Corn Cob Jelly

Yup! You heard me right. I said Corn Cob Jelly as in jelly made from corn cobs. Can you believe that! I had first heard mention of Corn Cob Jelly on Facebook earlier in the summer and had mentioned it to my dear friend Donna and look what Donna sent me!.....................

......a jar of Corn Cob Jelly and a corn cookbook she found on her travels at the Corn Cob Palace in Mitchell South Dakota.

So what does Corn Cob Jelly taste like? Well it's sweet and very mild and doesn't at all taste like a corn cob. Not that I've ever ate a corn cob before mind you, so maybe it tastes just like a corn cob and I don't know it. All I know is that it just tastes sweet, it is clear and it has a very pretty pinkish amber like color to it. A very unique jelly for sure.

How do you make Corn Cob Jelly you ask. I figured inquiring minds would want to know, so here is a recipe that was in the Corny Stuff book that Donna sent. There were 3 different recipes, so I settled on just one, but they were each very similar.

Corn Cob Jelly
by Margaret Fuchs

12-14 large red corn cobs (I'm sure you could use yellow ones)
3 pints water
3 cups sugar
1 pkg of pectin or Sure Jell

Wash the cobs well in cold water. Put in a large container and cover completely with water. Boil 30 minutes. Strain off 3 cups of juice and add 1 pkg pectin. Bring this mixture to a good boil. Add sugar and boil at a rolling boil for 1 minute. Add red food coloring. Skim the mixture and pour into jelly glasses. Can top with melted wax. (I know we don't use that method anymore, so just pour into scalded jars and seal).

So I got to thinking there are a lot of things that you can do with corn--the cob, the husk, the silk, the stalk.............

The corn stalk I think is best used for fall decor gathered together and tied in bundles.

The corn silk I read can be made into a tea or minced up and added to a salad (I will pass on both of these thank you!)

The husks can be made into Dolls (pdf pattern), used to make homemade Tamales (recipe), Wreaths (tutorial). Here's a beautiful wreath using the whole corn.

How about corn cob stock to add to soups and other cooking. Here's another corn cob jelly recipe that turns out yellow and has a bit of lemon in it.

Or how about Corncob Popcorn made by popping an ear of corn in a brown paper bag in the microwave. That looks fun!

And last but not least--ok so this truly is the least--as emergency toilet paper! Well ya know that's what great-grandma used to use. Poor woman!

And these are just a few of the uses for the very versatile corn. Who knew!

Thank you Donna!