Yep did a bushel on the cob just this year but stripped the rest off the cob. We then vacuum seal ours in packs of 4. Here is the instructions on how to do it. Blanch time is 7-11 mins. depending on ear size.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Freezing Corn

Just an FYI if you decide to cut the corn off the cob....
Use an electric knife! Stand the ear of corn up on an angel food or bundt cake pan and slice the corn off. It falls right into the pan and you can do the whole thing in the sink so no splatter mess all over the kitchen.

It's one of the few really great uses for that electric knife (IMHO)!! LOL

Deanna

I only blanch for 2 minutes. 7-10 would actaully fully cook the corn. Mine gets just 2 minutes in rapidly boiling water and then its put into ice water, and drained before removing the kernals. I like using a corn zipper for mine, which easily cuts two rows of kernals at the cob. If I were to freeze allm of the corn on the cobs, it would take at least 3-4 shelves of my freezer.

Here is a link that might be useful: Corn zipper

I've tried the 7-11 minute blanching. Sorry, but even if I'm going to cook it to eat, I don't boil it for that long. Talk about no flavor...

We grill roast ours. We served some frozen grilled corn on the cob to family last weekend, and they did not believe it wasn't fresh. If you want to try another method for freezing corn, I did post step-by-step instructions on our blog.

Here is a link that might be useful: Grilling Corn for Freezing

If the corn is removed off the cobs just after picking it has much more flavor. If left on the cobs and frozen, it still loses some of its delicate flavor. They now offer sugar enhanced Se and shrunken gene Sh2 types which are bred for extra sweetness, but at a sacrifice of losing some flavor. I don't grow these types as they are just too sweet and have little real corn taste. The reason they have been bred that way is because most are intended for supermarket sales where corn can sit for several days before being sold, and can still offer some sweetness. The cobs tend to draw the sugars out of the kernals after a few hours of picking. This year with just good quality regular yellow corn growing, my neighbor said it was the sweetest he has ever eaten, only because he cooked and ate it within hours of picking. You can't get any fresher than that!

I also blanch for 2 minutes, I don't even cook corn for 9 minutes. Well, my favorite way to eat it is raw, standing in the garden, picked about 15 seconds ago, LOL.

One of the posters on Cooking said she doesn't even blanch it at all, just puts it in the freezer still in the husks, then when she wants it she thaws it, husks it and cooks it. I've never tried it, so I don't know how it is.

I used to freeze corn on the cob before freezer room became so precious. I did find that if you blanch it, you need to let it cool all the way through the cob before you freeze it or it can be watery.

Annie

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll try short blanching times and see how it comes out - months from now.

Because the cob diameters on my grain corn varieties are much smaller than modern sweets I can't use the nifty 'korn-kutter' gadget that I bought for zipping the kernels off cooked ears in one shot. Sad but true. I won't buy an electric knife new for this purpose, and I have no other purpose for it as we don't eat meat.

I use this non-sweet fresh corn for chowder, chili, succotash, and so on rather than straight-up.

I think the 2 row 'corn zipper' I linked to gives a decent cut on any sized cob, unless its tiny.

This year I've been cutting my corn off the cob and heating it in the microwave for less than a minute, just long enough to melt some butter on it.

My dog eats his on the cob raw.

Melissa

Might want to note that if you aren't going to blanch for the recommended amount of time then according to NCHFP you are better off not blanching it at all (and many don't).

Underblanching stimulates the activity of enzymes and is worse than no blanching.

As an alternative, try steam blanching rather than boiling water blanching. The times are a bit longer but the vegetable isn't "cooked" as much as with boiling water blanching.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP - Blanching Guidelines

Steam blanching isn't as penetrating as a boiling water blanch, and would probably require at least 10 minutes. A 2 minute blanch of corn on the cob is sufficient and stops any enzyme action. The best and freshest taste comes from fresh picked corn, which is then blanched for 2 minutes and then into ice water. I see the difference in the way it cuts off the cobs a bit easier after a blanch. Broccoli is one vegetable that should also be blanched. Its only done or about 90 seconds and goes into rolling boil water. I blanch broc because it can have all the green buds break off once frozen, and you end up with bare green limbs and green sawdust. Even though it states corn is blanched at 4 minutes as kernals, I prefer to use less time. When its actually cooked, it gets microwaved without adding any water in a covered dish. I drain the water that does accumulate, before serving it. Same with broccoli, and peas.

