If you don't have room in your freezer, but you want to be able to enjoy the
corn from your garden this winter, then home-canning your corn is the easy way
to do it. Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and
completely illustrated. The corn will taste MUCH better than any canned corn
you've ever had from a store. Frozen corn, of course, retains
flavor better. If you want directions for freezing corn, click here.
One other important note: you will need a pressure canner. Corn is a low
acid food, so you can not use a boiling water bath canner. It must be a
pressure canner. Pressure canners cost more than water bath canners, but they
are more versatile and last a lifetime, and your children and grandchildren may
be using it. See this page for
more information about pressure canners.
Hot Pack v. Raw Pack? Raw pack means it is placed into the jars
without heating, and then the jars are processed in the canner. Which is better? Not much difference. Food safety
experts prefer the hot pack method, because you can stir the corn the ensure it
gets evenly and thoroughly heated. I usually use the "hot pack" method.
Hot pack instructions are here, should you
prefer them.
Directions for Canning Corn at Home
Ingredients and Equipment
fresh corn on the cob - any
quantity. I figure 1.5 ears per serving.
1 medium sized pot of boiling water (to pour over the corn in the
jars)
Canning jars, lids and rings
2 large bowls, one filled with cold water
and ice.
1 sharp knife
1 Large spoon or ladle
Ideal ear - ripe but not bloated. the
kernels are still tender (easily punctured with your fingernail) and the
juice is milky). White, yellow or bicolor types are all fine!
Instructions
Step 1 - Get yer corn!
Start with fresh corn on the cob - as fresh
as you can get. If there is a delay between harvesting and canning,
put it in the refrigerator or put ice on it. The sugars break down quickly
at room temperature. According to the USDA, about 32 pounds (in
husk) of sweet corn is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of
20 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. Note that a bushel
weighs 35 pounds and yields 6 to 11 quarts of canned corn, which is an
average of 4½ pounds of corn in the husks per quart of finished canned
corn.
Step
2 - Get the pots ready
Get the medium sized pot filled with water.
This is also a
good time to get the canner
filled according to your canner’s directions (usually several inches of
water) with water and start it heating.
Step 3 - Husk the corn
Husk the corn and pick off as much of the
silk as you can. A soft vegetable brush is the fastest and easiest
way to get the remaining silk off - just don't be too rough with it.
Step 4 - Cut the kernels from the cob
Obviously, if you are canning the corn on the cob, skip this step.
Whole Kernel Corn – Cut
kernels from cob about 2/3 to 3/4 the depth of the kernels. I hold the ear by the
small end, and slide the knife down the ear. See the next photo.
Cream Style Corn – Cut
kernel tips about 1/2 deep and scrape the cobs with the back of a knife to
remove the juice and the heart of the kernel.
Another way to prepare cream style corn for
canning is to cut and scrape the corn from the cob without blanching. Place
the cut corn in a double boiler, and heat with constant stirring for about
10 minutes or until it thickens; allow to cool by placing the pan in ice
water.
You don't need a special tool, just a very sharp
knife!
Some folks use an electric carving knife and report this is the easiest
method, and a few use a meat slicer.
However, a number of people wrote in to point out that they prefer one of the tools below, as do I, often because it is easier for them due to
arthritis, or simply faster.
As the corn piles up in your bowl, it will look like this!
Close
up, the corn comes off in strips. As you put these in the bag, they
will easily separate into separate kernels.
Step 5 - Get a pot of water boiling
You'll need this to fill the jars after you pack them with
corn.
Step 6 - Pack the jars
Fill
jars with corn leaving 3/4 to 1 inch headspace (corn
tends to expand more than other vegetables).
Step 7 - Fill with hot liquid
Be sure to include enough hot water from step 7 to cover the corn and jostle out any air bubbles that may be
trapped. You may add additional plain boiling water, if you are short on
liquids from the heated corn. Still leave 3/4 to 1 inch headspace.
Step 8 - Put the lids and rings on the jars
Wipe the rims of the jars, put the lids on and then the rings on
snugly, not not TOO hard.
