Things You'll Need
Pot
Tongs
Large bowl
Ice (optional)
Vacuum sealer
Vacuum sealer bags
Scissors
Permanent marker
Preserving summer's bounty from the garden in the freezer assures you that come fall and winter, you have a supply of sweet, tender corn on the cob for the dinner table. Using a vacuum sealer helps preserve the quality of the corn. The plastic bags that vacuum sealers use are heavier and no air is present in the bags so the produce lasts longer. The most important element of preparing corn for the freezer, whether you pick it in the backyard or buy it from the grocery store, is timing. The sugars in corn quickly turn to starch at room temperature, so keeping it cold until blanching ensures the corn stays at the peak of flavor.
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to the boiling point. You have to blanch corn on the cob before vacuum sealing it to stop the enzyme activity, which can break down the flavor of the corn over time.
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Step 2
Remove the husks and corn silk from the ears of corn and drop the ears into the boiling water. Do not add too many ears at a time, which can cool the water too much for it to boil. Blanch ears less than 1 1/4 inch in diameter for seven minutes, ears up to 1 1/2 inches for nine minutes and ears over 1 1/2 inches for 11 minutes.
Step 3
Fill a large bowl with cold water. If your tap water is lukewarm, add ice to it. After you take the ears out with the tongs, you need to cool the corn down quickly in the cold water before putting them in the vacuum bags. Cool the ears for the same amount of time that you blanched them.
Step 4
Seal the end of the roll of the food saver bag and cut the vacuum bags to fit the ears of corn you want to freeze for each bag, leaving enough of an allowance to seal the bags. The length and width of your corn dictates how much extra you need.
Step 5
Place the cooled corn in the bags and remove the air from the bag using your vacuum sealer. Once all the air is out, use the heat setting to seal the bag. Use a permanent marker to write the date on the bag. Freeze promptly and use within 12 months. You can reheat the corn in a microwave or by dropping in boiling water until it's hot. The blanching process cooked the corn, so all you need to do is bring it up to the temperature you prefer to eat it.
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