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How to Prepare Corn For Freezing

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It’s the start of the sweet corn season and I really need to make room in my freezer. Our first batch was 18 dozen ears. I’ve been putting up sweet corn ever since I was little and shucked corn in the garage with my Mom.  It’s easy, shuck, brush off the silk with a handy little brush, rinse and put in bags.

I’ve heard that some people boil, cook, blanch, add sugar, salt etc. But there really isn’t a need for the extra work. Even nine months later corn on the cob taste just like it was picked out of the field.

Sweet Corn
Sweet Corn

It doesn’t take long before my freezer is too full and I have to start cutting corn kernel off the cob and bagging loose corn. I use a bundt pan, put the ear in the middle and it falls right in the bowl. Easy and fast, although with an electric knife it would be even faster.

For those who are scared of knives, or would like the kids to help shuck and strip corn there are safer tools than a big ‘ole honking knife.

Easy Corn Cutter Stainless Steel Cob Peelerzjskin New Peeler Thresher Tool Kitchen Cob Kerneler Cutter Stripper RemoverFantastic Job – Car Shape Corn Stripper with a Little StorehouseCorn Cutter Tool- EZ Creamer and Corn Sheller

But it’s Not nearly as fast as using a power drill McGyver style like below. Since I’m a little intimidated by power tools, I think I’ll stick to my method. But if you have a motivated man in the house this might be a way to get him to help out with the canning.

I rinse the kernels afterwards and let any silk and small pieces float to the top. My daughter loves to eat the pieces of sweet corn that stick together in chunks raw, very tasty and it’s tempting.

Sweet Corn
Sweet corn kernels ready for bagging

Now I have sweet corn in the freezer all winter and corn on the cob to enjoy all year round, just pass the butter, salt and pepper. We were lucky this year and a local farmer told us to just go on over to his sweet corn patch and take all we wanted. He had about an acre planted and shares it with family and friends.

I have a small chest freezer full of corn and I should buy stock in Ziplock bags.

Midea WHS-129C1 Single Door Chest Freezer, 3.5 Cubic Feet, WhiteZiploc Freezer Bag, Quart Value Pack, 40-Count(Pack of 3)

Since we love corn in our house it will definitely save on the grocery bill this year. Between my green beans from the garden and corn we will be pretty well set.

Sweet Corn bagged and ready for the freezer
Sweet Corn bagged and ready for the freezer

What is your favorite memory of summer? Do you have a favorite food to eat during the summer?

More About Sweet Corn

Iowa Icon: Sweet Corn | whotv.com

“There’s nothing like having that first cob of sweet corn to tell you that summer’s really here,” says Ray Kruse, a sweet corn farmer and one of Nair’s graduate students. No one would be surprised to hear that we love our corn.

Gourmet Galley: Get creative with versatile, sweet corn this summer

No matter our age, I think we all have a love for fresh corn. For years, I only knew of boiled corn slathered with butter, fresh corn soup or maque choux, or maybe I should say those were my favorite corn dishes. I also remember that all of them cooked …

Aw, Shucks. Who Knew Cooking Michigan-Grown Sweet Corn Could Be This …

What’s your favorite way to prepare fresh, Michigan-grown sweet corn? Comments + Leave a Comment. Debra Christy, Allied ASID July 22, 2014 at 01:08 PM. peel down the husk, remove e silk, butter and salt/pepper the corn, pull the husk back up around the …

 

Chinese Anyone?

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Homemade Chinese Food
Chinese Anyone?

My version of  “Happy Family” Chinese at home. We were running short on rice I used spaghetti noodles for chow mein. Very easy recipe and fun at the same time. The chopsticks pictures are my favorite and it’s a requirement that I eat as much as I can with chopsticks before resorting to a fork.

I find eating with chopsticks people slow down, and I enjoy my food a whole lot more. besides, it’s fun!

