Freezing Corn

Best to freeze corn as soon after picking as possible.

If you must pick the corn a day or two before you freeze it, leave the shucks on it and spread out in a cool place, or take off the shucks and store the corn in plastic bags in the refrigerator.

There are three recommended ways of freezing fresh corn: on the cob, whole kernel, and cream style. Corn should be frozen, if possible, within two-to-three hours after it is picked. The sugar in corn begins to turn to starch after the corn is picked, so the sooner you freeze it the sweeter it will be.

If you must pick the corn a day or two before you freeze it, leave the shucks on it and spread out in a cool place, or take off the shucks and store the corn in plastic bags in the refrigerator.

When it is time to freeze the corn, work with small amounts. Shuck the corn, remove the silks, trim the ends and wash it.

To freeze corn on the cob…

Sort the ears according to size and blanch them. Put about a pound of corn into a gallon of boiling water. Start counting the blanching time when the water returns to a boil. Blanching time is longer for corn-on-the-cob because the cob must get hot enough to deactivate enzymes.

You should blanch small ears of corn for seven minutes, medium sized ears for nine minutes, and large ears for eleven minutes.

Take the corn from the boiling water and chill it thoroughly in ice water. It's important that you cool the corn long enough for the cob to cool, however, if the corn is left in the water too long, it will become soggy. A rule of thumb… it takes as long to cool the corn as it does to blanch it.

After the corn is blanched…

Drain off the water and wrap each ear separately in plastic film or freezer foil. You can put several ears together in one freezer bag or you can wrap several ears together in freezer paper. Try to remove as much air as you can from the package.

To freeze whole kernel corn…

Blanch it for four minutes, then chill it and drain off the water. Cut the kernels off the cob at about two-thirds the depth of the kernels. Pack the corn tightly into freezer containers or bags, leaving about a half-inch at the top. Seal the packages and freeze them at zero degrees Fahrenheit.

You can also freeze southern cream-style corn. For creamier corn, cut and scrape it off the cob before you blanch it. Cut the corn at about the center of the kernels, then scrape the cob with the back of a knife to remove the juice and the heart of the kernel. Then cook the corn in the top of a double boiler. Heat and stir for about 10 minutes or until thickened.

Cool the corn quickly by putting the pan or boiler on ice or in a pan of ice water. You can hurry the cooling process by putting the corn into a cold, shallow pan, then putting the pan on ice. Stir the corn often until it's cool.

Package the corn in airtight, moisture-vapor-proof containers, leaving about a half-inch at the top. Freeze the corn immediately at zero degrees Fahrenheit.

For more information on freezing corn; contact your local county Extension office.