Corn Cob Jelly

Corn Cob Jelly

I have been flipping through my various canning books before going to bed each night.  I have too short an attention span to get into a good book right now with so many changes going on around here.  In one of my Amish-style books was a recipe for Corn Cob Jelly.  

HMMMMM.

We have been cooking a lot of corn this summer.

Heck, someone just dropped off a Bakers Dozen this week that I'm going to freeze.

HMMMMM.

Oh heck, why not!?!

So, I made the jelly.  I mean, it's beyond simple and takes almost no time.  

I am not going to say it is one of my favorites.  But, I'm not going to say it was a total fail.  It's just that, the day I made this jelly, I also made my new addiction - Lemon Balm Jelly.  So, anything after that just kinda pales.  I will keep this recipe as it is something fun and will be a good conversation starting gift.  

Corn Cob Jelly

adapted from Country Canning II Cookbook

12 fresh corn cobs, corn kernels removed
water to cover cobs
1 box powdered pectin
3-4 cups sugar (I used 3)

Sterilize 1/2 pint jelly jars and lids.  Set aside.

Boil cobs for ten minutes.  Strain water at least one time through a coffee filter lined strainer.  Save enough of the strained water to measure 3 cups (add additional water if necessary).

Mix strained corn water with 1 package pectin - whisk pectin to get it to dissolve quickly.  Bring to a boil that cannot be stirred down.  Add sugar all at once, whisking to dissolve sugar quickly.  Bring to a rolling boil again for an additional 5 minutes.  Fill prepared jars with the mixture.  Leave 1/4" headspace.  Process in hot water bath for 5 minutes.  Remove from water bath onto towel lined table.  Leave undisturbed for 24 hours.

This Jelly took the longest to set of all three jellies I made that day.  But, it did finally "gel".  This made 5 1/2 pint jars.

Canning - Three Bean Salad

Pickled Three Bean Salad

My husband tells me over and over that he never ate beans before he met me, didn't like 'em and swore he never would.  Then, he started dating me . . . and eating my cooking.  Then, he started attending family events.  He realized beans weren't a bad thing.  In fact, they were pretty good.  So good that Three Bean Salad became one of his most requested dishes when we would have family events.

I always have dried beans in my pantry.  This year, we also planted a few bean plants, hoping to have at least one survive to continue teaching the girls where food really does come from - and NO!  it's not from the cases at the local SuperCenter!  And, when we go to the Farmer's Market on Saturday Mornings, well, for some reason, we always come home with at least one type of bean!

This past Saturday, we actually came home with both GREEN and YELLOW beans.  With the RED peppers we also had, it was a RAINBOW!  The girls were all excited because of the color of their food.  They didn't care what the food was - together, they made a rainbow!

I was excited, too!  Together, they would make the Three Bean Salad I had noticed earlier on my favorite canning site, SBCanning.  I LOVE that site.  She is pretty much my one stop shop when it comes to recipes, advice and ideas.  She makes certain all home recipes are safe and if not, will tell ya the reason why one shouldn't attempt that recipe any longer.  LOVE HER!

I had only ever made this recipe fresh before.  I had heard that there were cans of this salad you could buy at the store.  GASP!  The Hubster likes this a lot, but sometimes, I don't have all the beans at the same time, etc.  So, when I was on SBCanning the other day and noticed it . . . I kept it in the back of my mind that it would be interesting to try . . . then, the Hubster could have it whenever he wanted!  WIN!

So, I tried it.  Prepping the dried beans was easy, toss 'em in a big bowl of water overnight, tell the Hubster to drain and rinse them in the am and cover with water again.

Prepping the fresh beans . . . that was a little harder.  Ten Toddler Fingers and Ten Kindergarten Fingers kept sneaking the treats.  Luckily, I had bought more than was needed for the recipe . . . . especially as Grown Up Mommy fingers kept snagging the yummy things as well!

I canned the Three Bean Salad following SB Canning's recipe.

Unfortunately, one of the Tattler lids didn't seal . . . dang.  We were forced to put that jar in the fridge and eat it right away.  What a SHAME!

Let's just say that jar didn't last long in our fridge.  The girls decided this was the best meal ever!  Miss Mia stated that she hoped more lids would fail so she could eat more instead of waiting.

Yes, this will be in my file and will be made many times again!

If you would like the recipe, just jump right over to SB Canning's - Pickled Three Bean Salad Page.  I used the one day one . . . I don't have the patience to wait to make my food unless I absolutely have to do so!  And, just look at the photos on her page - the food just looks sooooo much more yummy than mine.  Cursed me for not picking a prettier jar for my picture!

Enjoy!