Ingredients

  • Shrimp
  • Sliced chicken breast
  • Beef (or venison, I still had some from last winter)
  • Powdered Ginger
  • Garlic Powder
  • Cracked Peppercorns
  • Sea Salt
  • Sliced onion
  • Mushrooms
  • 2 TSP Sesame Oil (remember I don’t measure, I just add)
  • 2 TBSP Wok Oil
  • Sweet peppers (green, yellow and orange for color)
  • 2 TSP Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 Cup Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing (French dressing will work too)
  •  1 TBSP Cornstarch

Wow, I guess that’s a lot of ingredients. As far as vegetables you can use anything you have handy, broccoli, slivered carrots. REMEMBER: Measurements are not important, you add to your taste and desire.

Directions

  1. Season meats with spices and toss to coat
  2. Prepare rice ahead of time according to directions.
  3. Heat a combination of above oils in wok on high
  4. Add chopped or sliced onions and cook until clear
  5. Add chicken and beef (in my case venison)
  6. Cook and stir on high until cooked through
  7. Push ingredients to the side of the wok away from the center and direct heat
  8. Add vegetables and shrimp on top of the cooked meat on the side
  9. There should be some liquid in the bottom of the wok, add soy sauce and  salad dressing. Then add water  until total liquid amount is approximately 3/4 cup.
  10. Cover with lid and let liquid boil and steam cook the vegetables.
  11. Mix a tablespoon (or so) of cornstarch with 1/4 cup water until creamy
  12. When vegetables are tender pour cornstarch mixture into the liquid and stir. Liquid should thicken slightly.
  13. Quickly stir the liquid and all ingredients until coated in the sauce.

Eat and Enjoy!

Fresh Garden Broccoli

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I never knew that broccoli fresh from the garden could taste so good. This was our first garden together, and it’s pretty successful. So far we’ve harvested radishes, lettuce, potatoes, cucumbers, a few beans and zucchini. Our most successful has been the broccoli, didn’t know the plants got so big, but well worth the space.

First Year Vegetable Garden

 

There is no comparison when it comes to fresh broccoli, forget what you have eaten in the past. Not only is this vegetable healthy, but it is delicious when it’s cooked properly.

Broccoli: The Ultimate Recipe Guide – Over 30 Healthy & Delicious RecipesTop 50 Most Delicious Broccoli Recipes (Superfood Recipes Book 10)The farmers market cookbook: From broccoli to zucchini recipes to make you fall in love with vegetables

Broccoli in the Vegetable Garden
Broccoli in the Vegetable Garden

The heads were huge, the size of dinner plates. From what I understand when you harvest the center bunch the secondary cluster will still produce. I hope so, four out of five of us love broccoli. Warning though, if the plant gets too mature the resulting clusters will taste bitter. Blah!! That is a reason why people DON’T like broccoli

Cleaning and prepping fresh broccoli
Cleaning and prepping fresh broccoli

My Mother-in-law suggested I soak the heads in salt water to clean out any bugs. However, we didn’t have any problems with bugs, not one floated to the top. An added benefit to soaking is the increased flavor.

Fresh cooked broccoli
Fresh cooked broccoli

I steam my broccoli, el dente, to a bright green still a little crisp, but making the florets nice and tender. Put a pat of butter and cracked pepper on top. It’s literally a fight to the last spoonful.

How to Get Kids to Eat Broccoli

Broccoli is a favorite food to hate and I can see why.

When I was little I only ate the stems, my Dad would eat the tops for me, they were too “mushy”, that’s because my Mom overcooked everything. There are ways to teach your kids to eat more vegetables, the first step is to NOT overcook them. Not only are the nutrients leached out, but so is the flavor.

Monsters Don’t Eat BroccoliWho Wants Broccoli?The Boy Who Loved BroccoliBroccoli Makes You Fart

Top veggies with butter, drizzle melted cheese on broccoli or cauliflower, coat in butter with salt and pepper and broil, put it on a pizza, start toddlers off with raw broccoli and use dips for added flavor.

