The Freezer is full. I long to have our large chest freezer back but we have nowhere dry with power to keep it, so I'm having to look at other methods of preserving any gluts we've got at the moment.
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| Trying with five corn on the cobs to start with |
The sweetcorn is tasting amazing at the moment, We all love the stuff but I planted far more than we need and I want to catch it while it's still sweet and not gone too starchy. Ideally freezing the whole cobs would probably be the tastiest way to preserve them, but like I said we've no space for that at the moment, so I decided to try drying them with our old polish food dryer.
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| Blanching them for 7-8 minutes to start with |
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| All the corn is cut off the cob and spread out to dry on the trays |
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| 8 hours later the corns have all dried up |
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| Sealed in a kilner jar for when we next want them, they should keep along time like this |
The dried corns still taste super sweet when you have a chew on them, they should keep ages like this and five cobs worth takes up very little space. I'm not 100% sure what we'll use them for, I'm guessing we can rehydrate them and use them in stews and I did read that you can make really tasty fritters from them as well.
Hopefully next year I'm going to grow popcorn as well as I fancy having some home grown snacks, although they'll have to be some distance from my sweetcorn so they don't cross pollinate. Does anyone else grow much sweetcorn and popcorn and how do you preserve it?
We just grow about half a bed,preserve by cutting off the kernels and freezing quickly. And EAT as much as poss on the cob dripping with butter!
ReplyDeleteDripping with butter is always a winner! One of my favourites.
DeleteI also blanch then cut off the kernels (as you did for drying) and then freeze. Takes up much less space like that and tastes delicious.
ReplyDeleteI would do that only we really have no space in the freezer - terrible really. I'm trying to use up some stuff in there during the week but with so much fresh stuff to hand it's difficult!
DeleteI have grown sweetcorn for years and have never managed to grow enough to freeze in large quantities, I gorge myself while it is in season. Can hardly wait till next year to have home grown again, I grow it in a 3 sisters bed with French Beans and winter squash.
ReplyDeleteWe have it so often when it's in season and never get bored of it. I normally grow the squash under it to keep away the weeds but I've never added the beans as well. Maybe I should - do you need to rotate the beds if you do?
DeleteOh well done! Haven't grown sweetcorn yet, but have dehydrated loads of other veg. Glad you have a dehydrator. You should be able to get loads of tasty snacks done for your girls!
ReplyDeleteBeen drying lots of apple - in fact we need to as at mum and dad they have only got early apples this year so come Christmas we might be a bit short of apple!
DeleteYour corn looks great! I know a lot of folks freeze sweet corn (or even can it) but dehydrated seems to keep the longest and take up the least amount of storage space. I agree about adding it to soups and stews; that's what I would do.
ReplyDeleteWe mostly grow field corn and popcorn, but I let both of those dry on the stalk.
How far apart do you grow your corns so they don;t cross pollinate? I'm tempted to grow my popcorn in the front garden next year although we might get odd looks from neighbours as we have such a large veg garden at the back!
DeleteMy corn never makes it to maturity before the squirrels get to it. Perhaps I need to start eating the squirrels.
ReplyDeleteSquirrel tastes pretty good if you can get over the fact that it looks like a rat when you've skinned it!
DeletePerhpas you cold use them in a sweetcorn chowder? Or cream them and use in scones?
ReplyDeletePopcorn - I grew sweetcorn and ruby popcorn, and my beds were too close together and there was some cross pollination. Popcorn - all you do is allow the whole cob to dry in it's sheath, then remove the dry kernels from the cob and, voila, instant popcorn :)
A chowder might work although it would be very sweet I'd imagine. I think popcorn will be a great one for preserving the harvest in the future. I'm definitely going to grow it next year.
Deletebeing that you had no place for them in the freezer - you could have mailed them to me - bahahhaha! i love sweetcorn and thank goodness there are local farmers around here that can grow it! i tried to grow some one year and they just didn't reach maturity. bu i have not given up and will try again next year. until then, you could mail me some!!!!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
I'm not sure what it would be like by the time it got to you! I always start my sweetcorn off in the greenhouse way before the frosts have finished and then plant them out. It gives you a much longer growing season because, like you said, it needs a long one to mature.
Deleteit won't matter buddy! just mail it as soon as it is ready! and of course pay $255 bucks to have it shipped the next day. that's not too much to ask of a friend, eh?
DeleteI have not dried the kernels like you have but I have left them to dry on the cob and used em for feed and the like the next year. We normally save our corn the way you mentioned first but finding a way to preserve it over Winter is an issue. In the old days everyone around here had a corn crib they just let the corn dry naturally in the crib on the cob and used it as they needed all year long.
ReplyDelete