Dried Corn for later use

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Dried Corn for later use

 

Use fresh sweet corn, husked and silk removed with a brush.  Six ears will fill

up one standard baking sheet and yield about 2 cups of dried corn.

 

Cut corn off the cob using a sharp knife and a shallow bowl or cutting board. 

Be sure to cut as close the cob as you can to remove all the kernels and juice

possible.  Line a baking sheet with foil and give it just a very light coat of

nonstick spray.  Spread corn kernels out on the baking sheet into an even layer.

 

Turn oven onto 150 degrees and place tray on the middle rack.  The drying

process will take several hours (up to 12, depending on the freshness and

juiciness of your corn) so be sure to check on it every 2 hours or so, turning

it and shaking the tray gently to loosen any kernels that are sticking together

or to the tray.  You¢ll begin to notice the kernels shrinking and eventually

becoming much darker and hard.   When all the moisture appears to be out of the

corn, remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool off completely.

 

By the way, if you don¢t really feel like monitoring the stove for 12 hours

straight, you can turn off the oven, letting the tray sit inside, for several

hours and come back to it later.  Or, if you have an older gas stove with a

large oven pilot light, you might not even have to turn the oven on - just leave

the corn sit in there for a day or so to dry on its own.

 

When the dried corn is cool, place in a paper bag and hang in your kitchen to

dry out any remaining moisture.  After about a week or so, transfer dried corn

to a ziplock bag and store in your cupboards for use later this winter.