They pick the corn at 8:30 in the morning. So, Sophia was here at 9 to help me get set-up outside. First, we husked the corn on the round table on the deck. Next we set-up for the Big Sweet Corn Processing.
The Corn was blanched in this pot on a propane burner on the upper porch.
Next, it was cooled in ice water
Then the kernels were removed from the cob.
We had a great set-up and nice weather! The whole process took us about 3 hours. My mother put her corn in freezer boxes with plastic bags inside. She had those boxes for years. My corn was put on trays, flash frozen and the next day vacuumed sealed in bags. I think we will have enough corn for quite some time!
The worst part was cleaning up after we were done. The corn sticks to everything like cement. It's definitely not a job to do in the house.
I also froze some Chinese Red Noodle Beans this past week......
and some Celery.
Of course tomatoes were canned this week as well! I hope you're all keeping up with preserving your harvests!!
What's been going in or out of your Kitchen Cupboard Lately???
Wonderful! It's nice to have help, isn't it? Honestly, I don't know how you keep up with it all-you must be crazy organized (that's a good thing!)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue, I don't know how organized I am.....but, I do know how dirty my house is!!! I need to find a cleaning lady ASAP!!
DeleteThat is one very impressive corn pan!
ReplyDeleteLiz, that's actually my pasta pot! It works well for corn too!
DeleteThat is a lot of preserving. It must be nice to have someone to do the work with. I don't think I've ever had company while preserving, but then again I have only small batches at a time. Never that much.
ReplyDeleteDaphne, I really enjoyed doing the corn together. When I was young, the whole family always got together and did the preserving as a group.
DeleteAh, the annual putting up of sweet corn. We used to do it at my former inlaws farm. They did it inside, and it did make quite the mess! Your way sounds like a better way to do it.
ReplyDeleteDave, Corn is one thing I would never do inside. It's way too messy! It's like cement when it dries!
DeleteVery nice! It's always so good to work in company like that. I like fresh corn on the cob once in a while but never preserve it for winter. Maybe if mine will grow I'll try it.
ReplyDeleteJenny, you don't know what your missing. Fresh frozen corn is absolutely wonderful. It takes just like fresh corn on the cob!
DeleteI was also thinking of preserving some local corn soon, so I'm glad that I saw how you do it! Thanks for sharing the tips. I'll make sure to do this outside:)
ReplyDeleteProcessing corn is definitely an outside job. What a time I had hosing everything off! I can't imagine trying to clean that mess up inside! Good luck with your corn!
DeleteWhat a fun way to acquire and do the corn processing for the year! More fun because it was a combined effort. The other food you have processed for freezing looks great. Been doing some freezing of items myself on a steady state basis. My freezer is starting to get full which means I need to do some reorganizing soon. The beans are just coming on so that will consume me for a while getting them frozen and I am planning to do some canned beans this year too. I also spend 10 to 12 hours away from home every day for work and so squeezing harvests and preserving in (and the Giving Garden harvesting) is getting to be at it's most challenging. It all seems to get done though and it is all very much worth it.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy processing food with others. It's a lot of fun and goes rather quickly. We used to do everything like that when I was growing up. It was a family affair.
DeleteYes, this unexpected job sure has me hopping!! Hopefully Sophia will be able to do a lot more for her Mama C next year. She really enjoys it!
Such a busy time of the gardening year! I thought that with working from home I would have more time to processing the harvest, but things have been crazy busy with work lately (Yay!) that weekends are the only time I have had to catch up on things. So nice that you had help for the big corn preserve. It looks like quite a job.
ReplyDeleteWhy does work and the garden both have to be busy at the same time??? That's how things seem to turn out though! Happy to hear that you are very busy with your business! Like my grandfather always said, you have to make hay while the sun shines!
DeleteWow sounds like the new job is very busy. I love this time of year because the freezer and the pantry start filling up again! We are doing a lot of peppers, summer squash and pickles right now. It will be a week or so before the tomatoes really start piling up and need canning.
ReplyDeleteYes, my work is very busy. At least I'm not bothered all weekend like I used to be in the past!
DeleteMy canning cupboard and freezer are really filling up!! Yippee!! Lots of food for the winter!
Oh how I remember my Dad and my DH picking corn when they got home from work at night and then Mom, Dad, DH and I would be up half the night getting it all processed and up for work the next morning.
ReplyDeleteI just envy everyone who is busy preserving. I can hardly wait to get started and hope everything beats the first frost in the fall. It is always a juggling act around here. Worse than Russian Roulette.
What great memories you have! I sure hope your garden gives you a bountiful harvest before the frost! I'll be praying for you!
Deletelooks like a lot of hard for but a lot of fun too
ReplyDeleteYes, it was Mrs. P!!
DeleteThat is one sweet setup! I miss having a big garden. We always had one growing up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, the set-up worked great. Too bad you couldn't get a plot in a community garden. It's a really wonderful experience.
DeleteI'm in the Allentown area too. Can I ask where you buy your corn? We usually travel to either Topton or Bob White's in Quakertown but I'm always open to finding new resources! By the way, I recently walked through your community garden. The only person there was a really nice man (Jose?) who gave me a full bag of produce and took me on a tour of his amazing plots! I would like to take him something (homemade wine? Bread?) ... Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteHi there! That's so great that you stopped by the community garden. My mother gets the corn near Bath. I don't remember the name of the farm. But, I will check. Jose, likes his beer! I'm sure he would appreciate anything you would bring him though. Especially if it's homemade! He's a great guy! Hopefully the next time you stop by, I'll be there!
DeleteCuttin corn off the cobs is not my favorite activity but oh, what lovely eating you will have this winter!!! Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, I really didn't mind doing the corn with help. Yes, we sure will be loving that corn this winter!
DeleteWow, lots of corn and beans to process.
ReplyDeleteLate late late, the day is almost over and here I am.
Just make some green chile pork ribs for tonight's dinner, thought your readers might be interested to some Southwestern style cooking.
Hey, you aren't as late as me getting back to everyone! I was up until midnight canning tomatoes last night!
DeleteI love your recipe!
You have amazing harvests and preserving ideas Robin. I feel the same as you with keeping up with things. I also started working again this week. It's only two days, but it makes a difference when it comes to having time to do stuff. Wow.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely not the best time of the year for a gardener to start working is it???? It will all get done one way or another. Then we can enjoy our bounty!
DeleteVery very impressive! That's a whole lot of produce.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! Yes, it was a lot to do and my kitchen seems to have a never ending pile of produce to process right now. Thanks for stopping by!!
DeleteWhat great harvests and teamwork!! How fun!
ReplyDeleteHolly, it sure was a lot of fun. Much better then processing all by myself!
DeleteOoooohhhh, I really love that cooker and that is JUST what I want to cook down maple syrup next year. I must hunt one of those down!
ReplyDeleteJane, "The Italian" bought that burner to do crabs and corn. The pot is actually my pasta pot. I think it would be a perfect set-up to cook your maple syrup.
DeleteJust looking at your photos makes my salivary glands kick in! Your veggies look fantastic. You will enjoy this summer all year long.
ReplyDeleteThanks Patricia! My kitchen seems to be never ending in produce to process. As soon as it looks cleaned up there is another huge harvest! We sure do appreciate the good food all year long!!
DeleteI am roasting my San Marzano tomatoes, processing chunky or smooth and freezing. Bright tastes for winter!
ReplyDeleteHey there GayJeg! Thanks for stopping by and joining in! I love your idea of roasting tomatoes....sounds yummy!!
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