When I research recipes, I always read all of the comments. I helps me understand what works and what doesn’t. Then when I am cooking or baking, I can make adjustments that make sense based on feedback provided.
On Sunday I came home with 12 ears of Oregon sweet corn. It was amazing! I had it steamed the previous night with dinner, so I decided I wanted to do something different with the corn. Corn Chowder immediately came to mind.
As I was reading different blogs, recipes and comments about Corn Chowder, one reader mentioned that the left over corn cobs could be used to make Corn Cob Jelly. What?! **Insert screeching record and world stopping here.** What the heck is Corn Cob Jelly?! How have I never heard of this?I immediately went to Google.
Sure enough, Corn Cob Jelly is a thing. Although from what I can tell, it is almost a long lost recipe. There was no definitive answer on who created Corn Cob Jelly and when. Given that it uses commercial pectin, it can be assumed that it was created in the early 20th Century, sometime after the invention of commercial powdered pectin in 1913. The very limited information I found also called Corn Cob Jelly an “Old Eastern Shore” recipe.
The when and where is definitely not certain, but what is certain is that it was created at a time when you didn’t waste anything. Everything had a purpose and use. You just had to find it. Why else would you think to make jelly from corn cobs?
I admit that I was intrigued enough that I needed to try Corn Cob Jelly. Since you can’t just go to the grocery store and pick up a jar, the only solution was to head to the kitchen. Armed with limited information, and a couple interpretations of the recipe, I decided I needed to try making it.
One “original” recipe I found–which dated back to around 1978–called for red field corn cobs. However, the corn I had on hand was yellow sweet corn. Not knowing much about red field corn, I learned that red corn is a sweet corn. The biggest difference (aside from color) being that the cobs are thinner than yellow or white corn. I decided what I had would work. I needed to process the corn anyway.
Since I had no idea what Corn Cob Jelly tasted like, I decided to make a small batch. After all, I was really making it to try it, so I didn’t need a bunch of jars of the stuff.
What I can tell you is that Corn Cob Jelly is surprisingly good. If you didn’t know what it was, you would definitely think it was a fruit jelly. There are some subtle fruit undertones. Corn Cob Jelly doesn’t really taste like corn at all and it is very sweet. More than anything, it reminded me of a pepper jelly, without the heat.
At this point, you are probably wondering how to serve or use Corn Cob Jelly. In the spirt of pepper jelly, I tried it with a semi-soft cream cheese and crackers. The combination was delicious and it would make a great appetizer. However, the uses don’t stop there. I think Corn Cob Jelly would make a great glaze for pork tenderloin or ham (thinking about the holidays!). The jelly would be great paired with cornbread or toast. I think it would be nice with a sharp cheese. It would also be a great addition to a charcuterie plate.
It may be an old fashioned recipe, but it was nice to fully use the corn (I used the kernels in my Corn Chowder) and use every part of the corn. If you are looking for something a little different, give it a try.
Corn Cob Jelly
Course: CondimentCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy16
tablespoons5
minutes50
minutesIngredients
6 sweet corn cobs, corn removed
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups + 2 tbs granulated sugar
Directions
- Break cobs into 2-3 pieces. Place in a large stock pot and add water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover and boil for 30 minutes.
- Strain the juice from the pot.
- Place 1 1/2 cups of cob juice in a large sauce pan and mix in pectin. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir continuously.
- Add sugar and bring to a boil again, stirring continuously so jelly does not boil over. Boil for 7-10 minutes or until the jelly reaches 217F-220F on a digital thermometer.
- Remove pan from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. While jelly cools, prepare glass jars by heating with hot water (this will prevent shattering).
- Skim any foam from jelly and divide between jars. Finger tighten lids. Allow to cool before storing in the refrigerator.
This post may contain affiliate links. We may earn money from the sale of products and/or from the companies mentioned in this post.
