Corn on the Cob

 

When you have fresh corn, dehydrating it is super easy. First, simply cook it just as you would for corn on the cob. Simmer as desired for however long or how little you like. Some people prefer it just slightly blanched.  Do not cook it with butter or any form of fat or oil. 

I found it’s really helpful to cut the ears in half.  That way you have more control and a stable base to cut those kernels off the cob. 

Take a sharp paring knife and snug it as close to the cob as you can get without cutting into the cob and slice the kernels off the cob.

Take those kernels and place them on a screen or your fruit leather tray.

Dehydrate at 115º until dry.  In my area, they are usually dry in about a day and a half.  This may vary depending on where you live and how much moisture is in this particular batch of corn.

Corn will be hard and crunchy when it’s dried.

Linda’s Note: you can also take frozen corn and dehydrate it.  When you find a fantastic buy on corn in the freezer section, buy as much as you can. This has already been blanched, so it isn’t necessary to do anything except crumble it up and spread it out on your fruit leather trays to dry.  Same temps and time.

What to do with dehydrated corn:

·         Add it to soups, stews, and casseroles

·         Rehydrate it, heat, and season with butter or whatever you like for a delicious side dish.

·         Works well to add some to your favorite cornbread mixture. You may also want to add dehydrated diced peppers and onions, too!

·         Try mixing it in with your dehydrated Cream of Soup. See my post on Cream of Soup Mix for directions.

 

Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate Won’t work

Dehydrating/10/12/06

Frozen Orange Juice Concentrate

Once I really got going with dehydrating, my imagination simply ran wild.  I had visions of dehydrating everything possible, especially concentrating on emptying my pathetic little freezer. I studied a can of orange juice concentrate and began to have visions of powdered juice.

I spooned the mixture from the can and spread it out on the fruit leather trays.

Looked pretty good, so I placed it in the dehydrator.

 

Four days later, it was a sticky, gloppy mess.

Eight days later, it was still a sticky, gloppy mess.

I tried turning it over to expose more surface to the air, but it didn’t work.

Ten days later? We tossed it!  One of my few dehydrating failures.  Oh well.

Lesson: Yes, there are a few things that don’t take well to dehydrating.

·         Frozen orange juice concentrate

·         Dill pickles