Carmen, I'd be glad to try your method, if only it didn't take up so much freezer space. I only freeze corn cut off the cob, because I refuse to buy a THIRD freezer and beef, pork, venison and this year, ducks, take precedence over the corn, unfortunately.

So, enjoy your corn, however you like it.

Annie

Carmen :
I'LL try your way. I just picked up some this morning.

Was going to Blanch them but I'll just cut the silk off'
to maake a little more room.
lou

Carmen:
I froze a few today, Cut the Stalk and Silk back a little
and peeled off 2 pieces of husks.
This brought it to almost the size of the peeled corn.

So it would take up almost the same space , as the blanched Corn.
I'll cook it in a week or so and let you know how they were
Lou

I don't argue the method, but I'm with Annie. We already have two freezers packed full. With the amount of corn I freeze in the summer, if I left it on the cob I'd have to buy at least one more freezer, maybe two.

Besides, I'd rather take up freezer space with pies and save space with corn. It's a matter of priorities and for me baked goods rule, LOL.

Carol

Same here on the space saving.
But I might try a few ears this year.......

Just in case in the future I "happen" to come by another freezer! LOL

I do like the idea of having a few "on the cob" for presentation if nothing else!

Deanna

Why don't you try 4 ears in a Gallon Zip Lock.
Like in my last Thread and compare it to 4 Blanched.
???????

Ever think about building a Walk in Freezer? It's not hard.
And with all the materials available at Lowes and Home Depot,
it could be insulated better,
than the Commercial Freezers that are sold.

Graingers carries Refrigeration Componets that can be put
together easily.

Hardest part is the door.
I bought a used Oak Walk In Refrigerator door, with all the Hardware.

Walk In Freezers are
Great for a farm, especially if there is an abundance of Game, Meat and produce.

Lou

Be great to have a walk in freezer, but I don't want to pay the power bill to keep it at zero.
The point of freezing corn in the husk is that it keeps well for long periods of time. A test after 2 or 3 weeks isn't going to tell you a thing.
As for the extra labor of husking before freezing, you have to husk it eventually....either now or later.
I don't freeze corn....my freezer is full of soups, sauces meats and baked goods...oh and pesto! I have a thing about pesto!!
Linda C

Linda C:
I know everyting you said. I just wanted to compare the Corn with the Husks and the Blanched.
I don't like Blanching corn. I would rather Dehusk Corn in Mid Winter, to remind me of Summer Heat.
- - - - - - - - - -

I was refering to the Walk In Freezer, for Farm use.

On the Farm we hunt , He had a Walkin Freezer. It was used for Beef, Pork and
Veal that he butchered, Plus all the produce.
The Venison alone, more than covered the cost of the electric used.
Carmen, I think Posted some useful information, for someone who could use it.

Have a Happy Labor Day,
Lou

Husking sweet corn after it has been frozen is much easier than before --- the silk slides right off. As far as freezers go, I can understand not having enough freezer space, but since we used to raise meat chickens, we have three large chest and 2 upright freezers. (as well as 2 refrigs with freezers) I keep thinking we should get rid of a couple of them now that they aren't full of chickens, but then summer comes and also hunting season and they are all full again.

It is amazing to me how little elect. they use when they are full, and when they aren't, I just load them up with milk bottles full of water. This is a good tip to use with any freezer. If your electricity goes out, having a full freezer will keep your food frozen for days.

Carmen, I'm envious of your freezer space. I have one large and one small chest freezer, but I always put in a whole pig and half a beef, plus this year I have those 26 ducks. I've had chickens and rabbits in the past, as well as venison.

Add strawberries, blueberries, cherries, rhubarb, things I don't think can very well, and I really want another freezer. I'm not buying one, though, or building one, until Elery and I get the new house built and decide what we really need and how much space we want to use.

Annie

Annie:
I'll sacrifice myself again and take some of the Pork, Beef and Ducks off your hands.
That will free up your freezer. lol - - -lol !!!
- - - - - - - - -

I don't know if you remember the Pork shortage a while back.

I was working on a friends farm at the time.
One day he said
" a farmer down the road has Piglets for sale "
So we drove down just to see.Wound up buying 6 of them.

The Farmer put them in Burlap bags to quite them.

Should have been Plastic Trash Bags. They sure made a mess.

