
HOW TO (Can SWEET CORN 


The right moment 
CHOOSING THE EARS 
Select young, tender ears, direct from the 
garden. They should be at just the right 
maturity —in the milk stage. Test the 
corn by pressing your fingernail into a 
kernel. If the milk spurts out, the corn 
is at the fleeting moment of perfect flavor 
and ripeness. If the milk oozes out slowly 
and thickly, however, that means it is 
too old. 
PREPARING THE EARS 
Corn should be canned immediately after 
gathering — within an hour after you 
bring it from the garden. Once it is picked, 
corn changes fast from sugar to starch. 
For this reason, it is best to work with 
small quantities at a time and complete 
the whole canning process quickly. Husk 
the corn. Cut out any damaged spots. 
Remove all silks, using a vegetable brush, 
if necessary. Wash the ears thoroughly 
in cold water. 
CANNING THE CORN 
Put the whole ears into boiling water or 
active steam for five minutes. Cool slight- 
ly and then cut from cob. Precooking the 
corn before cutting from the cob sets the 
milk and gives you a better product. To 
cut the whole kernels, use a sharp, heavy 
knife — but do not cut so deeply as to 
get in pieces of the cob. 
Pack the corn loosely into clean jars, 
filling the jars up to the shoulder. Add 
lf, tsp. salt to pint jars. Then, using the 
Kitchen art 
Winter’s supply 
boiling water in which the corn was pre- 
cooked, fill the jars into one inch of the 
jar top. 
Process in pressure cooker for 80 min- 
utes at 10 pounds pressure. Or process 
31% hours in boiling water bath. 
IMPORTANT 
Corn is a non-acid vegetable and steriliza- 
tion should be thorough. For this reason 
it is advisable to can corn in pint jars. In 
larger jars it is not easy to get as complete 
sterilization. 
HOW TO BE SURE 
OF WELL CANNED CORN 
Use only those ears picked at the perfect mo- 
ment of freshness. Do not use any over-ripe ears. 
- 
2. Work fast —use small quantities. Slow can- 
ning often causes spoilage, as corn stands in jars 
too long before processing. 
3. Be sure jars, rubbers, lids and corn are thor- 
oughly clean. Remove all damaged spots on corn. 
4. Pack corn loosely in jars. Use 
plenty of liquid, as called for by 
recipe. 
a 
Cool as rapidly as possible after 
processing. Sometimes canned 
vegetables spoil if the food re- 
mains about 110° or 115° F. for much time 
before or after processing. 

G. Store in a cool, dry place. 
7. Use good lids, jars and rubbers. 
8. Follow canning recipe exactly. Avoid over- 
cooking in both precooking and processing. Use 
hot-water bath, or pressure cooking method 
rather than the open-kettle way. 