A 2 minute blanch of corn on the cob is sufficient and stops any enzyme action.

Not according to the testing done at NCHFP Ken, which is why I posted the information and link above. And most other info on how to freeze corn that is available via Google would seem to agree with them that under-blanching can trigger enzymatic production in corn if the cob itself is not heated as well as the kernels. That produces off flavors when thawed.

But to each his own. ;)

Dave

Cooking an ear of corn only takes 7 minutes and thats even for steaming it. I dislike mush and after 'cooking' (blanch) 7 to 11 minutes, then freezing, and cooking again afterwards will yield total mush. I have no idea what idiot (at the insane NCHFP site) came up with that info. But as you can see they also refer to cob sizes and say that smaller ones require less time. If I were to steam it as a blanch and it was a large ear, I would have to blanch at about 17 minutes!! Thats crazy and isn't necessary. The US has 'guidelines', not strict rules cast in cement that some people tend to preach. I have never had any corn that spoiled, or went bad after a blanch and freeze at the time I prefer. Not even after being in teh freezer two years. I am still working on two year old frozen corn and its as good as the day I froze it. I am not a person with gums for teeth. Were not canning this vegetable. Give me some real statistics about actual blanch times. Saying enzyme changes, can mean way too much, including the color of the kernals changing, or how big the endosperm is and what happens to it when it sees 212 degrees. I want to see something that can prove that statement to be true. I don't take anyones word for anything anymore, and much prefer to do things in a pracitcal and sensible manner, which is something we are quickly losing sight of here. Were not frezing poison!! I experience no off flavors of any kind even after a very long freeze.

Did you know that if broccoli is blanched and frozen it contains less than half of the natural potassium as fresh cooked? Corn is low in potassium, high in sugars and starch. Thats where Clear Jel comes from and also weed preventers!

I did up about 20 ears yesterday. I was putting about 6 at a time in a large pasta pot at full boil for 2 to 3 minutes. The cobs were hot through. I ate a couple and they were only slightly under-done.

I'll do the rest of what I picked yesterday un-blanched.....

Jeez Ken, take a chill pill!! Quit taking opinions that differ from yours as some sort of a personal attack on you. Your rants and tirades only undermine the value of all the great info you have to offer.

NCHFP has far more scientific research to support their positions than you do but there is still no one absolutely perfect way of doing anything in life. So there is nothing wrong with presenting multiple views on an issue and letting folks make up their own minds.

pnbrown - glad to hear your corn turned out so well. It will be a real treat this winter.

Dave

Scientific research? BLAH! Why cant they test things better? Today, many condem a steam canner, but the site says its not been tested. Hence the need for more accurate info, and more testing and evaluation. Chill pill, ha! I get angry when some so called 'experts' like to spout out all these unfounded findings based on VERY limited info on a web site. I am sure that after a few years, EVERYTHING will be unsafe to can in a BWB, no matter what people do. Common sense is very necessary when it comes to home canning or freezing anything. Someday, all ground beef will be toxic, and all fermented pickles will have listeria, as they like to inject this toxin into a vegetable to see how well it survives a heat process. What kind of test was given to corn that was blanched for 2 minutes, vs. 11, or even 17 minutes in steam?? I suppose that to be safe, the govt decides on whether things are poisonous or not, but it sure is vague when it comes to many important issues. Variables are inevitable, and to those following a 'safe' recipe to the letter, can still make a toxic product, no matter what is preached.

Ken, I think that's part of why the government guidelines are so stringent, they are trying to take into consideration the dirtiest kitchen, the most inexperienced canner, borderline produce, every mistake that could possibly be made and if you follow the guidelines you still won't die. It's a liability issue, in part, I think.

At any rate, those are guidelines and there is no food police. Yet. Every person has to make their own decision based on their own comfort level. I do things my common sense tell me are safe, even if untested, but I don't tell other people that I know they are safe, because I don't know. I just think they are, and am confident enough in that opinion that I'm comfortable using that method or that time or those ingredients.

I'm thankful that other posters are willing to share their training and beliefs and recipes with me, even if I disagree with the final assessment. I like to have as much information as available, so that I can make a fully informed choice. I also like to know when new information is available, so that I can reassess my techniques. Sometimes I actually change the way I do things. (grin) If it goes wrong, well, there's no one to blame except myself.

