Blanching Corn

Every year my Grandpa has a huge garden.
He just turned 85, but he still plots out a nice garden and every year he gives my parents a bunch of veggies from it.
Summer and Winter squashes, cucumbers, peas or green beans, and corn among other things.

One of my favorite fall activities that I remember from my childhood is shucking and blanching corn.
I honestly don't really like to eat corn on the cob, but I enjoy pulling the long green husks off and picking the silk out of the crevices between the kernels and watching those golden ears boil away, only to be plunged into icy cold water to cool and then be put in bags and stowed away in the freezer for wintertime.

Since we live here in Washington now, I get to teach my kids how to take care of the corn Grandpa Larry brings over!

Eliana managed to shuck two ears of corn before her hands got tired.

Ethan did a great job making sure all of the silk got off the ears of corn!

Here are a few pictures of the process:

Half Shucked Corn

A close-up of the silk

All shucked and ready to be blanched

We let the corn boil for 3 minutes...

Then put it into cold water to stop the cooking process.

After it's cooled, it's ready to be put in bags..

And then go into the chest freezer on the back porch.

That's how it's done, folks!
 We'll sure enjoy eating nice sweet corn at dinner time during the cold winter evenings.
I'm using up some frozen corn from last year's garden with dinner tonight and making mexican rice with it.
What is your favorite way to eat corn? I'd love to hear some ideas for new meals!