Freezing Sweet Corn

Freezing Sweet Corn

Nothing tastes better than sweet corn you freeze yourself, if you do it right. Following are suggestions:

Use a "standard" sweet corn variety, such as Jubilee, instead of a "supersweet" variety, which may discolor once frozen.
Harvest early in the morning, especially if weather is hot, to get peak flavor.
Harvest the corn at its peak maturity. Immature corn is watery when cooked and over-ripe corn is doughy.
Process rapidly after harvesting.

Processing:
When blanching sweet corn, use a 12-15 quart kettle. Use one gallon of water for each two to three cobs of corn. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Immerse the sweet corn in the water. Begin counting the blanching time as soon as you place the corn in the boiling water. Cover the kettle and boil at a high temperature for the required length of time. You may use the same blanching water two or three times. Keep the water level at the required height. Change the water if it becomes cloudy. Cool corn immediately in ice water. Drain the corn thoroughly.

Blanching time varies depending on the diameter of the corncob. The long blanching time is necessary to inactivate enzymes. A longer cooling time is needed to chill the cob. Not following directions promotes cobby off-flavors.

The following times are for blanching in 12 quarts of water

Midget and small ears of corn, (which are less than 1-1/4 inches in diameter) for 7 minutes and cool in ice water for 16 minutes. Drain well. Package in meal-size amounts.

Medium to large ears of corn - if 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 inches, blanch 9 minutes, and if over 1-1/2 inches for 11 minutes. Cool in ice water 22 minutes. Drain well. Package in meal-size amounts.

To freeze whole kernel corn, blanch the ears for 4 minutes and cool thoroughly in ice water. Cut the corn from the cob and package in meal-size amounts

When packaging, use good quality containers. Use moisture-and vapor-resistant wraps such as heavy aluminum foil, "freeze-and-cook" bags, plastic freezer bags, or freezer containers. The storage time for frozen sweet corn is 12-18 months at 0° F or lower.

Title:	Freezing Sweet Corn	Number:	647
Script writer:	Debbie Stolpa and Marilyn Herman	Source:	U of MN Svc. Pub. FO-00555, Freezing Fruits and Vegetables; National Center for Home Preservation, Freezing
Date:	1995/98/2004	Reviewer:	Bill Schafer

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