If you have seen dried corn at farmer’s markets or sold at high end grocery stores to make festive Thanksgiving centerpieces, you know how much it costs to buy them dried. But with corn on the cob being so inexpensive, you can dry your own corn for a fraction of the price!
First, remove the husk and as much of the cornsilk as possible. Snap off the stalk end, then give it a good wash.
Next, you need to blanche each ear of corn (more information on how to blanche). Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then boil each ear of corn for four minutes. Immediately remove the ears of corn and immerse in a large bowl of ice water for four minutes to stop the cooking process.
While you boil the ears of corn, preheat oven to 150F. Once corn has been in the ice water for four minutes, place ears of corn on baking sheets, ensuring they are not too close together or stacked, as you will need to ensure that the air has no problem circulating.
Corn will take about 8 hours to dry in the oven, but may take a bit longer if you have full cookie sheets on both the upper and lower racks in the oven. To ensure an even drying process, flip the corn over every two hours. If you are using both racks, flip the upper and lower cookie sheet positions every two hours.
Be sure to check your corn carefully so it doesn’t become overdried. When you apply pressure to the kernels, they should feel fairly brittle. Once done, remove from oven and allow to airdry for a further 3-4 days in a room in the house that isn’t too humid – you can hang the ears of corn to ensure they are dried on all sides.
Also, if you have rodents for pets, such as hamsters, they LOVE dried corn on the cob for a treat, you can give them the entire corn cob and they will gnaw off the kernels.
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