garden harvest Archives - Sweet Frugal Life

How to freeze fresh sweet corn.

Is there really anything better than fresh sweet corn? Not in my book! Every year I plant a large corn patch in my garden and wait in anticipation as the stalks grow and the cobs begin to develop. Corn on the cob is probably one of my favorite foods, but garden freezer corn might be a close second. It’s so fun to have a freezer full of fresh corn. Today I am going to teach you exactly how to freeze fresh corn!

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How to Freeze Fresh Corn

In only a few quick steps you can have corn prepped and ready to freeze for winter storage. This freezer corn tastes so much better than store bought, and my goal is to always make enough to last us through the winter. Truthfully, I’ve never reached my goal! But one of these days I’ll get there! 😉

1. Shuck Your Corn

The first step to freezing corn is to shuck it. (Does anyone else really dislike the word “shuck”?)

Kids love helping with this step! When shucking your corn try to get as much silk off of the cob as possible. We don’t want any silk in our frozen corn!

2. Blanche The Corn

Step two is to blanch the corn.

Blanching is the process of bringing the corn to a boil for a short amount of time and then cooling it down quickly. This is a necessary process when freezing vegetables to preserve the taste and color and kill off any dirt or organisms.

To blanch your corn bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Drop 8-10 cobs into the pot and return to a boil.

Boil the corn for 3 minutes. Make sure to start timing the three minutes only once the water returns back to a boil.

After three minutes of boiling your corn take it out of the large pot and drop the cobs into a bowl of ice cold water. You want the cobs to cool down immediately.

3. Cut The Corn Off The Cob

Let the corn cool in the ice water for 3-5 minutes. Once it is cool enough to handle, take it out of the water and use a sharp knife to cut the corn off of the cob. Let the cut corn pile on the cutting board until you have enough to start packaging.

If you’re lucky you can convince your husband to help you with this step. 😉

4. Package The Corn

To package your corn you will need to use either a Food Saver or Freezer Ziplock Bags. I have used both. The Food Saver gets more air out than the bags (which is important), but the Freezer Ziplock Bags are a little quicker to use. Either one works, so choose what’s best for you!

When filling your bags with the corn I suggest using a measuring cup to measure the exact amount of corn you want in each bag. My family eats about 2 cups of corn at a time, so I put 2 cups of corn in each bag.

Seal each bag shut tightly. Make sure to get as much air out of the bags as possible to prevent freezer burn.

5. Freeze The Corn

That’s it! Your corn is ready to be put in the freezer.

Just label, and date each bag and lay it flat in your freezer.

Freezer corn will stay good for up to one year.

Enjoy!! I’m so excited for you! These are perfect for soups, stews, casseroles, or steamed.

Wanting More To Freeze?

If you have more garden produce to store for the winter make sure to check out my other garden freezing tutorials! This is one of my favorite ways to preserve the garden harvest!

Don’t Forget To Pin This Article For Next Years Harvest!

I hope this helped you to understand how to freeze fresh corn.

The best way to preserve onions from the garden.

It’s officially harvest time at my house. I love this time of year. When the fields turn golden, the garden is producing, and I can finally enjoy the fruits of our labor. I have been curing my onions the past couple of weeks and am excited to have them saved in my home to enjoy throughout the winter months. Onions are one of the easiest garden crops to grow. They are very low maintenance and easy to harvest and store. I’m excited to show you today how to store onions from the garden (which is so easy PS!).

How To Harvest Onions

You will know it is time to harvest your onions when you notices these two things happening:

The green stems will begin falling over.
The onions will be large and sticking out of the ground.

It is actually really easy to harvest your onions! All you need to do is pull the onions out by grabbing down them by the bulb and yanking them out of the ground.

Your onions should come out of the ground fairly quick and easy! Fill that wheelbarrow up with onions and you’re ready to start preserving them. We will talk about that next!

How To Preserve Onions From The Garden

There are a few different ways to preserve your garden onions. This article is going to tell you all about freezing and curing onions.

How to Freeze Onions

I love to freeze onions! It makes meal prep so quick and easy to just grab the already chopped onions out off the freezer.

First, you need to chop the onions into tiny pieces. (secretly, I totally wear swimming goggles when I do this to help prevent crying….it works!)

Next, lay the chopped onions onto a cookie sheet. You want them in a single layer and not touching each other as much as possible (it’s impossible to make them perfect, so just do the best you can!).

Now, stick the cookie sheets into your freezer. We are doing what’s called a “flash freeze.”

Let the onions freeze on the cookie sheet for 2-3 hours or until frozen through.

Once the onions are frozen, pull them out of the freezer and scoop them into ziplock freezer bags.

Label your freezer bag with the contents and year and then stick the bags into your freezer. These will stay good for up to one year. I use these chopped onions straight from the freezer in all of my cooking!

Related: How to Blanche and Freeze Your Garden Peas

How to Cure Onions

Sometimes you just want a fresh onion, and that is where curing comes in! It’s the best way to store whole onions for long term storage.

After harvesting your onions place them in a dry and shaded spot. You don’t want them to get wet or a lot of direct sunlight. In a garage or under a porch is perfect for this! Don’t worry about windy conditions. This will actually help the onions to cure quicker.

Let your onions sit and cure for about 3-4 weeks. You will know they are done when their stems are completely dry and brown.

Check your onions to make sure they all cured correctly. If you find a few with bruised spots or didn’t completely cure just toss them out. I don’t worry about those to much.

Now, just cut the stem off using scissors and place them in a basket or mesh bag. Make sure they have air circulation and are only stacked three deep.

Keep your cured onions in a dark, dry, cool place for 6-12 months. A basement storage room works great for this!

In Conclusion

Onions are one of the easiest garden produce to preserve. I love going into my storage room in the middle of January and grabbing a garden onion! Truly the best feeling!

Let me know if you have any other questions! I’m always happy to help!

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