Canning CORN

Corn Canning Recipe:  
 
Corn is a farm favorite and a staple crop in Oklahoma. While the growing season usually lasts from late spring to early fall, you can enjoy fresh-tasting corn all year by canning. Corn, in the canning world, is considered a low-acid food. This means that it has to be pressure canned in order to make it safe to eat. Pressure canners are able to reach and cook at much higher temperatures than boiling water or water bath canning methods. These temperatures are essential for killing off foodborne pathogens that can make you ill. For canning, you should only use recipes from reliable sources. There are an abundance of safe recipes available, but this is the one we chose for our video. 

Easy Steps to Pressure Canning Corn:
 

1. Harvest corn: Shuck the corn ears and pull the silks from the corn cobs.  

1. To remove the corn kernels from the cob, use a cutting board or a bundt pan. If using a bundt pan, place the cob in the middle holder, using a sharp knife, slice straight down along the sides of the cob. The kernels should easily come off and fall into the pan or on the cutting board. The bundt pan makes for easy collection of the kernels in one location versus the cutting board.  

1. Due to the high temperatures involved with pressure canning, the canning jars do not need to be sanitized beforehand; however, for peace of mind, you may want to sanitize the canning lids and bands. If sanitizing the lids, prepare them according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  

1. When cold/raw packing corn for canning, after removing the kernels from the cob, you can add the corn directly into the jars without the need for additional cooking preparation. Make sure to leave an inch of headspace near the top of the canning jars.  

1. Next, add one teaspoon of canning/pickling salt to each canning jar you are preparing. A good rule of thumb is ½ tsp per pint or 1 tsp per quart. 

1. Add boiling water to the jars leaving an inch of headspace near the top. The corn should be submerged but the jar should not be overflowing.  

1. You will want to wipe off the jar tops and edges to ensure a proper sealing. Leftover crumbs or excessive moisture can limit proper sealing techniques.  

1. Secure the lid bands to a light hand tighten 

1. For a 22 liter pressure canner, we added 2.5 quarts of water. Make sure you add the proper amount of water based on the size of your pressure canner. A general rule of thumb is to add 2-3 inches of water. 

1. Lay the pressure canner base in the bottom and place the prepared corn jars in the canner. Evenly space out your cans, so as not to cluster them.  Secure or lock the lid in place. Some pressure canners will not allow you to remove the lid once it is fully pressurized for safety precautions. Should you need to make adjustments, wait until your pressure canner is fully depressurized before removing the lid and other items.  

1. Allow some time for the pressure canner to heat. When the pressure canner starts to steam, allow it to steam for about 10 mins.  

1. After allowing it to steam, add the pressure valve to the canner and reduce the heat.  

1. Continue heating until the pressure valve starts moving (rattling/shaking). The valve should spin on most pressure canners.  

1. Once the valve has begun moving, allow the pressure canner to continue to heat. For corn the time is 50 minutes.  

1. After 50 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the canner to depressurize on its own. The pressure valve will drop back down to show that the canner has fully been depressurized, allowing you to remove the lid and canning jars inside.  

1. Use heat tongs  to safely remove the jars from the canner. Never hand grab the jars directly from the canner 

1. Allow the jars to completely cool before testing lid seals. Once cooled, the lids should not make a “pop” sound when pressed in the center of the lid.   

 
For additional information, visit one of these resources below: 

• For information about preparation methods- http://ccetompkins.org/resources/lets-preserve-sweet-corn-penn-state 
• For the procedures and helpful tables about hot pack & pack methods- https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/corn_kernel.html  ​