This is Jada shucking corn for the first time. But she wasn’t in it for the corn, no, she was on a hunt… for worms!
My mother-in-law had visited the Farmer’s Market and was sweet enough to bring me a couple big bags of corn. Now, being the city girl that I am, I didn’t know exactly what to do with fresh corn, still in their husks. And the thought of coming across fat grub worms really didn’t excite me (quite the opposite actually). But I gratefully put them in my fridge to tackle later.
The next day Jada was driving me nuts ’cause she was bored-to-death, so my mother-in-law (over the phone) told me to have Jada help shuck some corn. What a brilliant idea! I said, “Jada, I have a surprise for you. Want to do a fun activity?” Of course she was overzealous as she exploded, “Yeah!! What is it? What is it?” I said, “Do you want to have a worm hunt?” Now Jada LOVES bugs. She could hunt for insects in the yard all day long. She especially loves digging for worms in my flower bed. I knew she would be thrilled at the idea of a worm hunt. She bounced up and down in her excitement and couldn’t wait to get started. I took a few ears of corn from the fridge and told her that underneath the husks of some of the corn, a little worm might be hiding. I said, “Now, we don’t know which corn has a worm in it. It’s a hunt. We have to find where they are hiding.” She was so ready!
It was really funny watching her sitting at her little table, determinedly yanking away at the husks until the corn was revealed. And every time she got enough husk away that she could see the golden kernels underneath, she would excitedly gasp, “Corn!” as though it was a surprise to see it under there. I had to laugh. But when she found a worm, oh how she exclaimed, “A worm! A worm! Mommy, I found a worm!!” I acted equally excited about the squirmy little invader, to humor her of course. I gave her a little plastic container to keep all of her “friends” in as she continued her hunt.
She sat at her table for an hour shucking corn. She was on a mission, and was determined to find every last worm. She shucked every ear of corn I had, 20 of them all by herself, and found just as many worms. I couldn’t believe how into the task she was, but I was ever so grateful to have occupied her somehow! Once the corn was all cleaned up I had to call my mother-in-law back and ask her what to do with them now. I wanted to freeze them, but didn’t know if there was a certain procedure to follow. This is what she told me to do:
To Freeze Corn
*Shuck and clean, cutting off bad spots and stem; Wash.
*Cut kernels off the cob.
*Put corn into a pan with just enough water to cover.
*Bring to a boil; turn to low and cook 5 min.
*Let cool before packing into freezer bags; squeeze air from bags and seal.
And there you have it. We froze a bunch of corn, and Jada had a great time helping! Now I know exactly what to do the next time someone gives me fresh corn! Thanks Naynay!
majellamom says:
We just put up a bushel of corn on Monday.
Just as a tip if you ever do a lot of corn at once, it works just as well to do it this way:
1) shuck corn, break off stem and tops
make sure they are labeled and put in freezer
2) blanch ears in boiling water for 5-6 minutes
3) shock ears in ice water bath for 5-6 minutes (usually while blanching the next batch)
4) let dry on kitchen towels (doesn’t need to be for long, but if you are doing it by yourself, it may be a while before you are done with blanching and shocking)
5) cut kernels off cob (being careful not to get much of the cob)
6) if you like, run the back of the knife down the cob to get all the juicy bits off
7) package in freezer bags, using a straw to suck out air and seal
This is the way I learned from the MIL (they farm) and is very similar to the instructions in the Ball Blue Book (great resource for canning, freezing and dehydrating.)
Too cute about the worm hunt, BTW.
August 20th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Amanda says:
Umm…there are WORMS in there? I never thought for a second that there would be worms in corn. Am I supposed to be looking for worms in unshucked corn from the store? Please tell me unshucked corn from the store is worm-free! Aack!
I’m glad she had so much fun. What a great way to get her to work without her even realizing it! Good thinking, Mom!
