Corn on the cob is on sale! I just got 8 ears of corn for a dollar. Limit 8 per customer, but I’m happy.

Fresh Corn

With this nice little windfall of corn, my mouth is watering deciding what to make. Corn on the cob for sure! But then there is Uncle Smoky who will gladly make roasted corn right in the original leafy wrapper. This basically steams the corn using the moisture in the leaves. I am also going to make some corn chowder, because it is just plain tasty. If we haven’t eaten all the corn, I plan on canning some for later.  If you wish to know more about canning – stay tuned for “Canuary” 2026!

Waste Not

Nothing goes to waste. I will use the cobs to make corn cob jelly. While corn cob jelly is best made from uncooked corn, you can make it from the cobs that are munched upon. Consider it the ultimate in recycling. You will cut the cobs open and boil them well – rendering the resulting liquid quite sterile. You can save the cobs in a freezer bag in the freezer and I hope to make some and take photos for you in this coming week.

Speaking of using every bit of your food, the corn chowder I make uses home canned chicken broth. I make this from the bones of the whole chickens that were spatchcocked and roasted for dinner. This also works really well with those store bought rotisserie chicken carcasses. The bones are thrown in a freezer bag until two or three chicken carcasses are in there. When I’m ready, they go into the slow cooker and get turned into a nice chicken broth. You could consider the chicken bones as “recycled.” Chicken broth is pressure canned in pints or quart jars on my homestead, so most of my recipes call for 2 or 4 cups of broth.

Corn Chowder

Ingredients

   2 Tablespoons butter
   2 cloves garlic, diced
   2 to 3 ears sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs or 1 can of corn 
   2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
   1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) 
   1 diced red or green bell pepper 
   2 teaspoons corn starch
   1 can evaporated milk, or 1 can of crema, or just 10 ounces of milk
   salt & pepper to taste

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or white queso fresco.
Top with chopped garlic chives.

Dried Vegetables?

You can easily use vegetables that you dehydrated or dried earlier. I use 1 /4 cup dehydrated peppers and 1 /2 cup dehydrated onions. You may need to increase the amount of broth to help them become rehydrated and still have a nice batch of soup to eat.

Method

Step 1.

In the soup pot, gently cook the garlic in the butter.

Step 2. Start the broth.

Add the corn, broth, onion, (dried) peppers into the pot and simmer over low to medium heat until the onion is cooked (or rehydrated) and any dried peppers rehydrated.

Step 3. Make the thickener.

In a separate bowl, stir the corn starch into the milk. Alternatively, add a glug or “portion” of the milk into the soup. Then you will have space in the can to stir in the corn starch – and you will have one less dish to wash.

Step 4.

Stir the thickener into the broth and maintain the low to medium heat. Be sure to stir occasionally to keep it from burning. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed (this will depend on your starter broth). Cook until thick and bubbly or you just cant stand how good it smells and it is time to eat.

Step 5. Garnish.

A nice dollop of sour cream or queso fresco topped with a sprinkle of chopped garlic chives makes this a delight.

Some more Soup Recipes in Father Kino’s Herbs

The last few copies of this out-of-print award winning Southwestern book are now for sale. Father Kino’s Herbs: Growing and Using Them Today   The review says:

“Award-winning garden writer Dr. Jacqueline A. Soule has pulled together a fascinating book on the life of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino and some of the plants that he brought to Southern Arizona and northwestern Sonora, and area called the Pimeria Alta.”

This link is to our book sales site. The profits from the sale go to the local Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute.  We hope you will help support this great Southwest non-profit!

Legal Notes

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Disclaimer

The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.