Canning Corn & Creating Family Time
The garden is keeping us busy with fresh produce, and if you’re anything like me, you’re up to your ears each evening deciding how to enjoy it all year long. Our garden surprised us this year and did pretty well for our first year on the farm, but we didn’t plant any corn or green beans. So, we did the next best thing: we headed straight to our local Amish market for locally grown produce.
We walked out with a massive 25-pound bag of corn and a plan to turn our Saturday into a corn-canning Family Day.
This post includes affiliate links.
When we got home, we didn’t even bother with the kitchen. The carport became our official corn shucking headquarters. We set out a couple of card tables and a few chairs, grabbed a big cooler to keep the ears cool, and just got started. There’s nothing like being outside on a nice day, working together and chatting with your loved ones. It’s those simple moments that really make a memory stick.
Materials Needed
To tackle this project, here’s what you’ll need:
- Fresh corn (of course!)
- A bucket to collect husks and cobs
- A cooler to keep the unshucked corn cool while you work
- A cutting board and a sharp knife
- A bundt cake pan (this is a game-changer, trust me!)
- A pressure canner
- Canning jars, lids, and rings
- Salt
- And most importantly, time!
Directions
- Shuck the Corn: First things first, remove all the husks and silk from the corn cobs. We used a big bucket to toss all the waste into, which made cleanup a lot easier.
- Cut the Corn: This is where my favorite tip comes in handy. Grab your bundt cake pan and stand a corn cob on the center hole. As you slice the kernels off with a sharp knife, they’ll fall right into the pan, keeping your work area just a little bit neater.
- Pack the Jars: Pack the raw corn kernels into clean canning jars, leaving about an inch of headspace at the top. Add a bit of salt—I recommend 1/2 teaspoon for pints and 1 teaspoon for quarts.
- Pressure Can: Corn is a low-acid food, which means you absolutely must use a pressure canner to preserve it safely. Process your jars for the recommended time:
- Pints: 55 minutes
- Quarts: 1 hour and 25 minutes
One final tip: because we set up our operation outside, cleanup was a breeze. When we were all done, we just folded the tables and hosed the carport down. So much easier than sweeping and mopping a kitchen floor!
Shucking and canning corn might not sound like the most thrilling activity, but the feeling of accomplishment—and the reward of tasting fresh, sweet corn in the middle of a cold January—is unbeatable. It’s a wonderful way to spend a day with family, creating memories and stocking your pantry with delicious, homegrown goodness.
Real life moment – our garden is starting to look a little less than cared for. It’s August and that means it’s been too hot to control weeds. But there are still tomatos and okra just waiting to be picked – even if we do have to wade through some weeds to find them!
Maybe next year I’ll focus on the weeds. Or maybe not…. We’ll see!
