Adventures in Freezing Corn

As I type this 12 quarts of corn are sitting on my counter waiting for me to put them in the freezer. At least another cup or so of cut corn is on my counter, my table, and all over the kitchen floor. The farm animals are contendedly munching on corn husks and cobs. The floor also has a nice collection of stray husks and silks covering it. I've been at it since about 7:30 AM, and can't bear to clean up the mess just yet.

So instead of finishing the job, I will tell you how you too can have adventures in freezing corn.

Recruit help.
Freezing corn is a time consuming and messy project. It is best done with several people. A huge thanks to my niece Ashley who, due to my own children being out of town, got recruited this morning. She husked the majority of the corn while I parboiled, cut and bagged.

Husk
Remove the husks, the silk, and cut out any buggy parts or worm eaten ends.

Boil
Put the ears in boiling water. This part I messed up a little.

It has been awhile since I've frozen corn. Instead of consulting my resources before starting the project, I dove right in. It only occurred to me when we were almost done that I might have forgotten something. I boiled mine a bit too long, and probably didn't cool them quickly enough. I will have corn that is slightly mushier than ideal, but it is still safe.

To do it right consult the experts first, and boil your corn for 4 minutes. Then cool "promptly." Plunging the corn into cold water is what I forgot to do, and what you should do.

Cut
Cut the kernels off carefully to get the whole kernel without getting the cob.

Put in containers
I used bags this time, but you can also use glass jars, freezer boxes or other containers. Be sure to leave some room for expansion, about 1/2". Put the containers in the freezer.


Break time is over! Time to go clean up the mess and finish the job!

Stumble It!