Freezing Sweet Corn

It's time to freeze sweet corn!  It's a Koosmann tradition that takes a bit of time and effort, but is absolutely priceless when you pull out a bag in the middle of winter and you can taste summer in a single bite.  And this year it was the more the merrier, as Jill and the kids were in Madison too, allowing for more helpers, more laughs, and more fun!  And we even managed to squeeze everyone's corn into Gene and Mary's standing freezer...not a small feat!

A small portion of the corn, peeled, de-haired, and ready for some boiling.  The corn this year was just about perfect...non-GMO, perfectly sweet, and nice-sized kernels.

Gene, the master of the boiling.  He's got the timing down to a science, so we just stay out of the way.

Gene, removing the cooked corn.

Megan was in charge of the cooler this year.  She watched the cobs until they sank (which means they're cool enough to handle) and checked the temperature of the water to make sure it was cool enough between batches, refilling it with cold water as needed.

Megan, removing the cooled corn.

Next comes the cutting...another fine art that needs a perfectly sharpened knife, a steady hand, and a fan to keep the flies away!

Then the corn strips are lightly separated and measured into marked bags.  Different-sized families need different amounts, so all the brilliant math minds figure it out and I just listen to them. 

And now it comes all together...the cooking, cooling, cutting, packaging, and cleaning.  Many hands make light work (and lots of laughs!)

Brendan and Charlie enjoyed the slip n' slide after all of the peeling was done.

And the award for the most accidents goes to....Brad!  He cut himself, not once, but twice, and eventually had to be put in the time-out chair.  He did a pretty good job of directing us from the chair though.  And tasting.  He did a good job of tasting too!

One of the best jobs is tasting the fresh corn.  Marci and Megan show off this year's great-tasting corn.

Megan, my hard worker bee.

The garbage cans and buckets of peelings and cobs get hauled to a local farm to feed the horses.

And our finished product is well worth it.  Now, who needs a shower?