July and August are good months for putting up corn.
Freeze corn directly on the cob for a quick way to keep the taste of high summer all winter long. When summer is just a memory, you can remove the corn from the freezer, defrost, boil and enjoy. Properly put up, corn should stay sweet and crisp long enough to last you until next year's crop comes in. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Freeze your own corn straight from the garden.
Select corn that matches your priorities. If cost is important, buy directly from farms in season or from groceries when summer corn goes on sale. If limiting chemical residue is important to you, grow your own corn or purchase corn from organic markets or farmers. Heirloom suppliers sell bantam and shoepeg seed that has not been genetically modified.
2. Keep your corn cool, moist and in the husk after you purchase it or pick it. Process as soon as possible. The sweeter the corn, the faster the taste will degrade after harvest, with sugars turning to starches. If you are freezing dozens of cobs, bring in friends and family to speed the shucking.
3. Remove the husks and silks and dispose of in the trash or a compost bin. If you wish, set aside some of the husks for making corn husk dolls. You can put the corn in clean, cold water briefly to help with silk removal.
While you are doing this job, put a large pot of water on the stove on high heat to come to a boil.
4. Trim a little off both ends of each cob. To do this, circle the cob with the blade of a knife, scoring it rather than cutting deeply. Then, using two hands, crack the cob at the scored points and discard the ends. Remove as little as you comfortably can, but make sure to take off any rotten portions. Use a sharp knife because a dull knife is more likely to slip and will require more pressure.
5. Boil the corn a little longer at higher altitudes.
Drop the cobs gently into the boiling water. Heat the water until it returns to a boil and blanch the corn for six to eight minutes. If you are freezing large amounts, you will have to do this in batches. While the corn is boiling, fill a sink or pot full of lightly salted iced water. Use long tongs to remove the corn from the boiling water--that way, you can reuse the water for the next batch without starting over with cold water. Quickly plunge the cooked corn into the iced water to stop the cooking process.
6. Once cooled, remove the corn from the water and place on a clean, dry towel. Then put the ears into a sealing freezer bag. Remove all the air from the bag as you seal it. One good way is to insert a drinking straw in one end, close the bag up to the straw, suck out all the air through the straw, quickly remove the straw and finish the seal.
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Tags: corn from, remove corn, remove corn from, your corn, cold water, iced water