From Our Farm to Your Table
Freezing Sweet Corn
without blanching
16 cups uncooked corn
3 cups crushed ice
2 tablespoons salt
½ cup sugar
Husk corn and clean off silk. Cut corn off the cob. Measure the above ingredients into a large bowl and mix together. Put in freezer bags and freeze immediately.
To use: remove from freezer and thaw. Rinse in cool water until excess liquid is drained. Put in sauce pan, add water to cover, salt or butter to taste, heat to boil. Serve corn that tastes as fresh as the day you cut it off the cob!
Fresh Pumpkin Puree
for now and later
Choose pie pumpkins to fit your needs. I typically like to use a few varieties to obtain a great flavor. My favorites are blue hubbards, cushaws, and neck pumpkins. I follow the same steps regardless of the amount of pumpkin puree I am making.
1. Cut the pie pumpkin lengthwise and clean out seeds. Careful!
2. Cut again, keeping large sections, if needed in order to fit on a baking sheet.
3. Brush raw pumpkin lightly with olive oil.
4. Place cut side down on baking sheets and add about a 1/4 inch of water to the sheet.
5. Bake in 375 oven for about an hour. Time varies depending on thickness of pumpkin. Turn pumpkin over so skin side is down. Add water if dry. Continue baking until fork tender.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. When pumpkin is cool enough to touch, begin removing pumpkin from outer skin and put in a large bowl.
8. Use an immersion blender to puree pumpkin. (You can also use a regular blender, just do small batches and be sure your lid is tight)
9. Measure out desired amount and put in freezer bags.
I typically measure out amounts needed for various pumpkin recipes and add a bit more because some will be lost in freezing and thawing.
Of course, you can use it right away also!
Quick Corn Fritters
with fresh sweet corn
3 cups fresh sweet corn
1 cup flour
½ tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¾cup heavy cream
Vegetable oil
Scallions, sour cream, paprika
Stir together corn, flour, sugar, baking powder, and s/p to taste. Add eggs and heavy cream, stir until batter is well-combined. Add oil to a large pan and warm over medium heat. Drop in batter by 2-3 tablespoons and lightly spread into a pancake shape. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, flip, and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan and place on cooling rack with paper towels underneath. Season with salt, pepper, or paprika to taste before fritters cool. Serve warm with scallions, sour cream, or other toppings.
Farmhouse Pasta Sauce
oven roasted hearty sauce for the busy canner
*recipe for extra large roasting pan*
adjust amounts based on your pan size
2 25 lb. boxes seconds tomatoes
6 candy onions
4 peppers
4 zucchini
2 eggplant
2-4 garlic cloves
fresh herbs
extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper, sugar or honey
fresh lemon juice
Set your oven to 250°. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil in roasting pan and along sides. Wash and dry your produce removing any stems or unwanted blemishes but no need to peel anything (except the garlic). The skin on vegetables contain many nutrients and aid in thickening the sauce. Add your produce to the roasting pan estimating how much you will need to fill the pan as you go. This will cook down so you can fill the pan to the brim and smash your tomtatoes to release the juices and make more room. Add the fresh herbs, seasonings, and sugar or honey if you prefer. Roast unconvered in the oven at 250° for 6-8 hours. Carefully remove from oven and use an imersion blender to stir and blend the sauce. Return to the oven and increase temperature to 300° for another 2-4 hours. Remove, blend, and stir again. Return to the oven and increase temperature to 350° for 1-2 hours depending on how much more liquid needs to be cooked off. Once your are happy with the thickness and smoothness of the sauce, your are ready to can and process the sauce using hot water bath methods (10-15 minutes).
Casserole
perfect solution for leftover corn on the cob
1 medium yellow zucchini, thinly sliced
1 medium green zucchini, thinly sliced
¼ cup butter, divided
2 cups candy onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh sweet corn
1½ cups shredded white cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
½ mayonnaise
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1½ cups fresh breadcrumbs, divided
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, divided
Melt 2 TBSP butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini, squash, and onion. Sauté for 10 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes then remove from heat. In a large bowl, stir together cooked veggies, sweet corn, white cheddar cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, eggs, salt, and pepper. Stir in ½ cup breadcrumbs and ½ cup parmesan cheese. Spread mixture into a greased casserole dish. Melt remaining butter and combine with remaining breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake uncovered in a 350° oven for 45-50 minutes. Also freezes well.