I don’t know if you are like me but my favorite season has always been Autumn. Maybe you live in a part of the country where it is warm all year so you like all seasons.  I don’t like to think about what comes next here after Autumn, on the East Coast. It’s those long cold blustery winter days & nights.   I used to love all the seasons here on the East Coast and I actually used to really enjoy the winter when I was a young girl because it usually meant I got to go out and play in the snow with my sisters and neighbor friends. We used to have some awesome snowball fights and we would see who could build the best igloo out of the snow. When I was done I would come in and enjoy a nice cup of hot cocoa and a snack. Now, I enjoy seeing my kids play out there in that cold powdery & sometimes wet snow. It brings back many memories for me. They love it just as much as I did growing up in PA. It’s especially fun when it’s Winter Olympic time because my son likes to build giant ramps and thinks he is the next big snowboarder! I even went out there with my cell phone and downloaded an app for a cow bell sound bite (you know how you always hear that sound as the Olympic skiers are racing down the hill). That way he would think he was in the Olympics as he raced down his hill he made. He thought I was pretty cool for adding that special effect! The part they really love is when they come back inside. They know what is waiting for them; some hot cocoa and marshmallows. Sometimes it seems as though I just finished helping them get on all that gear; snow pants, boots, hat, gloves and such only for them to be ready to come in and remove it all. Perhaps it is because they know what is waiting for them at the end of playing outside.

As I have gotten older I have grown fonder of the warmer months.  I especially love all the ingredients that grow locally in the warmer months like tomatoes (which are great for homemade spaghetti sauce that you can freeze in batches), peppers, fresh fruit, corn on the cob and all the fresh herbs you can grow. I always grow herbs myself over the summer; I love that I can walk outside and cut fresh herbs any night of the week to add to my recipes. They add so much flavor to my dishes. I am always looking for ways to extend the summer and all the wonderful ingredients that grow during the warmer months.   My favorite has always been corn on the cob. The corn is so crisp and so sweet I could eat it all summer long. Living on the East Coast we have some of the best corn. I grew up on Jersey corn but we now have a lot of local farmers who grow & sell corn. I now even see my supermarkets carrying Delaware corn. It is all so good.   I love it boiled, grilled and even roasted and then topped with some butter and salt or sometimes if I am feeling fancy I like to make a compound butter (butter with herbs).  I have also cut the kernels off and used it in homemade salsas and many other dishes.

I will buy an abundance of corn on the cob while they are still at their peak. Living in PA you can even find good corn into September. The clerk at the store looks at me like I am crazy buying so much corn! They always ask if I am having a huge end of summer bash or wonder what I am doing with all this corn. Sometimes I will make a few different trips in the same week to buy it. At the end of summer you can get great prices on the corn too.

Picking out the best corn

So, what’s a girl to do with all this fresh corn? Prep it for the freezer so you can enjoy it all winter! It is great for someone who hosts Thanksgiving; it makes great Holiday side dishes. There is nothing better than bringing out a dish for the holidays using fresh corn from the cob. It is so simple and you will be sure to amaze your family and guests. You could easily buy frozen corn in your supermarket but I am telling you it just tastes better when you prep & freeze batches of it yourself. It’s more satisfying to me also.

How do you freeze the corn? It’s easy; follow my recipe and you’ll be enjoying fresh corn all winter.

Freezing Corn on the Cob

Ingredients

40 ears, Corn on the Cob

Ice Water

Instructions

Start by picking out the best looking corn on the cobs.  Most stores today have a big bin at the store for you to husk your corn while shopping.  If not, peel a little bit of the husk to make sure you have good looking corn.  Husk all your corn; we did ours at home because we had so many ears to peel.

Trim off ends and clean off as much silk as you can. Boil large pots of water and once the water is rapidly boiling add corn without overcrowding. You want to make sure the corn is submerged in the water. Set a timer for 5 minutes. While that is cooking get the cold water ready. I like to use my sink (clean the sink first of course)! And fill it with very cold water and just before adding the corn dump ice into the water. Once the timer goes off, transfer corn to ice bath for 5 minutes. Then transfer corn to towels to dry.

Keep repeating this process until all corn is done. Take a baking sheet and start cutting corn off the cob.It helps if you have a very sharp knife. Spread corn out evenly on baking sheet to allow for better drying. You can use some paper towels to help dry the corn. Once dry add to quart size freezer bags and put in freezer.

 

 

 

Freezing Tips

Be sure to put a date on your freezer bags; trust me you will forget the date you did this! Also make sure the corn is dry to avoid freezer burn.  I also push out any extra air that might be in the freezer bags when sealing them; it helps if you fill the bags up to just about the top of the bag.

Remember to label your freezer bags!

That’s it; enjoy fresh corn all winter long. Estimate 2 ears of corn per serving when freezing; so 40 ears is about 20 servings. You can do fewer ears or more if you love corn on the cob as much as I do! We use up quite a bit of it when hosting Thanksgiving each year.

Mangia and enjoy all Winter long!