You may not have done anything wrong. I always blanch mine for about 2-3 minutes. But, some people don't blanch, often with corn on the cob, and think that works better.

Watery and mushy to me says that the corn was probably harvested much too early. Was it very young when you picked it? I personally like it just a little bit on the old side both for fresh eating and for freezing.

Also, it may be a function of the variety. What kind did you grow. Some kinds just freeze better than others. I really like Sun and Stars, Illini Xtra Sweet, Ruby Queen for freezing, although the color of the cooked Ruby Queen is a little strange, purple-green, but flavor is very good.

We steam blanch and freeze Peaches n' Cream on the cob each year with no problems and with great results so I would agree that it was either the picking time or the variety. "No taste" usually means a variety or growing condition problem.

You shucked them right? Some don't even do that but I can't buy into it. And don't over-cook them at serving time.

Dave

How did the corn taste fresh? If it was great fresh, then it's unlikely to be the ripeness and I'd attribute it to the variety.

We have had excellent luck with frozen corn. In fact, I'd say along with pie cherries and blueberries, it's one of the most successful frozen products.

Consider next planting doing some test rows of different varieties.

Also, how is your freezer? Is this issue confined to the corn or is it possible you had power outages, gasket leaks or other issues that affected the quality of other frozen products as well?

Carol

The farmer near here says in order to have really sweet, tender corn, the cob is often tender, too, making it mushy when frozen. It could be the kind of corn it is.
Then, if you have a self defrosting freezer that may have been the problem. It cycles on and off to defrost all the time. It slightly defrosts the food each time, too. Food doesn't keep as well in a self defrosting freezer.
Blanching is always best for corn since blanching destroys the enzymes that cause spoilage and deterioration.
Did you blanch long enough ? Underblanching is worse than no blanching.

thanks to all those great replies... I did not grow them myself I was able to get them at a very price. They were just the standard butter and sugar var. I even vac pack them to be sure...they were stored in a chest freezer. I am almost not sure I would try this again .. so much waste. Like I said I tried both blanching and just raw ..some were almost light gray in color and mushy... but thank you guys nice try.

I've had the same trouble in the past, even following all the blanching and freezing rules. It's awful having to toss all that hard work. :(

My mother-in-law always serves great corn throughout the winter, so I've finally asked how she does it. She cooks the corn completely in water with both sugar and salt added (recipe passed down from her mom). When you use it from the freezer, you're merely reheating and not doing any further cooking. I'm going to do up a bunch of corn today and can let you know how it goes if you're still interested.

I have never had any luck freezing corn still on the cob, it's always mushy and watery. so I blanch, cut it from the cob and freeze it that way, it's just more consistent that way. Plus, those cobs take up so much room in my freezer...

Annie

I'm with Annie. Freezing it on the cob is the problem. Blanch for 4 minutes, cool quickly in 60 degree or lower water, cut it off the cob and freeze. We've frozen 40 bags of corn this way this year, and are already eating it. It's delicious, and no cobs to take up room and get in the way, and no waste....

I know there are those who swear by corn frozen on the cob, but for us blanching, cutting and vacuum-sealing has yielded the best results.

Unfortunately with purchased corn there are so many variables you can't be sure of. It makes it very challenging to determine the reason for the problem.

Carol

When we first bought the Food saver we had some mushy foods. I think it was because DH got carried away and actually vacuumed too long. (Sucked out some of the juice and put too much compession on the food). We had better results by freezing the food first and then vac packing it. We froze some corn blanched and cut, then we bought more to freeze on the cob. The man at the farm stand told us to just wrap it like it was , unshucked, and freeze it. Tried some and it is very good.

Frozen corn can be tricky because the moisture levels change so fast. It sounds like the variety of corn or the cooling speed might have caused the breakdown. Don't let it discourage you from trying another batch with a different method.

Zade, this thread is 16 years old, so probably the OP has chosen a method by now!

Annie

I bet big al is still lurking. You're not going to get good sweet corn at all on a cob unless you have the equipment to flash freeze the product after blanching. Blanching, about an average of 9 minutes or up to 11 minutes requires quick cooling. Cool to the touch isn't good enough and the cob will still be in the 90 to nearly 100 degree range, and still cooking. You need to probe the cob with a thermometer and get it below room temperature, I shoot for the mid 50's. Blanching deactivates the enzymes that breakdowns and convert sugars to starch even when frozen solid. slow freezing will make it mushy, and not deactivating the enzymes will make it taste bad.

I stopped even bothering with corn on the cob and remove the kernels with a nifty little gizmo gadget, place the kennels on a sheet pan and freeze in my best freeze making sure not to overload the freezer. Bag up and vacuum seal, even after two years they taste like I just picked them last week.

I hope this helps big al.

I blanch the cobs for 6 minutes and then into an ICE water bath for about 8 minutes before cutting off the cob with an electric knife. Put kernals on a sheet pan and into the freezer for a few hours. Bag and vacuum seal. Turns out great! I've done about 6 dozen so far this year and might do a couple dozen more if Walmart's 25 cent corn still looks good next time I go.

The variety of corn is important and the way the fresh corn is harvested, prepared and frozen is critical.

Corn purchased at a store or farmer's market doesn't freeze well, it must be processed and frozen within a few hours of picking.

I plant three or four rows at the same time every four or five days and harvest only those rows early in the morning when the corn is very slightly immature, then immediately prepare and freeze it as quickly as possible on the day it is picked. This is importsnt because the sugar in the corn begins to turn to starch with time after the ears are picked.

By planting at intervals of about four or five days, you can harvest, prepare and freeze your corn in batches at intervals when it is at the perfect level of maturity.

I agree that the sooner after picking the better but it's far from critical. I get good results from store bought which appears to be locally grown and harvested the previous day. Walmart's corn has been really good this year and at 25 cents an ear you can't beat the price. There is a local grower that sells corn at a farmer's market in a nearby town for $8/dozen and $35 a bushel that is no better than what I've been getting at WM and his has a lot of ear worms.

Agreed, variety of corn is is the most important part of growing corn. I've never had a store bought cob of corn I liked after growing my own.

It took my neighbor and I five years of trials to find the best of the best, finally picking Nirvana as the best, and all we grow now. Now we're doing trials to get two full ears per stock and just this year my neighbor succeeded, with the lower ear just as big and tasty as the top ear! Twice as much corn. It's not easy and requires all the stars to align with the fertilizer and timing, watering and sunshine. We both plant a week apart for a steady supply for a month of peak ripe corn.

I used to grow corn but got tired of the raiding coons and deer getting most of it. Not interested in fencing off an area just for corn. I no longer have the room anyway after downsizing. I'm happy with what I've been buying and that is good enough for me.

LoneJack, did you sell the farm? No more cows or chickens? I sure hope you didn't sell out and move to a condo in KC overlooking the not so pretty skyline.

No Kevin, I just downsized the garden. They would have to drag me off kicking a screaming to get me to move back into the city. I still have the chickens and added 6 more to the flock this year. The cows are over at a friend's farm that has more acreage.