I love summer and the seasonal produce it brings along with it. Fresh tomatoes, muscadines, peaches, fresh berries, and melons are some of the bites I look forward to the most in the summer. But as a child, summer was defined by two things: sweet corn and butterbeans.

Every year, on what always seemed like the hottest day of the summer, we'd put up a truck bed full of sweet corn. Then, on what had to be the second hottest day of the summer, we'd head to my great-aunt's house to pick the row of butterbeans she reserved us. I wouldn't say I looked forward to those days at the time, but as I've gotten older, I've realized these are exactly the kinds of food traditions I hope are preserved. I saw Northwest Land and Cattle had some bushels for sale and it was enough to tempt me to put up some myself.

A couple of years ago, when I was the Family & Consumer Sciences Agent in New Hanover County, I received a call from a resident who said, "I'm putting up corn, and my grandmother taught me how to blanch, cool it, bag it and all. It takes all day. I figured with all the advancements, there has to be a better way." I laughed and replied, "No, I think they got that one figured out pretty early." Putting up corn is still an all-day affair, although buying it pre-shucked can save a little time.

Blanching vegetables before freezing is an important step because it stops the enzymes that cause vegetables to lose flavor, color, and texture during storage. Nearly all vegetables should be blanched before freezing, although blanching times vary by vegetable.

After blanching, vegetables should be cooled quickly and thoroughly to stop the cooking process. If you're freezing corn on the cob, you can transfer the ears directly into ice water. If you're freezing cream-style corn already cut off, spread it in a shallow pan and stir it regularly as it cools. I like to place a fan nearby to speed up the process, and you can also set the pan over an ice bath for even faster cooling.

I froze both cream-style and whole-kernel corn. Growing up, we only put up cream-style corn. I can still remember getting in trouble for cutting too deep before flipping the knife over to scrape the pulp from what was left of the kernels. It was a staple at nearly every family gathering throughout the year.

I encourage you to take advantage of the abundance of summer produce while it's in season. If you're interested in learning more about safely preserving produce, join us for one of our upcoming food preservation classes or visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation for research-based guidance.

Morgan King is the County Extension Director and Local Foods Agent for N.C. Cooperative Extension - Brunswick County Center. She can be reached at morgan_king@ncsu.edu.