Freezing sweet corn

[JULY 27, 2000]  Sweet corn should be frozen within two to six hours after harvest for best quality. One bushel of ears weighs 35 pounds. An average of 2½ pounds makes one pint of frozen whole kernel corn.

• Harvest and prepare corn rapidly for freezing to avoid changes.

• Husk, remove silk, and pare or trim away any damaged portions. Trim off fibrous or undeveloped ends.

• Blanch. Most vegetables to be frozen should be blanched, because the enzyme activity is high (high pH and low sugar content) and sugar syrups (which inhibit enzymes) are not used. 

1. Cleans off surface dirt and organisms.

2. Brightens the color.

3. Reduces enzyme activity which causes color and flavor changes.

4. Removes air and softens texture so vegetables are easier to pack into containers.

Blanching procedure:

1. Bring one gallon of water to a boil.

2. Blanch in water or in live steam. Immerse ears in a basket for –

1. Three minutes for whole kernel corn. Cook and cut kernels from cob at three-fourths of their depth (do not scrape cob).

2. Corn-on-the-cob
   Small ears (4-6-inches long) – seven minutes
   Medium ears (6-8-inches long) – nine minutes
   Large ears (8-12-inches long) – 11 minutes

3. Core the cob: Drill a pencil-wide hole lengthwise through the ear of corn. This will reduce the blanching time by destroying the enzymes in the center of the cob very rapidly. Blanch drilled cobs for four to five minutes.

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• Pack (dry packed with no liquid). Pack loosely to facilitate rapid freezing in containers no more than ½ gallon or not deeper than three inches. Pack corn into rigid plastic freezer containers, leaving one inch of head space; or pack into flexible containers, squeeze out air, seal and freeze. Package corn in amounts which you can use in one meal.

• Individually quick-freezing

1. Blanch, chill and drain cobs.

2. Cut kernels from cobs.

3. Spread on tray with no piece touching another.

4. Place tray in "rapid freeze" section of freezer and freeze for one to two hours.

5. Package and label.

• Freeze no more than two pounds per cubic foot of freezer capacity in a 24-hour period. This enables the freezer to freeze the food rapidly enough that food-borne illness microorganisms will not have time to grow and food spoilage will not occur.

• Thaw in the refrigerator or cook from the frozen state.

[Logan County Extension Service]

(Click here for corn recipes.)

Have more of 'em than you can eat right now?

Directions for canning beans

[JULY 26, 2000]  To prepare green beans – snap, wax or Italian – select tender, crisp pods. Remove and discard diseased and rusty pods. Wash beans and trim ends. Break or cut into one-inch pieces or leave whole.

Hot pack

Cover beans with boiling water; boil five minutes. Pack hot beans into hot jars, leaving one inch headspace. Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints, 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired. Fill jar to one inch from top with boiling hot cooking liquid. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process as directed below.

Raw pack

Pack beans tightly into hot jars, leaving one inch headspace. Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints, 1 teaspoon to quarts, if desired. Fill jar to one inch from top with boiling water. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process.

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Processing 

Process in a dial gauge pressure canner at 11 pounds pressure or in a weighted gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure. Process pints for 20 minutes, quarts for 25 minutes.

Other beans

To prepare other kinds of beans – lima, butter, pintos or soy – select young, tender, well-filled pods with green seeds (beans). Discard insect- and disease-damaged beans. Shell and wash beans thoroughly.

[Logan County Extension Service]

Corn recipes

1 medium onion

2 tablespoons butter

2 potatoes (chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 package frozen corn

1 cup chopped ham

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 cup water

1 cup milk

Sauté onion in butter till tender. Add potatoes and water; bring to a boil, simmer 15 minutes. Stir milk and flour in a separate bowl. Add corn, milk mixture, ham, salt and pepper to potatoes. Bring to a full boil. Simmer 15 minutes.

1 can whole kernel corn

1 can cream style corn

1 box corn muffin mix (dry)

3/4 cup oil

4 eggs

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all and bake one hour in a greased 9-by-13 pan at 350 degrees.

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1 2/3 cups dried bow tie pasta

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut in strips

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion

1 can (15.25 ounces) whole kernel gold and white corn, drained

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel and 1 teaspoon lemon juice

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
2. Meanwhile, lightly coat large skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
3. Cook chicken over medium-high heat 3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.
4. Add undrained tomatoes, corn, lemon peel, lemon juice and 1/4 tsp. coarsely ground pepper; heat through. Add pasta and toss.
5. Enjoy.

3 packages (16 ounces each) frozen corn

11 ounces cream cheese (cubed)

1/4 cup butter or margarine (cubed)

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons sugar

6 slices process American cheese (cut into small pieces)

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for four hours or until heated through and the cheese is melted. Stir well before serving. Yield: 12 servings

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