And no matter how much information there is, some people will still do things that are amazing. An acquaintance asked me how to can green beans. She'd done hers in a BWB, and said all the lids blew off so she had to throw them away. What did she do wrong? Ahem. After I told her she was lucky she didn't kill the whole household, including her two young children, I told her that the recommendation had been pressure canning at least since the 40s. Her response? "Really? Well, I don't have a pressure canner so I have to do them the other way." I suggested freezing them. The beans, not the children.

Oh, and BTW, considering new information, you never did tell me how that columnar apple tree is doing and what the yield is, if any!

Annie

ksrogers,
Why in the world do you have your knickers in such a twist?

"I have no idea what idiot (at the insane NCHFP site)..."
"I don't take anyones word for anything anymore..."
"Scientific research? BLAH! Why cant they test things better?..."

Please find a different avenue to vent your frustration. The above examples of the content of your comments are not helping the majority of the folks that come here simply looking for information and being able to ask questions on how to safely preserve food for themselves and their families.

A 'Majority' of folks here are SCARED into thinking that they are all making poisons! Why dont YOU find a 'DIFFERENT AVENUE to crab about my rantings1! It should be realized that any US Govt, agency doesnt invade houses, I am aware of that, but to say that a thing like chicken broth spoiling in a refrigerator in just two days, is ludicrous, no matter what 'expert' stated that. For the blanching of corn, no one seemed to see the mention of removing kernals when blanching and its only 4 minutes of a blanch time. If everyone here, new and old alike were to follow every single 'cast in cement' rule that is being constantly preached, there would never be anything made like Annies Salsa or Linda Lou's sweet pickle chunks. Both recipes in the hands of normal people who have never home canned could render them poisonous, just like anything else. Keep in mind that there are are at least two kinds of people here, those who are abusive and hardnosed, and those who are timid and will not speak up when they dont see any real proof. i feel I have both and will always defend my canning processes no matter who preaches things. Take it like you want, or just dump salt on it..

I think I am seeing the mention of 'NCHFP' repeatedly as its been showing up on ALL the threads I read now, several times. Its getting to be repititous and very boring to say the least! There are now at least three people preaching that same site for everything that has an unanswered question. I have never canned ANYTHING that has become spoiled or turned to poison. I just gave a friend of mine some pickled garlic I made FIVE years ago in year 2004. It was still good and had nearly the same crispness as freshy made, even without any crispling agents. When I decided to use a steam canner, all hell broke loose here and every 'expert' said they are unsafe. Bah! I now know that the Govt has never bothered to even TEST them in any canning product, so they are all telling us they are unsafe to use in any home canning process. I took it upon myself to get a big 12 channel chart recorder and very accurate thermocouples to test surfaces, water, steam, top and bottom, and inside seach jar some empty and some filled with water and even one with tomato sauce. They ALL reached the proper boiling temp within 10 minutes of the steam jetting out. I am not a govt tester, but fully understand heat penetration, processing during the time in a steam canner and also, I ONLY use it for HIGH ACID FOODS, which in my opinion would process anything high in acid and use not only a LOT less water, but power to heat it up. I am fully satisfied with my results, and no one has ever accepted them as being anything more that garbage. Today, I can a very delicate and impossible to can pepperoncini pepper. These simply turn to mush as soon as they see ANY heat of any kind. I use what commercial picklers use, a vacuum process not usually available at home. I have successfully canned over 50 quart jars in the last 5 years and none has ever spoiled, or gone bad, discolored, leaked, or any possible issues with safety of any kind. Thats not bragging, its only to prove to me (and to anyone else who cares) that I have achieved an almost impossible method to SAFELY can something at home and not have to use heat to do it.

