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Freezing Fresh Corn

It's harvest time and anyone with a garden is most likely up to their ears with produce. I hate when anything goes to waste so I'm always in search of ways to store food. I love to can but it can be a very big project and you have to have all the equipment what can you do instead? Freeze it! I know this isn't the best option if your wanting to store it for long periods of time but it should be good for up to a year. 

I'll be using corn on the cob to demonstrate what you need and how to do it. First off, freezing always goes best when you have a food vacuum. It can be done without it, there's just a bigger risk of freezer burn. I don't have a food vacuum so I'll will be making do without it. I started with a dozen ears of corn, the fresher the better, so if your able to pick it right off the stalk it's going to taste really good!

1. Shuck the corn and try to get as much of the silk off as possible but if there is some let it will be fine.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it's boiling add the corn, I only did six at a time and did two batches. This is called blanching and is necessary for keeping the taste. Depending on the size is how long you will cook it. Small-7 minutes, Medium-9 minutes, and Large-11 minutes.

3. Once it has cooked for the needed time you will transfer it to a bowl of water filled with ice. Let it cool for the same time that it cooked adding more ice as it melts. 

4. Once its cooled down you can cut the corn off and add it to a freezer bag or a zip lock bag. Since there are only two in my family I used a sandwich size zip lock bag and only put two-three serving sizes in it. 

5. If you have a food vacuum this is where you will suck out all the air. If you have a zip lock bag like I do just try to get as much air out of it as possible and close it. I've heard of people putting a straw in it and sucking out the air then closing it. Whatever works best for you.

6. Lastly you can mark the bag with the date it was made. It should last about a year as long as there is not bad freezer burn.

Note: When you are ready to eat it just put the bag in the microwave and heat it up for a couple of minutes.

   

Late Night Bowling Parties

On Monday nights at Miracle Bowl you can bowl unlimited from 9-11 for just $8 a person (that includes your shoes)! We, and a couple of Sam's coworkers and husbands decided to take advantage of it. We showed up at nine and were able to get in four games! It was such a blast and everyone was getting very creative, especially in the starburst game. If you haven't played that way, I definitely suggest it. You can also play it with skittles. But anyways, how to play; for each color choose a different move for instance, red could mean bowling with our eyes closed, yellow could mean bowl laying down. You put all the candy in a bag and whenever it's your turn you just close your eyes choose a piece of candy and whatever you get you have to do. This makes the game very interesting and you'll be getting stares from everyone! Have to give it up for the mister though, he doesn't enjoy bowling too much but our last round he killed everyone and even had a turkey!

Sewing with Minky

Tips to Keep You Sane

Minky, we all love it, we all want it, but actually sewing with it can get difficult. Lets be honest we've all had the "fun" of unpicking the minky because of tucks or stretching. I've complied a list of tips and tricks to help you have a pleasant experience while sewing minky.

1. If you're going to be sewing minky with any other type of fabric you'll want to wash it first, since minky doesn't shrink and most other fabrics do.

2. A walking foot will save your life! It helps to evenly feed all layers of the fabric, if you don't have one and don't want to get one then I suggest laying the minky on bottom. But really, just get a walking foot, you'll thank yourself in the end.

3. Use a long stitch, 4 is usually best.

4. Remember that minky has a nap so position it the way you would like it to lay.

5. DO NOT iron minky, it will melt it!

6. Pin EVERY 1"! Even 2" can cause stretching and tucking.

7. Minky is heavy (especially when wet) so I would suggest using a half inch seam so the edges are not being weighed down and being pulled out.

I hope that you find some help from the tips and keep on loving minky!