Processing time for corn in a
dial-gauge pressure canner
Raw Pack
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes
of
Jar Size
Process Time
0 - 2,000 ft
2,001 - 4,000 ft
4,001 - 6,000 ft
6,001 - 8,000 ft
Pints
55 min
11 lb
12 lb
13 lb
14 lb
Quarts
85 min
11
12
13
14
Processing time for corn in a
weighted-gauge pressure canner
Raw Pack
Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of
Jar Size
Process Time
0 - 1,000 ft
Above 1,000 ft
Pints
55 min
10 lb
15 lb
Quarts
85
10
15
Step 9 - Done!
When the processing time is up, turn off the heat, and allow the
pressure canner to cool and the pressure to drop to zero before opening
the canner. Let the jars cool without being jostled.
Later, when you are ready to serve
the corn, it just takes about 3 or 4 minutes in the microwave (from frozen)
or in the top of a double boiler. The corn doesn't need to be "cooked", just
heated up!
Tips:
Harvest early in the morning, especially if the
weather is hot, to get peak flavor.
Harvest the corn at its peak maturity (milky
fluid in the kernels, kernels tender, and not bloated). Immature corn is
watery when cooked and over-ripe corn is chewy and doughy.
Process promptly after harvesting, or keep
cooled in the fridge or with ice until then.
This occurs most often when too high a temperature is used causing
caramelization of the sugar in the corn. It may also be caused by some
minerals in the water used in canning.
Aspirin / Salicylic Acid? My mother canned corn using salicylic acid.
The only recipe I have is: 7 cups corn 1/2 cup salt 1 cup sugar 1t.salicylic
acid 1 cup water Let boil several minutes. What do I need to know to can
corn using this method?
You may have heard of someone's grandmother canning corn by boiling the
corn, adding aspirin or salicylic acid from the drugstore, then sealing the
corn in jars with no further processing. According to the
University of Illinois, a recipe circulated several years ago, using
aspirin to acidify tomatoes and beans for canning. Aspirin is not
recommended for canning. While it contains salicylic acid, it does not
sufficiently acidify low acid foods like tomatoes or beans for safe hot
water bath canning. Low acid foods (without added acids) should only be
processed safely in a pressure canner. Lemon juice or vinegar is recommended
to acidify tomato products for safe water bath processing. You can also see
an
article in JAMA (the Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 289
No. 13, April 2, 2003, titled "Is salicylic acid as a food preservative
harmful?"; from which the abstract states: "salicylic acid, inthe ways in which it is used in the preparation of food products,is not only not harmful, but is a preservative to health, inasmuchas the process of decomposition which it prevents would be farmore dangerous."
Pressure canners!
Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner
This is usually about $80 PLUS SHIPPING.
(which is a GREAT price for a pressure canner). There is also a 16
quart version for about $69. Click on the links
at left or above for more info and current pricing. It is also available
from Amazon .com (click on the box link at left) (and below from Target)
Features:
17 by 15-1/2 inches; 12-year warranty
Heavy-duty 23-quart aluminum pressure canner and
cooker
Comfortably ergonomic, stay-cool black plastic
handles
Strong-lock lid with pressure regulator, dial
gauge, and overpressure plug
Comes with canning rack to protect jars during
canning
When the processing time is up, turn off the heat, and allow the
pressure canner to cool and the pressure to drop to zero before opening
the canner. Let the jars cool without being jostled.
Start with fresh corn on the cob - as fresh
as you can get. If there is a delay between harvesting and canning,
put it in the refrigerator or put ice on it. The sugars break down quickly
at room temperature. According to the USDA, about 32 pounds (in
husk) of sweet corn is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of
20 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. Note that a bushel
weighs 35 pounds and yields 6 to 11 quarts of canned corn, which is an
average of 4½ pounds of corn in the husks per quart of finished canned
corn.
Husk the corn and pick off as much of the
silk as you can. A soft vegetable brush is the fastest and easiest
way to get the remaining silk off - just don't be too rough with it.
Obviously, if you are canning the corn on the cob, skip this step. 
Another way to prepare cream style corn for
canning is to cut and scrape the corn from the cob without blanching. Place
the cut corn in a double boiler, and heat with constant stirring for about
10 minutes or until it thickens; allow to cool by placing the pan in ice
water.
Close
up, the corn comes off in strips. As you put these in the bag, they
will easily separate into separate kernels.
Fill
jars with corn leaving 3/4 to 1 inch headspace (corn
tends to expand more than other vegetables). 
