After moving to our farm, we found ourselves with a large amount of fruit. As we are conservative and do not want to waste, making jams and jellies with this excess seemed to fit right in.

As we traveled to visit each relative during the winter months, I would ask to see their cookbooks and look for recipes for jams and jellies, usual and unusual. In one of the old cookbooks at my brother-in-law's house, there was a recipe for corncob jelly.

I decided to try it out, but all Ron was growing at the time was white sweet corn, and this recipe called for red corn.

We located some Ruby Queen sweet red corn seed and Ron grew it the next year. It worked! The jelly comes out a beautiful shade of pink and has a slight honey flavor.

We still grow the corn and hope we get some of it picked before the raccoons beat us to it. After picking it, we cut off the kernels and freeze them. Then we boil the cobs and drain and strain three times to make the corncob jelly.

We do not add coloring. When boiling the cobs, I also add any ears with kernels that are too old to eat.

This year we are making this unusual jelly frequently as we have so little fruit.


Boil 10 to 12 Ruby Queen red-corn corncobs for 20 minutes, just covering cobs with water.
After straining the infusion, measure out 3 cups of the liquid. Bring it to a boil and add 1 package pectin. Bring back to a full, rolling boil and add 4 cups of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon butter. Boil hard for 1 minute and remove from heat.
Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Water process.