As to the 3 collonade apple trees, two are still too small to grow any apples yet as the trunks are still smaller than my wrist. The 3rd apple, a pole mac had about 10 flowers this past spring. I manually pollinated at the same time as my other two dwarf apple trees that are all picked now. The pole mac has one single apple and its just starting to get a red blush. Last year my 3 Asian pear trees had two fruits on the biggest of the three. This year, even though only that single bigger one has some blossoms it has no fruits. Asian pears last up ot 6 months in the fridge, but if Linda Lou saw that, she would toss them out after the two day deadline. I can't afford to throw out foods that are in my fridge for more than a few days, and I dubt if anyone lese could either. The poor pole mac tree was hit by a big tree limb that snapped almost the whole tree in half last year. I had to go out and spray tree wound tar on it, which helped the rest to stay alive. It would have had more apples, but it was seriously weakened by that damage the next door neigbors tree cutters did. This year they damaged my chain link fence and had to replace two top rails that were badly bent. The replacements are now rusting badly.

Ken, you're a good ole yankee, arn't ya? Don't pull any punches, now!

Anyhoo, I'm not worried about food-poisoning. I reckon I have enough common-sense to smell something before eating it and you gotta kind of work at it to get poisoned by vegetables.

I used this non blanching method decribed in another post
it taste very good and is super easy I bring a 30 gallon bucket full of ice water and the bleach solution up to the garden with me and cool the cobs right away. I had several people taste it and there was no bleachy taste at all

They also seemed to cut better when it was very cold I did 7 dozen one night and will never do that inside my kitchen again corn juice everywhere

I do agree I would never blanch or cook corn for 10 min or beleive everything the "gov't" tells us

Here is a link that might be useful: corn freezing

Yes!! I stick to my guns and will never stop defending practical preserving methods, no matter who dislikes what I say to the contrary. Its like we all should know, everything has more than one solution. I have always said that common sense is very important when home canning and preserving. Keeping things high in acid helps to destroy most any bad things. Even my sugarless jams never get moldy even after being opened and stored a few months in the fridge. Heck, a big jar or tasteless Smuckers strawberry sugarless jam started to mold. I dug it out, added a bit of acid blend (citric, malic, and tartaric acid) and Splenda and its been in the fridge for more than 4 months now with no signs of any mold of any kind. Even things like chicken broth are still safe enough to can after being stored in the fridge for 5 days. I had some chicken gravy I forgot about 3 weeks ago, and placed the remaining amount in the freezer where it will sit until next time I roast a big chicken. I make a lot of stuffing and use the chicken part waste, wing tips, tail, innards, etc. to make a broth. Then the broth is mixed with stuffing mix and baked while the chicken is also roasting. A week later that stuffing is still great and could be stored even up to 10 days or a bit more. If I were to throw that out in the limited 2 days, it is simply a waste of good food!! As mentioned, I keep my fridge as cold as I can, without freezing (34-36 degrees) as thats what its meant for, and some people are not setting their fridge thermostat low enough. I dont think anyone would believe me if I stated that I store milk in the fridge longer than 2 weeks and it never sours.

My rants here were not to disrupt the few 'do gooders', but to point out that things canned or frozen at home are much easier to preserve IF you use common sense, the canning is always going to come out safe if its been made with the proper amounts of ingredients, acidity, and canning practices. Lately the mention of NCHFP repeatedly has been excessive to say the least. Someone here has to start things in a different direction, GET REAL EVERYONE!!

I buy raw milk from a local producer. It keeps over two weeks in the fridge if it isn't opened. By that time the cream on top is as thick as fudge.

A while back I had a couple pints of cream go sour in the fridge, too sour for coffee. I left it out for a couple of days, then poured it into a jam-jar and churned butter while watching the tube. Best butter I ever had - cultured butter.

I make applesauce every year in weck jars, and every year they grow mold on top no matter how long I boil the jars nor how hot the applesauce is when I jar it. When I open the jar - only if the lid is loose do I toss the contents -I scoop off the top half-inch or so and the rest is fine.

Anyway, I've frozen a good number of cobs blanched 3 minutes and others raw. We'll check back in January for a comparison....

The apple sauce may need more added acid. Some very sweet apples have lower acidity and can get moldy. Bring the applsauce to a hard boil while filling the jars helps some too as does plenty of sugar. I have a store bought glass jar of apple sauce my dad bought about 14 years ago. It still sits in my basement, but is now starting to darken in color. Not sure, but if the Weck jars reuse lids or have lids that contain zinc or contaminates, they can add another level of toxic to the mix. When I blanch corn, all the kernals get cut off, and bagged. The cobs offer nothing but added bulk and take up space in the freezer. I found out recently that my older brothers ex-wife's father owned the Hawkins Farm in Salem NH. Every year the wife would pick a few dozen ears of corn and cut the kernals off with a knife with no blanching, but did freeze them. We had some that Christmas and it was as if it was picked fresh that day. It was a bicolor white/yellow corn. The old famrmer man also was famous for his cantaloupes selling at his road side stand. They both died a few years back, so the farm is now condo property. Very sad... Last time I was there we picked a big field of pumpkins, well over 3 tons of them!

