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Canning Sweet Corn

A method for preserving sweet corn in glass jars using tartaric acid and baking soda.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Canning Sweet Corn

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cut the corn raw from the cobs.

  2. In a pot, add the corn and enough water to keep it from burning.

Cook and can

  1. Bring the corn to a boil, then add the dissolved tartaric acid.

  2. Parboil the corn, then can it in glass jars as you would tomatoes.

Rinse and finish

  1. Drain the corn in a colander and rinse with cold water to remove the sour taste.

  2. Add a small lump of baking soda while cooking.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

What each ingredient does

Raw corn
Forms the bulk of the dish and supplies its sweet, starchy kernels.
Tartaric acid
Adds acidity, which helps keep the canned corn safely preserved.
Baking soda
Raises the pH slightly, which can soften the kernels while they cook.

The step that matters

Adding the tartaric acid. Corn is a low-acid vegetable, so enough acid must be present before canning to lower its pH and reduce the risk of spoilage. The acid is dissolved in water first so it mixes evenly through the batch.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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