
Here’s something great to do with your leftover cobs! I first learned this from a book about wine-making traditions of Appalachia, though I’ve heard it’s mentioned in several other southern cookbooks.
You’ll need:
- corn cobs
- sugar
- yeast
- water
- a mason jar or some sort of container
Step 1: sheer kernels off your cobs and wash your jar with hot water.
Step 2: place cobs in container and fill with hot water. let stand for several hours.
Step 3: add sugar and yeast, cover with cheese cloth. in my case i had 4 cobs, a moderately sized jar and added maybe 1/2 cup of sugar. this sugar along with those from the corn will turn to alcohol, but at a certain point the yeast will reach level it can stand and will add sweetness to your wine. the best way to discover the right balance for you is through trial and error.
step 4: let sit for 5-10 days, taste the brew after a couple of days to see if it’s to your liking, every day it should be getting more alcoholic, when you like the flavor, strain your wine into a new jar (eliminating the cobs, yeast sediment), and you have yourself corn wine
note on yeast: bakers yeast is widely available but not always preferable, as it imparts a fairly strong aftertaste into your alcohol. if you have a home brew store in your area you can purchase specialty ‘wine yeasts’ without this after-taste, they usually cost $0.50-$2/packet and work for up to 5 gallons! another way to get your fermentation going is to make a starter from the natural yeasts in the air or the skins of fruit— this takes time though, so you should plan ahead. take an unwashed organic apple piece or strawberry, put it in a small jar with water and some sugar. cover the top with cheese cloth so flies can’t get in. leave it out for 2-4 days stirring it, it should be lovely and bubbly. now make your corncob wine, pouring this mixture in instead of yeast.