Blanching Corn

So this weekend I've been motivated by some of the good, cheap produce I've seen in the market. I'm not sure how vegetable seasonality works for all of you, but at least here, there are still some nice vegetables around. There seems to be an abundance of corn and its not very expensive. So I decided to try and stock my freezer with a bit and see if I could save some money in the process! The only time I serve corn as a side dish at our house is if its fresh on the cob or if I've cut it off a fresh cob. I just have a problem opening a can, heating it up, and serving it! It just isn't that appetizing to me. But I LOVE corn. I like it on the cob, but I especially like it cut off and cooked with some salt, pepper, and butter. So yesterday I bought about 8 lbs of corn on the cob for less than $4 and processed it for my freezer in less than an hour. Here's what I did...the same process would apply for freezing most fresh vegetables. 

Take husks and silks off corn if your vegetable seller hasn't already done that for you (mine had!). Clean well in cool water, using a brush to get off the last of the silks if you need to. Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil. 

When water is boiling, drop in whole ears of corn. Once water is boiling again (I put on a lid to speed this up), time for 4 minutes (one more minute at high altitudes). Immediately take corn out and place in ice water. 

I didn't really want to use my ice on this, so I ran cold water over the boiled ears of corn. The goal is to cool them as quickly as possible to stop them from continuing to cook. I had enough corn that I did two rounds, so I took them all out of the pot with tongs and then still had boiling water for my 2nd round of corn. 

Next you'll take a knife and cut the top half of the kernels off the cobs. Start at the top and slice down. After you've cut off the top, flip your knife over to the dull side and use it to scrape down the cobs and get out the last of the kernel insides. (Sorry, this picture didn't turn out good!)

Lastly, I prepared several quart size ziplocks by turning the tops out so they wouldn't get all yucky as I filled them. I placed about 3 cups of corn kernels in each bag. This is probably equivalent to about 2 cans of canned corn--I figured this was about the right amount to serve my family of 5 as a side dish and still have a serving or two to go with the leftovers. My kids are little and don't eat a lot, though. 

I ended up with 5 bags of corn with a little over 3 cups in each--all for Y25 or around $4. This whole blanching process is really easy and I'm glad I took advantage of some of the last of the summer produce before its gone or rises in price. If you have the freezer space, this can save some time and money for you in the long run and you control what you put in the food your family eats rather than getting it out of a can (if that is even an option for you!). These bags are ready to be popped out of the freezer, emptied into a pot with a little water, and seasoned with some salt and butter to serve. Later this week I'll talk about stewing tomatoes for the freezer that can then be put into sauces, etc..