The Weck jars have glass lids with rubber seals. One is not supposed to re-use the rubber but I do anyway, I boil the old seals along with the glass. The lid is held on completely by vaccuum. It doesn't seem to matter whether the seals are new or re-used, I always get that mold. I use some sugar but not a lot, I don't like sickly-sweet applesauce.

Hmm, pnbrown, I've never had a jar of applesauce go moldy, and I can without any sugar at all. My only problem has been sauce seeping out under the jar lids, when I made the stuff too thick.

Even if the rest of the applesauce doesn't taste "moldy", and even if it's safe to eat, it's a horrible waste of good applesauce to have to throw away that top part. So you cook the applesauce first, it's not just raw apple pulp?

Annie

Glass lid type jars are not used today as you cannot easily determine whether they have a vacuum inside or not as there is no visual indicator. Pulling on the rubber ring tab may release a vacuum, but once its released, it can then spoil. Metal lids today and embossed dimples that are designed to go concave when the jar is sealed under vacuum. Once the lid is removed the dimple pops out as a small round bump. Mold inside after canning and storage tells me that there is an insufficient process going on and it can render the product toxic! Even for that, the rubber rings do fail and should be replaced as they are not made the same way as the metal lids seals. When I dad used old glass jars with wire bails and glass dome lids, he would put the rubber rings in boiling water too and then stretch them over the lip of the jars, and once in awhile one would tear apart. One type is rubber ring the other is a silicone compound on the metal lids. The metal lids are not designed to be reused either, as their seal area has a permenent pressure groove in the compound after being used on a jar, and will not return to its original state.

Today a local PBS channel had a quick recipe for apple sauce. It called for cutting unpeeled apples from their cores and putting them in a big pot with a cup of water and cook a half hour or more to soften. Then they ran them through a Foley, but you could see it takes a long time to get the pulp out and having to deal with skins that block the sieve holes. They used only one kind of apple and didn't mix types, and only added about a half cup of sugar. The chef also added a little cinamon after straining. It was not a canning recipe, but anyone with common sense could make it into a BWB apple sauce.

I'm pretty confident that the weck jars seal excellently. One holds the full jar by the lid; if it supports the weight it's a good seal.

I do mix apple types but it's hard to imagine why that would cause molding. Yes, the apple sauce is boiling. I can only presume that I'm not cooking the jars long enough or hot enough or something. I use atmospheric pressure, just a big kettle for the jars. Maybe they need to be pressure-cooked.

I've never pressure canned applesauce but I certainly don't see any reason not to. I'm just intrigued by what could possibly be happening to that applesauce.

Annie

Mold in jars= poor seals, improper heat processing, and/or lack of sufficient acid. Pouring boiling apple sauce in to room temp jars is fine to do. The jars are usually washed and rinsed in hot water first however. A PC would be fine, and could prevent mold, but if you still get it, you have bad seals or contaminates getting in. I wouldn't use Weck all glass jars and glass lids, as they are not part of todays home canning standards. The reason is simple, no way to see if there is a vacuum inside, or if there is a good seal.

What would you add for acidity? Vinegar?

pnbrown, if I were to add acidity, I'd use cider vinegar, or maybe lemon or lime juice, whatever flavor combination sounds good to you.

I've never added acidity to applesauce but I have a couple of apple butter recipes, including one from Michigan State University, that call for cooking apples in 2 cups of cider and 2 cups of vinegar, then pressing the apples and adding spices and sugar.

Annie

I like to use an acid blend, of more natural fruit acids as opposed to citric alone. The blend is 33% each of citric, malic, and tartaric acid and gives a more well rounded acidity that works well with most any fruits. I use it in jellies and jams too. The ones with no sugar added tend to get moldy after opening, but if I add extra acid blend it gives the fruit more 'character' and it will not get moldy even after months in the fridge after opening.

Here is a link that might be useful: Acid blend source