ok...a bit corny

[cheepo]

I am searching for some ideas of how to use..corn cobs..and husks..
just seems a shame to just throw it on he compost pile...
I bought a corn slicer this year...does a way easier job than just a knife...
that I am planning on doing lots of corn...
I think it was britsea who had the idea to fry the corn silks..wanta try that...
but any ideas

 

[~gd]

I am searching for some ideas of how to use..corn cobs..and husks..
just seems a shame to just throw it on he compost pile...
I bought a corn slicer this year...does a way easier job than just a knife...
that I am planning on doing lots of corn...
I think it was britsea who had the idea to fry the corn silks..wanta try that...
but any ideas

I have no idea of how they are used in food but our local food store have dried corn husks for sale year around. I think filling is wrapped with husks before boiling. Cows and pigs will eat fresh husks and cobs.
j

 

[Denim Deb]

Make corn cob pipes? I'm not really sure what they're good for other than that-unless you could maybe use them in a wood stove. Just a word of caution for those who don't know, don't feed them to dogs! I know someone who almost lost a dog doing that. The cob doesn't digest and can cause a blockage.

 

[moolie]

I took an outdoors course a few years ago during which I learned how to make rope and dolls from corn husks and cattails. Probably instructions on the internet if you google--it was a lot of fun, and I still have the rope and the doll I made

 

[Britesea]

Ok, husks and cobs it is....

besides making tamales, you can shred the husks and make a thick bed in the roasting pan for chicken or fish (or you could stuff them into the cavities.) It perfumes the meat and adds a clean grassy note.

Or you could make Husk Butter. take julienned fresh husks (2 ears worth for every 1/4 lb of butter), and cook them over medium-low heat in butter until lightly caramelized and the flavors infuse the butter. It adds a warm toasty sweetness to the butter and gives a grassy, corny finish. Wonderful on corn bread or slathered on scraped corn kernels.

Or Roasted Husk Infused Cream. Roast the husks 2-3 leaves thick, in a sheet pan at 300F for an hour, stirring occasionally until golden brown. Steep them, covered, in barely simmering sweet cream (about equal amounts of husks and cream)- gives a delicate corn flavor to the cream. Use as a base for corn puddings, seafood chowder, creamed corn... etc.

I don't have as much for corn cobs... we used to toss the cobs left over from a feed to the pigs- they would finish off any bits of corn still clinging to the ear, and the rest would compost in the yard.

You can use corn cobs like wood chips for smoking...

Or you could make Roasted Corn Stock for a different taste... Roast the cobs at 350F for about 45 minutes, then simmer in water to cover for 20-30 minutes. You can add roasted husks and corn silk if you want to increase the corn flavor.

 

[cheepo]

gd..interesting...unfortunately we are unable to keep livestock here...but good to know...

deb..thanks 4 pointing out not for dogs...I know they can be very seriously bad for rabbits...
but didn't know dogs couldn't digest them...I love the idea of a fuel source hadn't thought that...
I like that..

moolie..I like corn husk dolls...I have a couple of them...but can't keep up with the hobbies I already have...
never enough hours in the day...hadn't heard of using cattails for craft...I had heard that when they are young
before fuzzing up one could boil them and eat them like corn cobs..and I think it is the roots, one can make..flour from.
I have read several books on food from the wild...but a lot can't be find here..

 

[baymule]

Never tried it myself, but my Daddy said they saved corn cobs for the outhouse. He said first you use a red corncob, then a white corncob to see if you need to use another red corncob.

My Grandmother had a framed, glass covered box containing corncobs hanging on the wall in her bathroom. The sign on it said in case of emergency, break glass!

 

[Denim Deb]

Where's the like button?

 

[snapshot]

I recently read that one can make a tea from dried corn silk which is good for kidney or bladder infections. Article said to take a Tablespoon or two of dried corn silk and pour boiling water over it then strain.

 

[moolie]

moolie..I like corn husk dolls...I have a couple of them...but can't keep up with the hobbies I already have...
never enough hours in the day...hadn't heard of using cattails for craft...I had heard that when they are young
before fuzzing up one could boil them and eat them like corn cobs..and I think it is the roots, one can make..flour from.
I have read several books on food from the wild...but a lot can't be find here..

The cattail doll I made is a nice decoration on the shelf in my kitchen, but the rope is actually quite useful.

It's not the fuzzy part of the cattail that you use, but rather the leaves. You harvest them in the fall just after the first frost, once they've started to go yellow. You cut them right down at ground level and take the entire stalk, but you don't use the fuzzy head. If you can't use them right away you need to keep them out of sunlight, as the UV rays break down the fibres, so the people who taught us how to make rope said they harvest lots of them every fall (mostly used for teaching, but they also use the rope for various things around their home) and keep them wrapped up in tarps against the house. There is a kind of "slime" in between the leaves as you pull them apart down to the bottom of the plant that is very useful in rope making, as it helps hold everything together.

To make the rope, you first twist long sections together, adding leaves as you go until it is 3 times the length that you want. Then you repeat that to make a second one, then you twist those two together in the opposite direction to make the final rope. It takes two strong people to do it, but the resulting rope is amazingly strong. The people who taught us (my Girl Guide unit) told us you could do exactly the same thing with corn husks.