Have you ever wondered how farmers
can (verb intended here) and
put up their vegetables that they grow for the long winter months? I’m a farmer’s daughter, but, definitely a city girl at heart. Why do all that work when you can buy it at EasyWay? All sarcasm aside, for years my parents have devoted an entire day to “put up” their corn. And, it's worth it! It’s a mystical process, because you don’t know the exact date on which this will occur… it’s usually an estimation (i.e. next week sometime). But, when the corn is ready, it’s ready. It must be harvested, and everything else comes to a standstill. So, last Saturday (the fourth of July no less… I told you everything else must wait!) my Mom and Dad put up about 200 ears of corn for the winter. How the two of them could eat so much corn is a subject for another blog. But, the fact that my 72 year old mother (with osteoporosis) stood in one place for 6 hours to do this on the 4th of July no less is a bit concerning. You’ve got to be kidding me!
Aching over curiosity, and not wanting to let this
art die, I thought I might dabble in learning this technique before my dad stops tending to his 3 acre garden and sharing his fresh fruit with us! I’ve consulted several experts on the matter (my Mom and Dad, Mrs. Casey (from Iowa), and of course, Cooks Illustrated) and came up with simple instructions for those who are not as familiar with the farm. Here goes:
1. You must shuck the corn. General consensus is that you do not want to freeze the corn in the husks. But, I tried a few ears anyway (I have to learn the hard way). Most experts say that the corn will come out kind of mushy this way, but, I’m curious and courageous. And, I have a lot of freezer space apparently.
2. Blanch the corn. This involves boiling the corn for about 4 minutes, then, cooling in ice water. The reason for this is something about enzymes in the corn that degrade over time and make the corn lose its flavor, and blanching helps preserve the color and good flavor. I'll buy that as an important step.
3. After blanching, most will go ahead and cut their corn off the cob after it cools at this point. If so, the proper technique (my Mom’s) is to cut the tip off the corn and then scrape the rest with a spoon. This makes good ol’ creamed corn. You can store in Ziploc baggies, freeze, and enjoy when it's too cold to go to the grocery.
If you are my children (truth be told... all my family), there is nothing better than Daddy Joe’s corn on the cob, and we’re in search of how to preserve the cob without it being mushy. Mrs. Casey, my expert from Iowa taught me that if you make sure the corn is cooled and dry before you freeze it, it turns out okay! She suggested that I not cook it for as long as I do fresh corn in order to keep it crisp. I’ll keep you posted on this tip.
I put up about 30 ears in about 2 hours time. There you have it. My lesson on corn. Please comment. What’s your favorite way to eat it?
The British Virgin Islands is our place. For those of you who have been with us, you understand the anticipation. We're leaving for the islands on Wednesday and will be sailing for 10 nights, 11 days. Our departure can not come quickly enough. Consider this: White Bay and Soggy Dollar, Beef Island and Aragorns Studio, Bitter End Yacht Club, the far away sunken island of Anegada, Cooper, Peter, and Salt Islands (hello Conrad!), Deadman's Bay, Pirate Treasure hunting in The Caves, Virgin Gorda and the Baths. 
