My mom always "put up" fresh corn, butter beans, string beans and field peas when I was growing up. We had two deep freezers in our garage just for veggies that she would...well we would "put up" in the summer. It was truly a family affair! She would normally get her vegetables from my aunt who lived about 35 minutes away from us and I knew every time she talked to her sister we were going to get a bushel of some type of fruit or vegetable. With the pandemic going on, I think everyone should be putting food in their freeze for the winter. It is really easy to do and it doesn't take too much time depending how much corn you are trying to freeze. I personally like creamed corn but my husband and daughter are fans of whole corn. The process is mostly the same for both but with the creamed corn you have to cut the corn off the cob. The most important step in freezing fresh corn is the blanching process.
Blanching is a cooking process in which a food, usually a vegetable or fruit, is scalded in boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocking or refreshing) to halt the cooking process. The natural enzymes in corn need to be inactivated before freezing to prevent both loss of color and nutrients, flavor, and texture changes. It is the best way to keep your corn in the freezer so it doesn't taste gummy when you cook it later.
Items needed to freeze corn
Canning pot or a very large stock pot
Quart size freezer bags
Gallon size freezer bags
Corn in the husk
Corn Creamer Tool (if cutting the corn off the cob)
Corn Silk Remover Brush (will save you time when removing the silk)
Ice water
Steps to freeze corn
Shuck the corn and remove the silk from the ears. I recommend using a silk remover brush especially if you cut the corn off the cob.
Boil water in a canning pot or a very large stock pot that can fit several ears of corn.
Once the water is boiling, place the corn in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes. You will notice that the color of the corn will turn a bright yellow.
Remove from the water with tongs and place into a pot of ice water to stop the cooking process.
If you are only freezing the corn whole, you can place the corn in the freezer bag and make sure to remove as much air as possible from the bag. Use a sharpie to label the zip lock bag with not only the name of the contents but also the date.
If you are freezing creamed corn, you want to wait for the corn to cool before handling it.
Use a corn cutter and creamer tool, to cut the corn off the cob. The tool will not only cut the corn but also get the juices from the corn at the same time. If you don't have a corn cutter, you can use a knife. Slide your knife each side of the corn. Once you have removed the kernels, scrape the cob to remove the juice of the corn or the milk as my mother called it
Place the creamed corn into the quart sized bag. Use a sharpie to label the zip lock bag with not only the name of the contents but also the date.
Place in the freezer for up to 18 months.