Delicious Broccoli Recipes

Learn to Make Garlic Broccoli

Among all the green vegetables available on the Chinese market, broccoli might be the most accessible. It’s also one of the most familiar for foreigners, making broccoli-based dishes a welcome option for pickier diners. Prep Time: 5 mins. Cook Time: 10 …

10 Best Broccoli Recipes

10 Best Broccoli Recipes Grilled, baked or roasted, it’s usually parked on the side of all your restaurant dishes. Dark green in colour with crisp and sturdy florets, broccoli is one of the most nutritious vegetables and also, rather exotic. President …

5 Ways Cheese Is Broccoli’s Best Friend

Broccoli and Cheddar-Stuffed Potato Skins If you’re asking me, broccoli and cheese go together just like peanut butter and jelly or milk and cookies. When creamy melted cheese, particularly cheddar, crosses with the green vegetable, a little magic happens.

These Aren’t Your Mother’s Broccoli Recipes

Broccoli has a bad reputation, and it’s somewhat deserved. Stalks resemble limp and tasteless trees, and they’re forced upon us so much throughout childhood that many of us banish them from our adult lives altogether. It’s totally understandable. But …

Sarah’s Superfoods: Broccoli recipes | Sarah Raven

Try Sarah’s delicious Smoked Mackerel, Broccoli and Almond Salad, or the tasty Broccoli and Cauliflower Falafel Fritters with Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce.

Broccoli recipes to reduce your blood pressure – Hello Heart

Broccoli is high in compounds that help relax blood vessels and reduce damage to arteries. Check out these great broccoli recipes to help reduce blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.

10 Family-Friendly Broccoli Recipes | Real Simple

You’ll have no trouble getting the kids to eat their vegetables with these delicious dishes.

10 Kid-Friendly Broccoli Recipes Worth Drooling Over …

Packed with fiber and natural goodness, here are 10 broccoli dishes to try.

Grilled Kabobs, Food on a Stick

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Last week I got tired of the same old thing, grilled pork chops, chicken breast. I wanted something fun and different.  Shish Kabobs sounded fun, I even bought permanent metal skewers instead of the thin bamboo that burn and break in half. This means I have to fix Kabobs again, darn. (read sarcasm here)

What is it about food on a stick that is so tasty? Maybe it’s the lack of utensils, the youthful feeling you get just like when you sucked down a Popsicle sitting on the back step. Think about it corn dogs, Popsicles, and all kinds of state fair food are found on a stick. I’ll get to that on a later post.

Shish Kabobs on the Grill
Shish Kabobs on the Grill

Not really a recipe here.  It’s pretty much personal preference. I used chicken , pineapple, sweet peppers, mushrooms and pieces of corn on the cob.  After seasoning everything with a Garlic Rosemary mix I lathered it with a sweet Chinese sauce made from a mix of Dorothy Lynch (french) dressing, poppy seed dressing, soy sauce and ginger.

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Tis the Season, for Fried Zucchini

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Soon your neighbors will be trying to pawn excess zucchini off on whomever will be gullible enough to say yes.  My husband loves fried zucchini and would eat it  every night. For me, I’m still learning to like it and wanting a few more ways to use this abundant vegetable that will stretch our food budget. It’s part of the squash family which I’m really trying to like.

This years first zucchini actually came from the produce stand in the parking lot at work.

Fried Zucchini Recipe

Fried Zucchini is simple to make, it’s stopping that is the hard part.

