Today, I’m sharing gardening tips on how to freeze fresh corn. Fresh corn will be on the market this summer, and you don’t want to miss out. I love it grilled, in soup, in chowder, boiled, fried you name it. My favorite corn is Silver Queen. It’s a late corn, but so worth the wait. Freezing corn is a yearly ritual for me, so I’m going to show you how to freeze fresh corn. Shucking it is another issue, but I found a solution to that too. Check out my post on How to shuck corn in the microwave. It’s one of my best backyard vegetable gardening tips.
I shucked, blanched, cut off the cob, and froze about 100 ears last season. Preparing corn for the freezer is easy and so worth it. I purchase my corn from a local farmer. He sells it at a bargain rate. He removes the corn from the stalks the day before you pick it up. So, it doesn’t get any fresher than this. Purchasing fresh corn this way saves space in my garden for other goodies too.
How to Freeze Fresh Corn:
- Shuck and remove all silk from the corn on batches of 10 – 15 ears.
- Boil them for about a minute or two in a large stock pot.
3. Have an ice batch ready for the ears of corn. I use my sink. This should be completed before you start the boiling process. An ice bath is imperative in your preparation of the corn for the freezer.
4. Remove the cobs from the boiling water after 2 minutes and immediately place them in the ice water bath. The ice water will stop the cooking process. This is important because you don’t want to cook it as if you’re preparing it to eat. Although I do leave a few cobs in the boiling water, because I do want to eat them later, lol.
5. Once the corn has cooled down about 5 – 10 minutes, cut the corn off the cob in a large bowl. I use an extra large bowl and a chef’s knife to remove the kernels. I also use the corn holders on one end, it makes it easier to handle the corn while removing the kernels.
6. Once I have the kernels removed from the cob, I pack quart freezer bags. Buy quality bags and make sure the bags are sealed properly or use a vacuum sealer. If you have one sitting in a cabinet, now is a perfect time to use. I don’t bother to date the bags because they will be gone by spring. You can use a permanent marker to date the bags. However, in my household they will all be gone my spring.
I'm going to invest in a sealer for sure. Need to do my research on what I should buy. Any suggestions?
Definitely do your homework! I have a FoodSaver V2240 and I really love it. At the time I bought it a couple of years ago there were newer models but they had really poor reviews. I love mine and haven't had any problems! Use it a lot when meat is on sale!
Growing up on a farm my Dad always told us you had to get the water boiling before you could go pick the corn! He wanted it extra fresh during those summer months. Great instructions. I did by a vacuum sealer a year or so ago — great investment! Do it!