Making Corncob Jelly

One of my fondest summer memories as a kid was having corn on the cob for dinner several times a week. When my family took a vacation to Canada, we would have corn on the cob EVERY NIGHT for supper and I was more then fine with that.

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My other corn on the cob memory is telling my sister, Michelle that the ends of the corn were no good and since I was your big brother, I would eat the ends for her. To this day, my sister doesn't eat the ends and when she opens a can of corn, she can identify the corn ends and puts them to the side of her plate. It's a wonder that she still talks to me.

So what do you do with the corn cobs when your done with them. Throw them away right? Hold on a minute, did you know that you can make corncob jelly? It may sound as strange as putting the ends of the corn on the edge of your plate but it's honey sweet and delicious.

Apparently corncob jelly goes back to the 1880s. It was a way that our ancestors would use the scraps instead of throwing them away. The best part is that it only involves three ingredients and water.

Making Corncob Jelly

Ingredients:

You need 12 corncobs (kernels removed), 1 package fruit pectin (1¾ ounces), 4 cups of granulated sugar and water.

Directions:

Take a large stockpot and add the empty corncobs into 6 to 8 cups of water. Bring it to a boil and let it boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Take out the corncobs and strain the liquid through a strainer into another container.

Measure 3½ cups of the reserved liquid back into the pot and stir the powdered fruit pectin and bring it back to a boil. Stir the sugar in and bring it back to a boil. Stir it constantly as you let it boil hard for 5 minutes

Skim and get rid of any foam that forms at the top. You can put a drop or two yellow food coloring if you like to give the jelly a more yellow appearance. Put the liquid into 5 to 6 pint-sized clean canning or jelly jars.

The good news is that you can use the jelly immediately. Let the jelly cool and put the jars in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you plan on canning in a hot water bath, follow these canning instructions.

The Farmer's Almanac says that properly canned jars of corncob jelly will keep in the pantry for up to 2 years. The corncob jelly is also called "corncob honey" because it can be used as a substitute for honey or sugar. You can even put it in your tea.

If you make corncob jelly, I hope you'll tell me how it went and how it tastes. I'm more of an eater than a cooker...and if you ever ate anything I cooked you know what I'm talking about.

Here are some other things that you can do with corn...instead of just eating it.