Freezing Corn

It's fresh corn season! Load up on it and enjoy it now, because we have some of the best sweet corn around here that you could hope to find. But while you're at it, also pack some away in the freezer for the winter. Freezing corn is a little more work than some other vegetables, as it has to be husked, removed from the cob, and then blanched before freezing, but the taste is so fantastic that it's worth doing at least some. Because of the amount of work involved, I personally find it easier to do several smaller batches - a dozen ears here, a dozen ears there - rather than a huge bunch all at once.

The method: Husk the ears and remove as much silk as you can. Then, using a large bowl or basin, hold each ear upright and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife. Slice them off as close to the cob as you can without slicing into it. You can boil or steam blanch the corn; I prefer to steam. I have a big pot with an insert meant for pasta (you pull it out at the water stays in the pot) that is also great for steaming large quantities of vegetables. A few minutes does the job. Cool the corn, then pack into freezer bags in quantities you are likely to want at one time. (Ideally, after blanching you dunk vegetables into ice water to cool them very quickly and stop any residual cooking that might happen. I find this impractical with corn cut from the cob because there are so many little bits to float away. But if you can find a good way to do it without losing the little bits, it's a good idea.)

Greek Tomato and Zucchini Pizza

This was one of those inspirations that I thought would be good but turned out even better than expected. You should definitely pre-bake the crust to prevent utter sogginess from the juicy veggies. If you want to use some additional cheese, you could also put a layer of that on the crust under the veggies for further water resistance. It also helps to use less-juicy tomatoes, such as plum tomatoes, though any kind will do and flavor is the most important consideration. If you have tomatoes that are not so amenable to slicing (cherries, for example), you could just coarsely chop.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, in 1/4-inch slices (halved or quartered if desired)
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 2 tsp dried)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 medium tomatoes (or equivalent) in 1/4-inch slices, seeds removed
2-3 oz. crumbled feta
3-4 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Paint crust with olive oil, then bake for 6-7 minutes. Remove from oven.

While pre-baking the crust, heat a little olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and zucchini. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano, salt and pepper.

Top crust with sliced tomatoes. Spread the zucchini mixture over it. Sprinkle with feta, then with mozzarella. Bake for about 12 minutes, until cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Tray Freezing Tip

My husband hit on a clever idea for tray freezing: he used the trays from our dehydrator, which stack together. This made it possible to get several more trays' worth of blueberries into the freezer at one time that we could have done with cookie sheets. If you've got a dehydrator, give this a try!

Tray freezing is helpful when you want the frozen food to pour relatively freely later on, so you can take the quantity you want without thawing or having to use a whole package.

Free Harvest Supper This Sunday

Don't miss the annual Free Harvest Supper this Sunday afternoon at the Greenfield Town Common/Court Square! If you haven't been the last couple of years, be sure to check it out this time. Loads of local farms and restaurants are donating their food and their labor to put on this free community event. Last year about 700 people went, including us. You get to eat fantastic food in the company of friends and neighbors, listen to live music, meet new people, and, if you like, make a donation that will be turned into farmers market coupons for low income folks.

Even Quick Suppers Can Be Local

I had no time to cook last night, and had forgotten to put something in the crock pot in the morning, so on arriving home at 7pm I was looking for something fast to get on the table for myself and Nate. I pulled some basil scape sauce out of the freezer and set it in a bowl of warm water to thaw while I made pasta. When the pasta was ready, I tossed it with the sauce, some cooked kidney beans, and crumbled feta from Chase Hill Farm. Dinner was ready in less than 20 minutes, and delicious too.

Freezing Blueberries

This afternoon, Donovan and Nate are going up to The Benson Place to pick up the 20 pounds of blueberries that we ordered. Which means I'll be working on getting them into the freezer over the next day or two (realistically, probably two, as I won't have much time before Saturday). Fortunately, freezing blueberries is ridiculously easy. Just wash and freeze. If you like, dry them in between those steps to prevent them from sticking together (though even without drying they're not too bad). Package in freezer bags in quantities you'll want to use at one time. Then, all fall and winter and spring: blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry cobbler, smoothies, mixed fruit compotes...

If you're wondering about drying blueberries, I looked into and decided it wasn't worth it. They don't dry well unless you sugar soak them first, which means a) that they are soaked in sugar and b) that it takes four days to prepare them for drying.

Summer Smoothies

I love fruit smoothies for a cool, refreshing snack on a hot summer day--or as a healthful dessert. This time of year, they are also an excellent way to use fruit that is a bit past its prime or otherwise not ideal for eating out of hand. The addition of a little frozen fruit adds more flavor as well as coldness. But you can toss in some ice cubes if you're working with just fresh fruit. I also like to add some yogurt to round out the flavor and texture and add a little more substance. These go over great with my almost-two-year-old, too.

Here's one we've been making recently:

2 ripe peaches, quartered and pitted
1/2 - 1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup yogurt (we use Sidehill Farm whole milk maple)

Blend in the blender until smooth. Serves 2-3.

Of course, the combinations are limited only by your imagination and the fruit you have on hand.