August 20th, 2008 at 9:59 am
Lenetta says:
I think I cut teeth eating corn on the cob fresh from the garden! It’s so much better right after it’s picked. I used to have a cat that would watch us husk corn, waiting for her opportunity to grab an ear and run off with it - she loved to eat it, too.
We put ours up just a little differently. We cook it first, either by boiling the whole ears for a few minutes or by putting them in an oven bag (like for roasting chicken) in the microwave for a few minutes. We then plunge them in ice water to stop the cooking, cut the corn off the ears, bag it, and freeze it. When I cook it, I usually add a bit of butter.
If you want to eat it right off the cob, cook it either of the ways mentioned above (without the ice water!), butter, add a little salt and pepper, and enjoy. We usually trim both ends a bit and have special holders to stick in either side to make it easier to hold.
My 17 month old has had a few ears this summer and she thought it was goooood stuff.
August 20th, 2008 at 10:04 am
Kendra says:
Amanda-
You’re so funny. You know, I had the same question at one point about the store bought corn. I don’t think they are allowed to have worms in their corn; I’m pretty sure the crops have to be sprayed for bugs and stuff and pass inspections. This corn that we had was straight from somebody’s garden. I think the stores would get in trouble with Health Inspectors if they had worms in their corn!
August 20th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Debbie says:
What a cute story!
When my kids were younger they liked to help so tha tthey could dry the corn shucks. They wanted to make corn husk people. Of course, they never dried right and they lost interest, but there for a while it would help me out!
I also boil first, then cut the corn off and freeze. I didn’t think about cold shocking to stop the cooking process, but that makes sense to me. I will have to do that next time.
August 20th, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Iowa Girl says:
We dunk in ice water after you boil!
We set up two 9×13 ish tupperwares beside the stove. After it’s boiled, it gets dunked in the first one filled with ice water, then put into the second one for the next person in line to grab and cut the kernels off.
An easy way to store them in the freezer is put about two cups in each gallon zip lock bag, and flatten. That way they can all lie on top of each other in the freezer and take up less room.
Happy shucking!
August 20th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Julie says:
I’ve gotten worms in corn bought at the store, hasn’t everyone? It never occured to me that folks wouldn’t know there could be worms in there…LOL!
You can put up your corn on the cobs as well. Just shuck them and clean them. Blanch them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. Drain the water off and make sure they are dry. Place whole cobs in freezer bags, press the air out and freeze. Easy peasy
Oh…creamed corn freezes wonderfuly, too, and tastes oh so yummy poured over homemade biscuits with homegrown tomatoes on the side (can you tell I’m a southern girl?).
My hubby’s grandmother made the BEST creamed corn ever! It always tasted like she had picked the corn that morning. After she died I remember eating the last of the creamed corn she had in the freezer. It was a wonderful way to remember such a sweet lady.
Enjoy your yummy, fresh corn. Won’t it taste good this winter?
August 20th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Amy says:
You have a very determined little girl! Here’s what our Sweet Corn Harvest looks like:
http://amysfinerthings.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/sweet-corn-harvest/
August 20th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Lindsay says:
omg! Worms?! Really!? I made corn for dinner tonight and you better believe I inspected every piece!!!
August 20th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Debbie says:
Oh yes, you sure can get worms in store bought corn!
After reading here I got “hungry” fo corn, so when I went shopping, I bought some. 2 of 6 had worms, but really that’s no big deal. They are almost always at the very top and easily cut out.
Truthfully, the worms bother me less than the thought of the corn being sprayed with pesticides.
It was funny that you posted this today….our local paper had recipes for corn in it!
August 21st, 2008 at 2:39 am
Kendra says:
Oh my goodness, I’ve learned something now too. I thought for sure that there would not be worms in the store bought corn. Thanks for correcting my assumption!
August 21st, 2008 at 8:37 am
Nancy says:
That is so cool, you got her to want to do it. Glad she found some worms in her hunt. I bet she thought it was totally worth it! Maybe that would work with my son. He loves worms and stuff.
August 21st, 2008 at 10:48 am