There’s a lot of sweetness that can be extracted from corn cobs, and making corn cob jelly is one of the tastiest ways to get good use out of these leftovers. The jelly has a nice golden color, and it sort of resembles honey in its consistency. It’s also delicious without being overpowering, and is makes for a great addition to any pantry or survival kitchen. Take a look at the following recipe, and see how easy it is to whip up a batch after your next meal that includes corn on the cob.
Ingredients
12-14 corn cobs
3 ¾ cups of sugar
3 ¾ cups of water reserved from boiling the cobs
1 packet of pectin
Yellow food coloring (optional)
Getting Started
The first step is to strip the cobs of any remaining kernels before boiling them in about 8 cups of water for10 minutes. This extracts the sugars from the cobs that flavor the jelly, and while 10 minutes is enough, consider letting them boil for a few minutes longer to make the liquid more concentrated. When finished, discard the cobs and strain the water through a fine colander. Don’t worry if you aren’t able to remove all of the particles because they will add some texture and flavor to the finished product. However, you want to get rid of the larger, fibrous pieces that are grainy and difficult to chew.
Next, measure out the water that you are going to use to make the jelly before discarding the rest. Return the water to your stockpot before adding in the pectin, stirring and bringing it back to a vigorous boil for a minute or two. Remove from heat, add in the sugar, stir, and bring to another boil until the mixture produces a foam. Turn off the heat, skim off the foam, and add in the food coloring.
Processing and Storage
Carefully ladle the jelly into preheated and sterilized canning jars until ½ inch of headspace remains. Wipe down the rims to remove any gunk before gently jiggling the jars to remove any air bubbles. Attach and tighten the lid assemblies, and place the jars into a preheated water bath canner. Process the jars for 10-15 minutes, depending on altitude, before removing them and letting them cool on the counter overnight.
Check the quality of the seals once they reach room temperature before labeling and dating the finished product. If you have any defective jars, don’t re-process them. Rather, store them in your refrigerator and you can enjoy the jelly for about 2 weeks before it should be discarded. The shelf life of the canned jelly is anywhere from 1-2 years depending on the quality of the seals and the temperature stability of your storage area.
Try this recipe for yourself, and chances are that you’ll be surprised that you can produce something so delicious from used corn cobs. Not only is this a great way to add sweetness to your stockpile, but you can also reduce waste at the same time.