Anyway, everytime I went up,
I brought the S Wagon full of Donuts from Dunkin Donuts. They were in the trash at 5am.

The Pigs now getting bigger would fight over them.

When they got to be about 200 lbs. he called me an said he was bringing them to the Butchers
How do you want your's.

That was the best Pork I ever had. There was fat but little.
Haven't seen him for awhile. Maybe I'll give him a call
and buy a few more Piglets.
Lou

Carmen --

Thanks for this post! I will definitely try some ears your way -- not too much space in our freezers, but I think I can squeeze at least a few gallon bags in. One question -- when you take it out to eat it, do you boil it? Steam it? For how long?

Emily

So, how do worms freeze?

The reason I ask is because the other day I went to a local farmstand to buy local corn. They sell bags of five for $2.50. I thought I might need more than five so I asked for two bags. The kid recommended a bag of 25 for $8 instead, so I thought of this thread and figured what the heck, I'll try freezing. Only problem, the first corn I husked had a worm in it. So of course I had to husk all 25, and I'd say between a quarter to a third had worms (caterpillars?) of varying sizes in there.

I've been husking corn for over 30 years and have never seen a worm before. Is this common? If so, do they just die when they freeze and is that ok?

You will see corn borers depending upon variety (Some hybrids are borer-resistant.) and seasonality. Late-maturing corn will be more likely to have corn borers than early-maturing. And, of course, it depends upon weather and the farmer's spray program (assuming he uses insecticides).

So it's entirely possible that when freezing whole ears you also freeze corn borers, earwigs, aphids, whatever. They will die, but finding them when you shuck the corn may not be pleasant. (Not that it's enjoyable when they're fresh either.)

In your case, since you haven't experienced them previously, it may have to do with this summer's weather patterns and how cold, heat and rain align with the borer's life cycle.

Here, late season, they're pretty common unless you want to spray your corn into oblivion.

Carol

As far as worms go, isn't it just as easy to remove them after frozen than fresh? We always cook our sweet corn outside on the grill - winter or summer - and husk it after it is cooked. When thawed it takes about 20 minutes. I guess you could husk it and boil/steam it to, but then it would only take a few minutes.

Thanks Carmen -- I love corn on the grill, and also cook it in the husk. Never would have thought to still grill it after it had been frozen. So excited to try this!

You said:
In an earlier post, I told how I freeze sweet corn --- just picked in the husks and into a gallon zip lock (four to a bag).

I can't find the earlier post. Is there any more to this than sticking it in a bag? Anything need to be removed, cut, anything? We have delicious corn here from Olathe and I am a fiend for it. Would love to have some out of season. Let me know please ~ and thanks in advance! Or direct me to your earlier post?

Colo lady & Carmen :
I've just peeped in the CF once in a while. Had to answer
this one

Carmen I think you are trying to reach members who would like to freeze Corn ,
not those who don't want to take up freezer space ,for Pies
Cakes, Meat etc.

In a previous thread I mentioned that I cut off the Stalk
close as I could,
without loosening the Husks.
Then cut off the silk end but still closed.

Peeled off two husks and put them into a Zip Lock bag.

They are slightly larger but nothing significant, as for a
space problem, in the freezer.

If you added up the difference it would probably total to one ear of Corn out of 20 , Maybe less.

I'll leave mine in a little longer, then take it out and give it a taste test.
LOU

Carol, I've found that a little vegetable oil dropped right on the tip of the ear when the silks form will stop the corn borers pretty well. Of course this only works when you are growing your own corn, not when you have to buy it elsewhere.

Frankly, a few bugs don't bother me much, I just pick 'em out/off and go ahead with supper. As for cooked vs fresh, I understand that many people in other countries eat bugs ON PURPOSE. (grin)

Annie

The whole KISS system is that you want it simple and mainly the very best sweet corn ever after freezing! I don't do anything to it except bag it 4 to a gallon bag. After thawing, I soak it in water for 20 min. or so just like I do fresh corn before cooking (in the husks) on the grill.

A worm or two just adds extra protein.

I don't want to eat corn that is borer free, not that I like finding worms in my corn, but when I buy a dozen ears and not even one has a worm I wonder if it's poison spray or BT seed that has created that result.
I like borer free corn, but I also like my butterflys.
Linda C

This is Boring !!!!!

