FREEZING CORN

 We braved the muddy garden and went out and picked corn to freeze. The garden has had a rough go this year from all the rain and storms that have passed through our area.

We picked a little over 5 dozen ears. We wanted to freeze 5 dozen and eat the rest for supper.

After shucking them, we cut the corn off the cob with a knife. Our corn (serendipity) is so pretty.

You put one stick of butter, one cup of water and 4 Tablespoons of sugar into your large pot. Turn on the heat, stir to melt the butter and dissolve the sugar. 

When the butter has melted, add 10 cups of cut off the cob corn and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes.

Empty into a large container to cool. I sit my containers on those reusable blue ice packs that you use in your lunch box to keep things cold. 

After the corn cools, I put them in freezer bags. I put 2 cups in each one. The 5 dozen ears of corn made 16 containers to put in the freezer.

The corn is delicious frozen this way. We just had a reunion and I brought some to it that I had put up last year, and everyone loved it. Still tasted great!

Just take from the freezer, thaw and heat. No need to add extra butter, only salt if you want to. I don't even add salt to mine.

This and other recipes are in my cookbook, Cooking with Family:  Recipes and Remembrances.

Enjoy making memories in the kitchen!

A Busy Summer

Summer is very busy around here.

I decided to take a break and show you a little of what we have been doing.

Be sure to click on all the links to recipes. I've included a lot.

We took a quick trip across the Ohio River to get corn to freeze.

They grow nice corn on the farms along the river.
So far we have put up 10 large and 8 small bags of corn cut off the cob. Go here to see how to make corn cob jelly and here to see how to freeze corn. .

Our grapes are doing great this year. I can't remember exactly when we planted our vines, but they are 20 to 30 years old, at least. One of the vines died last year. I was afraid we were going to lose all four of them. We were only able to pick a handful of grapes. When my husband pruned them early this year, he left the small vines growing from the old ones. Wow! We have a bumper crop.
Go here to see where I posted about making jelly and here to make concord grape pie. 

 


So far I have made four batches of jelly and put up three quarts of juice.

I don't know what I would do without this juicer, it is a time saver, for sure. It extracts the juice by steaming the fruit. I love it!

We also have a bumper crop of tomatoes this year. The vines are so large, I find it hard to see all the ripe tomatoes hidden in them. I usually peel, cut up and cook them for 20 minutes, allow to cool and then freeze them in quart freezer bags. We then use them to put in soups, chili and make creamed tomatoes. Click here for a recipe.

Our one plant of squash has outdid itself. I have made squash bread, delicious squash pies, casseroles, fried them and froze them.
Go here to see a couple of squash recipes I posted a few years ago.  I'm not really crazy about freezing squash, but I shredded a few and put 2 cup portions of them in pint freezer bags to use later in recipes. I also sliced some, froze them spread out on cookie sheets and then put them in bags. I'll get them out in the fall and winter, quickly cover them in corn meal and fry them while still frozen. 

I have also been picking blackberries and putting them in the freezer. Click here and here to see some recipes I've posted using blackberries.

To relax, we watch the birds and squirrels, visit our creek and watch the wildlife and decorate rocks (among other things).

What have you all been doing this summer?

Freezing Corn - the Easy Way

I love corn put up in the freezer. It is so much better than canned corn from the store - much better.

I used to do it the hard way. I would blanch the ears of corn, then put them in ice water in the kitchen sink to cool. This was very time consuming, messy, and used a lot of ice.

This is how I do it now. And, if you don't want to make a sticky mess in your kitchen, do it outside.

First, you get a bunch of corn . . .

Shuck the corn and cut it off the cob . . .

Get a couple of big pots and put a stick of butter, 1 cup of water and 4 T. of sugar in each one . . .

Add 10 cups of cut off corn to each pot with the butter, water and sugar mixture . . .

Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes

Pour the corn into containers to cool . . .

Then fill your freezer bags!

                                I put three cups in each bag

I don't know what I would do without my freezers.

If you are really feeling energetic, take the corn cobs and make corn cob jelly. Click here to see how I did that last year.

Have you put up any food this summer?