Corn should be harvested in the milk stage for best canning results. Pressure canning is necessary due to corn being a low-acid vegetable. Whole kernel corn is canned in pint or quart jars, while custard corn is canned in pint or half pint jars. Dial canners take 85 minutes for quart jars and 55 minutes for pint jars, while weighted gauge pressure cylinders require 85 minutes for quart jars and 55 minutes for pint jars.
Canning is a method of preserving foods such as corn for later year-round consumption when fresh counterparts to those foods are unavailable. Corn should be harvested when in the milk stage for best canned results. Double boiler canning methods should not be used with corn; instead, you should use a pressure canister. Corn can be canned as creamed corn or whole corn, and can be hot-packed or raw. The size of the jars used will likely depend on whether the kernel corn is creamed or whole.
When storing corn, you should choose fresh corn harvested early in the morning for the best flavor. The ears should be plump and ripe, and the grains should be tender. The corn should be in the milk stage, meaning a milky juice is released if the kernels are pierced. If possible, you should begin storing corn within six hours of harvesting; if not, the corn should be refrigerated or kept cool with ice. The husks and as much silk as possible should be removed, a task that can be made easier with a small vegetable cleaning brush.
Pressure canning is a frequently used method when canning corn, a low-acid vegetable that requires a high temperature of 240° Fahrenheit (about 115° Celsius) to kill dangerous bacteria. Double boiler canners cannot reach this temperature and should not be used when canning corn. If the rack is missing from the pressure can, you can place grommets on the bottom of the can to keep the jars and can separate. Rubber rings can also be stretched around the jars to prevent them from hitting and breaking during processing.
Whole kernel corn is made by cutting the kernels off the cob at the base, while custard corn is made by cutting the kernels halfway off the cob and then using the back of a knife to remove the juice and core of the kernels. To bag corn, you can simply place the corn in a jar without cooking it first, because the heat in the pressure container will kill any dangerous bacteria. Hot packed corn is heated until bubbly and placed in the jar while the corn is still hot; it is the preferred method of food safety experts because all bacteria are killed before canning. Both of these methods will work for canning corn, whether canning the whole kernel or cream. Always remember to leave about an inch of headspace in the jar to account for expansion of the corn as it is processed.
Jar size is an important consideration in canning corn. Custard corn is very thick and is most commonly canned in pint (500ml) or half pint (250ml) jars. Whole kernel corn is commonly canned in pint (500 mL) or quart (0.95 L) jars. Dial cannons take 85 minutes at 11lbs (about 5kg) for quart jars (0.95L) and 55 minutes for pint jars (500ml) but need more pressure if you are canning about 0.6 km or more above sea level. Weighted gauge pressure cylinders require 55 minutes for pint jars (500 mL) and 85 minutes for quart jars (0.95 L) at 10 pounds (approximately 4.5 kg) of pressure with more pressure needed if in box at approximately 1,000 feet (about 0.3 km) above sea level.
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