Summer to me means sweet corn. Corn on the cob, off the grill, on the stove, or even from the microwave; Sometimes plain, sometimes with butter and cayenne slathered on it, but always delicious.

But I can’t just enjoy it in the summer- I would miss the taste of fresh corn too much in the winter. So I freeze it. I don’t freeze it on the cob, as I think the cobs themselves as gross to reheat, but I do use the corn. Here’s how to take it from farm to table.

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How to Freeze Sweet Corn

The 5 Easy Steps to Freezing Sweet Corn

1. Start with the basics

Get your corn ready. Remove all of husks (green skin) from corn cob. You can pull all the husk down to the bottom of the cob and then break off the stem that connected it to the corn stalk. Now remove as much as that hairy stuff, called silk, from the cob. It’s ok if you can’t get it all, but try and get most. Now your cobs are ready to boil.

2. Blanch your corn.

Set the water to boil while you’re husking your corn so that it’s ready to go when you are. Once your water is boiling you can add your cobs- make sure they are completely covered in water.

If you are doing multiple batches make sure that you have a way to remove the corn cobs from the boiling water bath- you don’t want to reach into that water! Blanch your corn for at least 7 minutes, but up to 11 for larger ears. Remove the corn and put into a water bath to stop it from cooking further.

3. Stand your corn on end. 

The easiest way to cut off your corn is to have both of your hands free. An easy and DIY free method to stand your corn upright is a board with a long nail hammered through. Use this nail to stand your corn on end (above).

4. Separate the corn kernels from the cob. 

There are two ways of doing this: a Corn Cutter or a regular paring knife. I know a lot of people that prefer the corn cutter (shown above) because of its ease of use.

I personally prefer to use a simple paring knife– I have more control over how deep I go when cutting the kernels off, plus I love it when I get “sheets” of corn to come off together.

Corn Cutter Method: Just fit the circle over the top of your corn cob, with the sharp edge facing down, squeeze the green ends together and pull down the cob. It’s fast and efficient.

Paring Knife Method: Using a sharp knife start at the top of the kernel and pull down. I usually do 4 sides and then go back around 4 more times to get the “corners” that were left by using a straight object to remove stuff from a round object.

If you’re so inclined you can then eat what is left on the cob (later, as it’s not particularly sanitary to do it while you’re freezing). I personally think this is the best part of the job!

5. Bag your corn.

Once you have enough corn kernels cut off your cobs you can start bagging it for freezing. 2 to 2.5 cups is the perfect amount for a gallon size freezer bag and for a nice side for a family of 4 to 5. Once you have that amount in your bag squeeze out all the air (I actually suck it out, but that’s definitely not for everyone) and seal. Your corn and bag should be incredibly flat, so once frozen you will be able to layer them in your freezer.

I recommend buying these Ziploc Freezer Bags because I like the ease of the zipper seal- it makes sealing them after sucking out all the air just that much easier! I also like the ability to write the date on the bag for future storage/eating purposes.

Related: Watching the [Seed] Corn Harvest from a combine!

Be extra environmentally friendly and save your corn cobs for the city compost or create your own compost pile. Or you could dry them out and use them as fire starters (just an idea, I haven’t actually done that before). Just please don’t send them to the landfill!

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