Corn, Beautiful Corn

This year for the first time I've tried my hand at freezing sweet corn. Frozen bags of nibblets are fine, I suppose, but nothing can compare to the taste of fresh sweet corn in season. Last weekend and again this past weekend I purchased enough ears of bi-color corn to freeze three pounds of the stuff. I'm looking forward to pulling it out this winter for chowders and curries.

Here's how I do it: Peel of the husks and silk of twelve large ears of corn. Bring at least a gallon of water to a boil in a large pot and drop in a half dozen ears at a time. Set the timer for four minutes. After that time the pot will most likely just be returning to a good boil again. Remove the corn and drop it in a large pot or sinkful of cold water. Gently move around the corn to speed cooling. Repeat with the other six ears. Next place a thin cutting board in a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan that has sides to contain the juice. Place the sheet on a slightly damp kitchen towel to prevent it sliding around. Hold an ear of corn upright on the cutting board and cut the kernels off in strips. I find it works well to use an 8" chef's knife and grip it close up to the blade so I can brace my fingers of the knife hand against the ear of corn. Rotate the ear to the left cutting successive strips of kernels off. When all the kernels are off scrape the remaining milky liquid off the cob with the knife. Portion into freezer bags--2 cups is about a pound. Flatten the bags on the counter, label them including the date and place flat in your freezer. Enjoy this winter.