Preserving Fresh Corn Using Your Food Saver

This post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated for purchased made through those links at no additional cost to you. All views expressed are my own. Thank you for your support!

      I grew up out in the country on 3 acres of land.  I was #6 of 7 kids and I loved my big family and living out in those wide open spaces.  One of my earliest memories was the year that we planted our front 2 acres in corn!  We had a bumper crop and we put up a roadside stand where we sold corn 12 ears for $1.00.  You can imagine that at today's prices, it is difficult for me to purchase corn at .50-.60 cents per ear, or more.  Not to mention that the corn isn't even very fresh! 
     Living in the city like I do, growing corn isn't really a smart choice because one stalk will produce 1 or maybe two ears if you're lucky, and for the amount of space that I have to plant in, that isn't a big return on all of the water it takes to grow it.  Plus, corn pollenates better in a large field.  I have grown corn in my backyard, but it takes a lot of shaking of the stalks for pollination on my part, plus a lot water for a small return.   That's how I feel about it anyway, even though I do love corn on the cob.  
      Because of my love for corn on the cob, I keep my eyes peeled for sales and opportunities to buy it at a lower price.  This past week, my local wholesale produce place didn't do me wrong!  I was able to get corn for about .25 per ear.  I mean, it wasn't 12 for $1.00, but I think those days are long gone and the price was far better than I've seen in a long time.  (And bonus, my corn came in a nice, heavy duty plastic crate!)

      We had family over to celebrate a couple of birthdays and we filled up on great food, including corn on the cob!  Afterwards, I had lots of fresh corn left to process.  As much as I enjoy canning, corn tastes much better when it is preserved by freezing it.  The great thing is that you can freeze the ears whole, sealing them in air-tight food saver bags.  You can also cut the corn off of the cob and freeze it that way as well.  Here is the process: 

1. First husk your corn.  I like to freeze the most beautiful ones whole, if there are any with a bunch of undeveloped kernels or a weird look, I cut the kernels off of those and bag them off the cob. 
2. Put a large pot of water on to boil to blanch the corn.  This will keep the corn fresher tasting and brighter colored.  If you don't want to blanch it, that is fine, but it will be mushier when you go to use it.
3. Put the corn in the hot water for about 7 minutes and then plunge the ears directly into an ice water bath. 
4. I used Food Saver Bags to freeze my corn.  I'm thinking I like the bags better than the roll of plastic that you use to form your own bags.  This is just personal preference.   I pulled my corn out of the ice water and put 4 or 5 ears of corn in a bag.  Leave enough room at the top to fit into the Food Saver for sealing.
5. Place the open end of the bag into the moisture reservoir of the Food Saver. 
6. Close the lid and switch the lever to "operate."   The mode should be set on "moist."  Then, push the Vacuum button.  The Food Saver will suck out the air from the bag, the vacuum light will go out and then the Seal button with start blinking.  When the bag is sealed, the lights will go off.  Then you can lift the lever to "Open" and remove the bag.  It should be sealed. 
7. Repeat the process until all of your corn is sealed.  Write corn on the bag with a sharpie and the date that you have sealed it.  Store in your freezer.  It should last up to a year. 
8. There are also Food Saver Bags that can be used with the hand sealer.  They have a little circle  for the vacuum gadget, and they seal with a zipper.  I used this type of bag for my corn off the cob.  

     I envy those of you who are able to grow your own corn and have a bumper crop to store for the year ahead! Have you preserved corn this way or do you have a more preferred method?  Also, has anyone every parched corn?  We are drying some of ours to give that a try.  I'll report the results.

      Here are some other posts about corn that you may enjoy! 

• ​Vegan Coconut Creamed Corn
• Shrimp, Corn, Chicken and Pineapple on the Grill