Kitchen

[Snowpuppy]

I stopped by a local farm stand this morning and picked up 2 dozen ears of corn on the cob. Fresh picked this morning, he grows 40 acres.

Question is, to blanch or not to blanch prior to freezing? The last time I blanched, the ears tasted soggy and lots of ice crystals in the Ziploc bags.

Do you have a tried and true method?

[mousiegirl]

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@Snowpuppy wrote:

I stopped by a local farm stand this morning and picked up 2 dozen ears of corn on the cob. Fresh picked this morning, he grows 40 acres.

Question is, to blanch or not to blanch prior to freezing? The last time I blanched, the ears tasted soggy and lots of ice crystals in the Ziploc bags.

Do you have a tried and true method?

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@Snowpuppy   Ask google.

[Wendy Lou Hoo]

I boil fresh corn for10 minutes.  Put corn into ice water to cool.  After corn is cool, lay out on towels, turning occasionally until completely dry.  Then I wrap each ear in aluminum foil, folding the ends tightly and put in the freezer.  When you want to eat the corn, boil again for10 minutes.  This always turns out fine for me.

[D Kay]

Interesting.  My parents put a lot of fresh corn in the freezer over the years but never on the cob.  They always cut it off the cob, blanched it, put in freezer bags, then froze it.

[fthunt]

The cobs take up so much space in your freezer and you're only gonna throw them out eventually.  Agree to take corn off and zip-lock or (better yet for no moisture) ...............FoodSaver.  You can shrink a ton of corn down to flat packages.

[jlkz]

DH can't resist loading up at farmer's market !

when he gets ears of corn, he uses a sharp knife to remove the kernels from the cob and places them into a very large microwave safe bowl.  He microwaves uncovered for about 4 minutes.

Then he puts a few teaspoons of spread or butter and tosses.  Back into microwave for 2-3 minutes.  Tosses and Tastes ...don't overcook, the heat will continue cooking the corn.

Let cool and then bag in Ziploc bags.  Freeze.

Takes up very little room.  Cooks quickly.  Lasts a long time !

[Snowpuppy]

Thank you for the suggestions. I did some reading online before posting. Most said to blanch, but some said not necessary.

I thought of taking the corn off at least a few ears for soups, stews, etc this winter. I know the space the cobs takes up but something about fresh corn on the cob in the dead of winter!

I don't have a foodsaver but that is a thought for preserving freshness and flavor.

[jannabelle1]

I've never frozen the corn while still on the cob. I slice the kernals off, lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and put the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour. Once frozen, I put the corn kernals into freezer bags - about 2 cups per freezer bag and put them back in the freezer. I've never blanched first.

[RedTop]

I blanche for 2 minutes, plunge into ice water till cool, drain on a rack till dry, then put in Ziploc freezer bags. We eat the corn quickly, so it never has freezer burn.

[ECBG]

@Snowpuppy I wouldn't blanch.  The frozen corn cobs in the grocery store freezer aren't blanched.