How to Can Corn

Most people love the taste of fresh corn on the cob in the summer, but don't know how to can fresh corn. It is easy to enjoy that wonderful fresh taste all year long by canning your own summer corn.

Things You'll Need

• Water
• Large pot
• Medium pot
• Canning jars with lids and rings
• Magnetic lid lifter or tongs
• Pressure canner / cooker
• Pot holders
• Sharp knife or kernel remover
• Towel or wooden cutting board
• Fresh corn on the cob
• Jar grabber or tongs

Instructions

Preparing for Canning

1. Wash the canning jars in a dishwasher to sterilize them.

2. Immerse the jar lids in a pot of boiling water and let them boil for five minutes. Remove the lids using tongs or a magnetic wand that lifts lids.

3. Fill a large pot about two thirds full of water and put it on the stove to boil. You will blanch the corn in this water.

4. Heat a medium sized pot filled with water. You'll add this hot water to the jars of corn in a later step.

5. Rinse out your pressure cooker, place the rack plate inside and fill the cooker with 4 inches of hot tap water. Put it on the stove, uncovered, to heat.

6. Fill a large bowl about two thirds full with cold water and ice. Set aside.

Preparing the Corn

1. Choose fresh ears of corn on the cob, husk them and remove the silk.

2. Blanch the ears of corn for three minutes in a pot of boiling water. Cover the pot as soon as you put the corn in the water.

3. Plunge the corn immediately into the ice water bath too cool for three minutes. Empty the and add ice cubes as needed, then remove the ears of corn from the ice bath and drain them thoroughly.

4. Cut the kernels of corn from the cobs with a sharp knife or a kernel remover.

Canning the Corn

1. Fill your canning jars with the corn without shaking the jars or pressing down on the corn. Make sure to leave a 1 inch of head space at the top of each jar. Add clean boiling water from the medium pot, to the jar of corn. Make sure to leave the empty head space.

2. Place a lid on top of each jar and screw on the ring. Tighten the ring to a snug fit, but don't over tighten it.

3. Lift each jar using jar tongs and place it on the rack inside the pressure cooker. Make sure there is at least 3 inches of water in the pressure cooker. Add hot tap water, if needed, to bring the level back up to three inches.

4. Cover the pressure cooker when all the jars have been placed inside. Depending upon the type of cooker you have, either leave the valve open or the weight off.

5. Heat on high for ten minutes allowing the steam to vent, in order to purge the airspace, then put on the weight, or close the valve openings, to build up pressure to 11 pounds. Start your timer when the pressure has reached 10 pounds, setting it for 25 minutes. Lower the temperature of the stove, as needed, to keep the pressure at t 10 pounds.

6. Turn off the stove when the processing has been completed and let the pressure drop and the canner cool down. Take off the cover when the pressure gauge has gone down to zero.

7. Remove the jars when the canning process is completed by lifting them out of the remaining water in the pressure cooker and placing them on a towel or wooden cutting board to cool overnight. It is important that the jars cool in a draft free place and that they are not touched or bumped while they are cooling.

Tips & Warnings

• A soft vegetable brush will work well to remove any remaining corn silk

• Use the same pot of water to blanch up five batches of corn. Just remember to add hot tap water to keep the water level at the right height.

• When using an ice bath to cool vegetables, keep them in the cold water for the same amount of time that you blanched them.

• It is very important to leave 1 inch at the top f the jars empty. This is called head space and is needed in the expansion process.

• It is very important to can corn using a pressure canner/cooker, in order to remove the bacterium, clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism food poisoning.

• Follow the instruction booklet that comes with your pressure canner/cooker. If you do not have it most instruction booklets are available online.