - I don't do well with freezing, canning, etc. I just like to eat them fresh. I'll have to do something!

[Melissa]

Well, I NEVER thought about doing something like this! We live in the Mid-west and get some incredibly tasty corn this time of the year. Can it be this easy??? 4 minutes boiling, 4 minutes in ice water and voila! Oh how I wish I had a second freezer! I just may get one when DH deploys next year! ;D

[Liz@HoosierHomemade]

Great post! I've been freezing zucchini, strawberries and blueberries tons this year. And was wondering about corn.
Thanks for sharing!
~Liz

[Ann Kroeker]

Thank you so much for the corn-freezing tutorial. I love corn on the cob, too, and it's nice to know how to do it right!

[Rhonda @ Shellbelle's Tiki Hut]

Oh, I wish I had thought to do this last month when I could get corn for a good price, now it's close to $1 an ear, so we're sticking with the frozen kernels from the market for now. Now if you run out of room in your freezer, you let me know!

[Mary]

This was a great and timely post. Think of the great winter treats that lie ahead. I hope you are having a wonderful day.

[ButterYum]

I love it... I am so going to do this!!

[Lori E]

I only tried this once and my corn was like gum when I cooked it from frozen. I wonder what I did wrong. Tempted to try again.

[Janelle]

Oh, Denise. First of all, thanks for visiting my blog and leaving a sweet comment. Coming to your blog in response has really blessed my heart today. I love your banner and could spend hours going back through reading your posts and looking at your cards. Kinda feel like I've found a long-lost friend that I didn't know I had. (That sounds sort of stupid and maybe a little scary...hmmm.) The corn has my mouth watering; look luscious! I'll be back to visit again!

[Monica]

Curious- where did you get the corn and what price did you get. I'm about ready to put some away myself and, of course, want to get the best deal out there:)

[Amy @ Finer Things]

We love sweet corn. Last year I helped my aunt cut and freeze 40 dozen ears! Fun, and tasty. :)

[Kendra aka The Meanest Momma]

This is a great tip that I will pass on to my in-laws who have corn by the bushel right now.

What do you do to the corn after you freeze it? Boil it again? Nuke it?

Thanks for sharing this handy tip!

[marie capps]

Denise is it possible to freeze corn on the cob with out taking them out of them out of the shucks? I have heard you could tank Marie

[Sherry]

How do you prepare thecorn for eating if you freeze it in the shucks?