Soapsmith's Blog: Pennsylvania Sweet Corn

Hello Friends,

Oh yes, fresh Pennsylvania butter and sugar sweet corn, the summer delight is ready for harvest. There is nothing like this mid summer treat. Farmers and gardeners set up their roadside stands, selling their wares from the farm trucks. The Amish country side is dotted with farm stands brimming with fresh vegetables.

This great antique Massey Ferguson tractor is still a workhorse on Tom's White Bridge Farm.

This morning, my son went out to his buddy's farm, Baker's Farm in Hollidaysburg, and picked the corn direct from the field. You can't get any fresher.

Cocoa, our chocolate lab, went along for the trip. He loves romping through the rows and especially visiting with all our friends and family when Rob drops off their share of the corn.

Acres of corn, basking in the July sun, as far as the eye can see.

The old time gardeners will tell you that sweet corn begins to lose the sugar the second it is pulled from the stalks. My Dad always had Mom set the corn pot to boil before he went to pick the fresh corn. We would husk it as fast as we could and drop it in the simmering water; it was truly worth the effort as we were rewarded with the most succulent corn possible.

Today, I prepared 6 dozen for the freezer.

Two hours from the field to the canning kettle is pretty good. If you have never frozen fresh corn to preserve it for the winter months, you really should try it.

The process is simple. Of course, start with the freshest corn possible. After husking, drop a dozen at a time into rapidly boiling water for 4 minutes. Cover the canner pot so the water quickly returns to a boil.

Prepare an ice bath in your meticulously cleaned sink. Plunge the hot corn into the cold water to stop the cooking. Leave in the ice bath for about 2 minutes.

Repeat the process until all the corn is blanched. Blanching is quickly cooking and immediately shocking with cold water. Place the finished corn on towels while you continue with the rest of your bounty.

I use a good knife with a saw blade. Commercial corn cutters are available in hardware stores. Use what you like best. Cut off the kernels without cutting too far or you will get some of the cob, not pleasant. After your first cut, scrape the cob with the knife to release the remaining cream of the corn.

I like to use a dish with low sides because the fresh corn is so juicy it gets messy. My dish fits nicely into the gallon freezer bags making it an easy job to fill them.

I put the kernels from 10 ears of corn into each bag, date the bag and freeze flat before storing for our family holiday dinners.

Don't forget to have a couple of ears for lunch. A little newly churned sweet cream butter, fresh cracked peppercorn and coarse sea salt, yummy! You can try it on the grill, too. Soak the corn still in the husk in water and grill. Or you can husk it, wrap it foil with butter and a little seasoned salt or lemon pepper, or some cumin and lime are all delicious options. Enjoy fresh sweet corn while it is in season - superb!