How do you prepare corn on the cob for freezing???
How do you prepare corn on the cob for freezing???
http://www.pickyourown.org/freezingcorn.htm
I did this one year and the corn was flat and tasteless. I threw it out. Many suggest to remove the kernel before freezing. I think that's why we eat so much of it in season. No substitute for the fresh.
blondiegirl, I just replied to this on another forum: http://www.talkfood.com/forum/showth...orn-on-the-cob. KarenB is right, the corn is MUCH better if you cut it off the cob for freezing. It tastes much fresher than freezing it on the cob - although it is true, there's nothing quite like fresh corn on the cob.
paulasue38, I have canned green beans using a boiling water bath, and it does work, but the beans turn out better if you use a pressure canner. They don't have be in the canner as long and probably will keep better. I haven't had trouble with my jars opening after using the water bath method, but have felt like using a pressure canner would preserve the color and flavor better than the other way. That being said, I'll probably use the water bath again next year, 'cause I don't HAVE a pressure canner. :-)
To freeze corn on the cob, choose a supersweet variety - the sugar doesn't turn to starch as easily. Pick smaller cobs of 1 1/2-2 inch diameter (leave older, tough corn for canning).
Blanch for 6-8 minutes in boiling salted water. Cool, drain, and wrap tightly using a vacuum sealer or tightly wrap each ear in foil and place in a plastic bag with all the air squeeze out. Use within 3 months.
To freeze whole kernel corn, blanch corn for 5-6 minutes in salted water then cut from cob using a sharp paring knife or corn stripper. It helps to balance the corn on the center of a tube pan or bundt pan, letting the corn fall into the pan as it's removed. Pack into vacuum bags (best results), plastic freezer bags or jars or containers leaving 1/2-inch headspace when using containers. Press well buttered paper onto the top layer to exclude air as much as possible if not using a vacuum system. You can also add liquid from scraping the corn cob with the back of your knife. I pack it in a small amount of this corn water/milk, a pinch of salt and sugar or honey. Freeze for up to 3 months.
A zero degree or less freezer (deep freeze) will keep the corn in better shape than a <>31°F freezer. The faster you can get the corn into the freezer after picking, the better it will taste. Don't bother to freeze corn that's been sitting around for a few days - you'll find that it's not very good even for eating fresh at that stage.
My mom would start her pot of water boiling before sending my dad out to the field to pick only enough corn for the pot. After the corn got a little larger, it was left on the stalk for me to pick for canning.
The supersweet corn varieties available now are still good for eating the next day, but corn still loses its sweeter qualities as time goes on.
If you have tough overgrown corn, you can process in pressure canner. I like to use the tougher corn when canning because it survives the long processing time required. If you don't grow your own corn, sometimes you can get a local farmer to give you a good deal on a bushel. (Make sure it's not TOO overgrown!) But tender, sweet corn is good for canning or freezing. I add a little salt and sugar to the canning water/corn broth. Jars and jars of home canned corn are a prize to have on the shelf.
One tip when canning corn is to use a very large (20+ quart capacity) canner and keep the temperature steady - if the temperature fluctuates too much over time the liquid will be forced out of the jar leaving dry corn at the top (you can still use them but they're not as attractive). If you're using a weighted gauge canner, keep the jiggle at 2-3 short bursts per minute (on the low end). When the canner first reaches pressure, wait 2-3 minutes before turning it down. Turning it down right away causes the pressure to drop too quickly and it won't come back up for 4 or 5 minutes and this can cause liquid to be lost from jars.
--CM
We put up frozen corn every year. I agree with all that you said but considering that for about 4 days straight we work up around 500 ears each day. Two of us cut the very top of the kernel off and the other two scrape the cobb for the goodie that is left. When our pans are full we combine all corn into one pot,stir together well. Then one person starts putting about 3 to 5 cups of corn into a big black iron skillet adding a little water. Corn is starchey and will stick real quick on you. Turn on the stove and cook only till you can visibly see it change colors in the skillet. Remove from the heat and put in your ice cream freezer cylinder to chill. Play like you're making ice cream(ice cream salt and ice).will only take about 5 to 7 minutes to freeze. The freezer will act just like it does when you make homemade ice cream. I then pour into large containers and put it into the refrigerator. If we are not completely worn out we will bag it into freezer bags--if not somebody can have that job tomorrow a.m. The point of cooking the corn is to kill the bacteria and the point of cooling it completely is to keep the corn from taking on the plastic bag taste. We use a large ice cream freezer (99.00 kind) the smaller ones will work but the cylinder will not hold up for continued use of hot corn.
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