Prospective corn farmers should know how to properly store their crop before harvesting it. If you are a first-time corn farmer, you should know that there are three primary ways to store sweet corn.
Sweet corn is similar to other varieties in terms of preparation and storage. With this in mind, here are the best methods for properly storing sweet corn.
Refrigerate Your Sweet Corn
Store your sweet corn while it’s still fresh for the best taste. You should avoid shucking your corn beforehand and leave the husks intact before storing them. Getting rid of the husk will hasten the ripening process, which dulls the flavor.
Once you have your corn, put it in a slightly damp paper bag; the moisture will preserve freshness, which is necessary to ensure you have a high-quality crop. If you skip this step before refrigeration, your corn will dry out. Depending on your haul, you might want to consider shopping for
wholesale mesh corn bags because this will give you the best bang for your buck.
You should only store your sweet corn in the fridge for a maximum of one week. Unless you have a farmers’ market coming up, this storage method is mainly intended for personal use.
Freeze Your Sweet Corn
Contrary to how you would prepare your sweet corn for refrigerator storage, you will want to shuck your corn before putting it in the freezer. After you eliminate the husk entirely, blanch your sweet corn for 7 to 10 minutes. To do this, grab a pot of water that’s large enough to fit your corn and bring it to a low boil.
Smaller ears of sweet corn only need to sit in the pot for 5 to 7 minutes, while the larger ones should blanch for closer to 10 minutes. This process will bring out the natural sugars in the sweet corn, but remember that you aren’t trying to cook it, you only want to blanch it.
After you blanch your sweet corn, put it in an ice bath to cool it down and dry it off. You can place your blanched sweet corn in an airtight bag or container and store it in your freezer for up to a year.
Can Your Sweet Corn Kernels
You will also want to blanch your sweet corn before you can it, but you don’t have to blanch it for as long as you would if you wanted to freeze it. Then, cut off the kernels from the cob and fill up your canning jars with them. With the kernels inside, pour in some blanching water and use a canner to lock the lid tightly onto your jar.
Overall, each of these storage methods will allow you to store your sweet corn for different purposes and lengths of time. Now that you know the best methods for properly storing sweet corn, you can enjoy your fresh crop or preserve it for others to enjoy.