Ingredients:

  • Flour
  • Egg
  • Milk
  • Vegetable Oil (1/8-1/4 inch in frying pan)
  • Salt (I use ground sea salt)
  • Pepper (again freshly ground is best)
Directions:
  1. Slice into 1/8″ slices
  2. Mix cup of milk and one egg
  3. Soak slices in milk mixture for 30 minutes (flour sticks better)
  4. Dip slices in flour and coat well.
  5. Heat oil on medium high. Check temperature by sprinkling a “dusting” of flour in oil. If it sizzles oil is ready.
  6. Place coated flour pieces in oil and cook until underside is lightly brown.
  7. Season with salt and pepper before turning.
  8. Turn and brown.
  9. Drain in paper towels
  10. Eat and enjoy

I’m all about fast and easy so when I’m slicing a lot for the freezer I use a mandolin slicer for my veggies. Comes in handy for pickles, squash, and of course zucchini.

HomeNative® Adjustable Mandoline Slicer (Orange) – Comes with 4 Interchangeable Stainless Steel Blades – Vegetable Cutter, Peeler, Slicer, Grater and Julienne Slicer all in 1 – Plus 3 Bonus Gifts:

Last year I sliced and froze zucchini to put in soups which really added color and texture to my soups. I’ll probably try the old stand by, zucchini bread and muffins, but those get tiring after a while. I found the following zucchini recipes which sound very interesting and a little different. This may be a new segment, my zucchini adventure, so stay tuned for more recipes.

I do want to try and make zucchini spaghetti out of spirals, from what I’ve heard you just have to quickly dip the veggie noodles in boiling water, then top with pasta sauce.  A lot of people eat them raw, but first I need to get a spiral slicer.

Spiral Slicer Spiralizer Complete Bundle – Vegetable Cutter – Zucchini Pasta Noodle Spaghetti Maker

BTW, my husband said I he will be frying zucchini every night, so I WON’T have enough to pickle etc…soooo neighbors and friends bring me your large green veggies, and I’ll share my cooking experiments. Below are a few I’m going to try.

Pickled Zucchini-refrigerator variety
Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles-cooked and canned
Breaded Zucchini Fries
Fried Zucchini Patties

Zucchini Recipe Books

The Last Zucchini Cookie: Customizable Zucchini Cookie Recipes andEverything Zucchini Recipes Cookbook: Zucchini Breads, Muffins, Main Dishes,Fast And Easy Zucchini RecipesZucchini – The Ultimate Recipe GuideSpiralizer Cookbook: Top 49 Veggie Friendly Spiralizer Recipes-From SweetZucchini Recipes: A Collection of Raw Food Recipes

More Healthy Zucchini Recipes

Top 5 Reasons to Eat a Plant-Based Diet

Eating more plants and less meat is becoming more popular than ever thanks to ex-presidents, celebrities, best-selling books, and movies such as Forks Over Knives. While vegetarian and vegan diets are defined by what they exclude, a plant-based diet is …

Zucchini Recipes – Healthy Recipes | HGTV Design …

Substitute your carbohydrates for something healthier and straight from the garden, like these guilt-free zucchini recipes.

25 Gluten & Sugar- Free Zucchini Recipes – Sugar-Free Mom

… {No Sugar Added} · Gluten Free Zucchini Fritters · « · ». Filed Under: gluten free, low carb, sides Tagged With: clean eating zucchini recipes, gluten free zucchini recipes, healthy zucchini recipes, sugar free zucchini recipes …

Quick Zucchini Recipes, Healthy Zucchini Cookie Bars

Zucchini: the bane and blessing of many a home gardener. They grow in such prolific quantities that it practically takes a village to consume all the bounty. Okay, perhaps that’s an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Healthy recipes | Zucchini recipes healthy, Healthy recipes

Are Zucchini recipes healthy if I am a diabetic and eat chips alongside? Are Zucchini recipes healthy if I eat hidden calories as well?

Easy healthy zucchini recipes – Healthyappetizers

Tags: easy zucchini recipes, healthy recipes with zucchini, healthy zucchini recipes, stuffed zucchini recipes zucchini, zucchini bread recipe courtesy, zucchini bread recipes fried. By nguyenquangbach|Website|Other Articles …