When I was very young the Folk Lore as told by my Grandmother was,
" If it had a Worm the Corn was Sweeter "

Don't Know how true that is but when the corn had a worm,
it was sweet.
Lou

Thanks Annie. Of course with all the corn we have this year I'd probably be out in the garden for weeks if I tried the oil trick!

I don't mind borers or whatever. It's just part of nature. I generally freeze the early corn which matures ahead of the borers here anyway. I just put 18 pints in the freezer. I don't know how many ears that was but I'd have to dedicate a freezer just for corn to store that much on the cob.

But really it's whatever works for each cook.

Now back to my shell beans. The canner's on the second batch with one more to go.

Carol

I hate to belabor the point, but...

I've been considering buying a chest freezer for quite some time, an this idea of "fresh" corn year round might have actually pushed me over the edge. So, all you corn experts - if freezing in the husks is the way to go, can I assume that peeling back the husks and silks a couple inches, inspecting for worms, then replacing husks won't have a negative effect? The worms all seem to be at the tip.

So what do you do to remove it from the freezer to serve after cooking on the stove or in the microwave? Do you really just throw it into the freezer un-cleaned before freezing?

Yes, Annie. That is exactly what I do. I don't clean it before. After taking out of the freezer, I thaw it and soak in cold water for 20 min. Then on to the grill. Only after cooking do I husk it. Perfect sweet corn even after a year in the freezer!

FOAS, I don't see why pulling back the husks enough to inspect for worms, then replacing the husks would cause a problem. It would just take more time, which is, I think, one of the things Carmen was trying to avoid.

Annie

Carmen:
That's the way we cooked Corn at my Grandfathers farm but
put it right on the fire in the Kitchen Cookstove.
Or built a fire outside in the Brick Barbecue Pit.

Foodon:
Peeling back the Husks might let air infiltrate and dry the Corn.

I just cut the stalks off close and the Silk end a little.
And peeled off 2 pieces of Husks.
This made it a lot smaller. There was no Corn showing,
it was still closed.

Carmen:
What do you think ?
Lou

I put up sweet corn that we grow every year, but I cut it off the cob cream style. I do it this way for two reasons, my corn has worms (we don't spray it) and I can cut around them and it doesn't take as much space in the freezers. I have two freezers and two refrigerator freezers and I don't want any more. We grow Ambrosia and it is a super sweet bi-color corn. My DH used to grow Silver Queen and another corn and let them cross polinate to make bi-color, but I bought Ambrosia seed one year and we have never went back. We have probably about 3 acres of corn, with three plantings about two weeks apart, so putting a little oil on the tassel is out for me.

I will put up a few of the good (no worms) ears whole every year, but I just wash, silk and blanch. When we have a few ears left over that I have cooked I cut them off the cob whole kernel for soups and casseroles. At the end of the last planting when the corn is just almost getting too hard I grill several ears and cut them off the cob, whole kernel for roasted corn and black bean salsa.

My DIL and I put up 40 quarts and I think 37 pints of cream style corn this year. If you grow your own corn and like sweet corn try Ambrosia seed. Although the last two years we have had a hard time finding it and it is a little expensive, but worth it for us.

Can you tell that we like corn!

trixie:
The Ambrosia sounds like the Corn I get from a farm here.
I'll see him Monday and ask what he uses.

Why don't you give 4 ears a try, freezing with the Husks, not blanched.
Then you can let us know this winter, what you think.
Lou

Trixie, the oil only works for me because I only plant 4 rows about 20 feet long. Elery doesn't care that much about corn and Amanda can't eat it because of her diverticulitis. The grandkids love it, and I like it, so just a little is enough for us. I put a few bags in the freezer and call it good. Once in a while I can corn relish, maybe about every 3 years.

Annie

Annie:
Does Amanda have Diviticulousis or Diviticulitis.
The later is when it is an Infection and or Bleeding.

The pain is unbearable at times. Usually treated in the Hospital,
with Antibiotics and painkiller.

They are saying now that it is not caused from course food or seeds.
Don't know the cause. ?

Google Mayo Clinic . Put in both, for info.
Lou

Lou, the doc says diverticulitis. She's had a couple of emergency room visits and a couple of overnight stays in the hospital. The doc says they don't know what it's caused from but I can tell you that if she eats corn, she's very, very sorry. And usually in the emergency room again.

I've already done all the research, even the doctors don't agree. Of course.

Annie