When Jesus’ disciples stopped in the grain field to pluck seed heads to eat, he didn’t admonish them even if they were harvesting on the Sabbath because they were hungry. I don’t think he would admonish us for gathering the necessary ears of corn from our gardens for our Sunday dinner.
Most of us, though, “harvest” our fresh corn from the supermarket instead of a field, and we can do that on one of the other six days. We are blessed to have supermarkets bring us good out-of-season vegetables and fruits all year round from across our country and from our neighbors to the South.
But for the seasonal thing in our state, it is hard to determine what best represents summer. Is it the bright red tomatoes? Perhaps fried or steamed okra? Or some people would claim fresh, right-off-the-stalk corn from your garden or from a local farmer’s market.
You may not normally put veggies in the freezer, but if there is a good buy on fresh corn and you’ve bought even three or four ears more than you need, you can easily freeze them and weeks later take them out after church for a welcome menu item for … Sunday Dinner.
To Freeze Corn on the Cob
To freeze corn on the cob, remove the husks and silks and trim the ends. Have a pot of water boiling and drop the ears into it so that they are covered with the water. When the water returns to boiling, let it boil about 7 minutes.
Have a container of ice water waiting. With tongs, lift the ears from the boiling water, spray them with cold water to cool a bit, then drop them into the ice water. When they feel cool, stand then in a colander or wire basket to drain and dry. Pack them into a plastic freezer bag, being sure to push out as much air as you can. Always label the bag with the date.
To Freeze Cut Corn
To freeze corn cut from the cob, husk, silk and blanch as above. When the corn is cool, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels from the cob, cutting close to the cob. Put enough for one meal in a freezer bag, force out all the air you can, and close tightly.
To Freeze Corn for Creaming
You have to be careful with this or the corn will scorch.
Husk and silk the corn. Cut off tip ends and rinse the ears. Using a sharp knife, cut off the top half of the kernels. Then, using the back of the knife, scrape the ears, removing all the milky juice from the cob.
Put the cut corn into a saucepan, using a cup of water for each 2 cups of corn. Bring to a boil and cook gently about 4 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scorching.
Pour the cooked corn onto a flat container such as a broiler pan and stir occasionally until corn cools. Pack by serving size in plastic bag. Label.
Now, wasn’t that easy?
If you buy a few extra ears of corn each time you shop, you can get several packs of corn in your freezer without a lot of time spent.
Creamed Corn
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 cup water or less
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 cup medium or heavy cream
In a saucepan, cook the corn in the water at a gentle boil about 20 minutes. The frozen corn may take less time. Put the flour into a 1-cup measuring cup and finish filling almost to the top with the cream. Mix gently to dissolve the flour, then add to the cooked corn. Add salt and pepper if desired and cook a few minutes until mixture thickens. Serves 6.