September 11, 2009 | Chickens in the Road

Archive for September 11th, 2009

Sep
11

I love cream-style corn! Making cream-style corn is one of those simple techniques that is mysterious if you don’t know how, so for those of you who never have, here it is. No more store-canned cream-style corn for you! (And use those corn husks! See how to dry corn husks at the bottom of this post.)

How to make Cream-Style Corn:

Blanch ears 6-10 minutes (less for small ears, more for large). Drain and cool. Cut kernels off, but not quite all the way down to the cob.

Scrape the cob for the “cream” and corn pulp.

Look at all the good, juicy corn cream!

The kernels tend to come off in strips. Don’t worry about it–you can break them up.

Now get some butter, salt, and pepper and just pull up to the bowl–

STOP THAT, SUZANNE. THIS IS FOR WINTER. WHEN YOU CAN’T EVEN GET DOWN YOUR DRIVEWAY AND YOU’RE STARVING.

Oh yeah.

I hope I remember to get enough aluminum foil, too.

Label and date freezer baggies. Ladle in the corn.

I got four quart-size baggies out of this batch. I stack them flat for freezer storage. I’ll be making more soon. Stocking up! (You can also can corn in a pressure canner.)

The corn cobs go to the animals.

Clover really goes to town on corn.

It’s unseemly. She forgets that she’s a lady.

CLOVER!

Oh, never mind, I understand. I love corn, too.

The husks will be used. No wasting!

How to Dry Corn Husks:

Spread husks out and leave them to dry in the sun in single layers. I set mine out in boxes on the porch steps. (Attempting to keep chickens and dogs from trampling them, and also situated so I can grab them quickly if it looks like it’s gonna rain.) Sometimes I also set them out on the porch railings. When drying corn husks in the sun, bring them in at night to keep the dew off them, too. Also, turn the husks so both sides get sun. Depending on the temperature and humidity in your area, it takes anywhere from several days to a couple of weeks to dry corn husks.

Corn husks are useful for all kinds of things. Wrapping fish to place on the grill. Making bows for crafts. Corn husk flowers, corn husk wreaths, and corn husk dolls. Tamales. And so much more!