Freeze sweet corn to enjoy months later.
The most important steps in freezing sweet corn are picking it at the proper time, and getting it frozen within the following two to three hours. Proper handling and storage will maintain the sweet corn's level of natural sugars and preserve its sweetness. Freshly picked corn lends itself well to freezing. While you can remove the kernels from the ears and freeze them whole or cream style, the best method is to simply freeze the ears themselves. This gives you more options and flexibility for preparing it for future use, including nibbling it right from the cob. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Check your sweet corn for readiness. It is ripe when the silk of each ear turns brown. The husks should be bright green, and folded tightly against the ear. The ear itself should be plump with a blunt tip. Open the tip of the ear slightly and nick an end kernel with your fingernail. It should erupt with a burst of milky white fluid. This is often referred to as the "milk stage," and occurs about 20 days after the first strands of silk are visible.
2. Grasp an ear of sweet corn. Twist the ear and pull it downward. It will snap off the stalk.
3. Remove, or shuck, the husk from the ear of corn. Pinch the silk and husk tops between the thumb and fingers of each hand. Pull them down to reveal the ear of corn. Snap off the stem just below the ear. Cut the tip end with a sharp knife if it has immature kernels remaining on it. Rinse the ear under cold running water and use a vegetable brush to remove the silk. Pat the ear dry.
4. Bring a gallon of water to a rolling boil to blanch the corn. Drop three or four ears of corn into the water. Bring water back to a boil. Boil large ears 11 minutes, medium sized ones nine minutes and the small ears seven minutes.
5. Remove the ears from the water and plunge them into ice water. Cool them for the same amount of time that you boiled them.
6. Drain the ears and pat dry. Wrap each ear in an individual sheet of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Put three or four in a plastic freezer bag and squeeze as much air as you can out of it. Seal the bag and label it with the date and variety.
7. Freeze your sweet corn at 0 degrees for up to nine months.
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