Fresh corn for the freezer

Hurry! If you can find any last cobs of fresh corn at the market, buy them up! You will be so happy later this fall or winter when you have the kernels in your freezer.

Harness some squirrel energy and hoard the last flavors of summer! Tuck away berries, beans and corn so you can enjoy the flavors this winter. Though autumn is my favorite season, the summer flew by this year and I am feeling anxious about the cool air. We meant to buy a new upright freezer so I could store away loads of summer fruits and veggies but we never got around to it. Though I don’t have much room in my small freezer drawer, I have made space for a few bags of blueberries and some fresh corn.

If you can find sweet corn that is still good, buy a dozen. It is so easy to prepare it for the freezer. Shucking the corn is the most time consuming part. I unclothed my cobs on the porch so that all the “corn hair” could be easily swept away. (Does anyone have a fast, easy trick for getting every last thread off the cob?) Then, put the cobs in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove them and after they have cooled enough to handle, stand each cob on the end and holding the knife at an angle, cut the kernels off.

Make sure you get all of the delicious kernel off the cob but do not cut into the cob. To keep the corn from freezing in one big mass, you can spread the kernels on cookie sheets and freeze them for an hour or two before putting them in freezer bags.

When you are ready to thaw the corn, just put it in some warm water or boil it briefly until warm. The frozen corn is wonderful in chowder, corn bread or atop Mexican salads with black beans and cilantro dressing.

Buy corn. Shuck it. Boil it. Cut it. Freeze it. You’ll thank me this winter.

Related post: Corn Pudding