Gardening is so rewarding, especially when you get to taste the sweet harvest. I love to watch the plants grow, flower and produce their wonderful fruits and veggies.
I put 12 quarts of corn in the freezer last night!!
It'll be great this winter when you can't get anything like it at the grocery!
Yummmmmmy!
...had to save 2 ears for myself though (love it on the cob!)
Corn is especially a favorite because I remember eating it from our garden when I was young. My parents used to have a little scope that told you the sugar content of produce. We would often check corn to see what ears were the sweetest (& best of course!). I wonder if you can still get those gadgets... ?!?! I might have to look.
About Sweet Corn...
Corn needs to be staggered in it's planting so you have several harvests and prolonged joy of eating the fresh, on the cob veggie.
Harvest corn when the silk (strands at the top of each ear) are brown and the cob feels full. Don't let it go too long or the corn will loose it's sweetness and become too firm to be enjoyable. Kernels should tender & easily pierced with your fingernail, and should have a sweet milky fluid in them. Kernels that are starting to dimple will be chewy and not as sweet... might be ok for use in recipes, but not great for simply eating corn as a side.
To freeze corn... slice the corn off of the cob, there are special cutters available such as this, but I find a knife I'm comfortable with is the best because cobs can very in size. Cut the corn off the cob and then run your knife down the length of the cob to get any extra bits and juices left behind. Once you've finished cutting all your corn place it in a deep pot and add water enough to just reach the top of the corn. Heat on high until the water just gets hot and begins to boil, this is called blanching. Blanching destoys enzymes and helps keep the veggies in freezing.
Quickly place corn in freezer bags or vacuum bags (if you have a vacuum sealer) and place in cold icy water to stop the cooking process... this also saves your freezer on energy. Label and place in the freezer. I have a vacuum sealer, but ran out of bags. I had freezer bags handy so just used those. I found that when my bags were floating and cooling in the icy water I could easy work the air out of the bags by using the water pressure to force the air bubbles out of the top of the bag, essentially doing the same thing as the vacuum bag would have.
To freeze corn... slice the corn off of the cob, there are special cutters available such as this, but I find a knife I'm comfortable with is the best because cobs can very in size. Cut the corn off the cob and then run your knife down the length of the cob to get any extra bits and juices left behind. Once you've finished cutting all your corn place it in a deep pot and add water enough to just reach the top of the corn. Heat on high until the water just gets hot and begins to boil, this is called blanching. Blanching destoys enzymes and helps keep the veggies in freezing.
Quickly place corn in freezer bags or vacuum bags (if you have a vacuum sealer) and place in cold icy water to stop the cooking process... this also saves your freezer on energy. Label and place in the freezer. I have a vacuum sealer, but ran out of bags. I had freezer bags handy so just used those. I found that when my bags were floating and cooling in the icy water I could easy work the air out of the bags by using the water pressure to force the air bubbles out of the top of the bag, essentially doing the same thing as the vacuum bag would have.
You can freeze corn still on the cob by simply blanching the ears, cooling them with ice water, drain and place in bags for the freezer. I've never done this so can't speak of results. I think they would be a nice treat in the winter, but would take too much space in the freezer. The corn I did last night fit in 2- 5 gallon buckets when I started and 12- 1 Qt freezer bags when I was done... a lot less space. Might be fun to do a few for the kids though.
When you're ready to eat your corn simply place in pot of boiling water until heated.... no need to cook for any length of time since it was partially cooked prior to freezing.
When you're ready to eat your corn simply place in pot of boiling water until heated.... no need to cook for any length of time since it was partially cooked prior to freezing.
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