# Dried Corn



## Tammy (Sep 12, 2009)

I picked some corn the other day and when me and my husband got ready to shuck it and we noticed that the kernals were dried out. We went a head and got it off the cob and have it finish drying, it was still a little damp.(putting it out in the sun to finish drying.) I've read on other websites that you can reguvinate with water and eat later. I was wondering if anyone else had done this before. I talk to my father in law and he said that once it was dried that it was no longer good for people to eat but to make animal feed out of it. I don't believe so because that is how the indians preserved their food in the past. I would love to hear some of your thoughts.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

From my understanding, dried corn should be turned into corn-meal or corn-flour and used to make foods like Corn Tortilla's .. and not re-hydrated and then cooked / eaten.

How to Make Corn Tortillas | Simply Recipes

•2 cups instant corn flour (masa harina)
•1 1/3 cups warm water

*Preparation:*
Heat griddle (preferably non-stick or seasoned cast-iron) over medium heat and have ready.
Mix corn flour and warm water to form soft dough. Pinch off pieces and form into smooth balls with the palms of your hands. Keep remaining dough covered with a damp cloth to prevent drying.

Open tortilla press and lay a plastic sandwich bag on the bottom half. Place ball of dough on the plastic, a little off-center, towards the hinge of the press. Place another sandwich bag on top of the ball and flatten slightly with your hand. Close the press firmly, then open. Dampen hands with a little water. Peel the top bag off the tortilla, then lift the bottom plastic bag up with the tortilla still on it. Transfer the tortilla, dough side down, to your dampened hand. With free hand, carefully peel the bag off the dough.

_Note:_ If the dough is thick and grainy, a little more water may be needed. If it sticks to the plastic or your hand, it is too wet and a little more flour may be added. Always keep hands damp with water when handling dough.

Place the tortilla on the hot griddle and cook turning only once, like a pancake. This should take about 2 minutes.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Yes, corn may be re-hydrated. Think about all the dried soup mixes you can buy. However, you must start with corn at the peak of freshness. If the corn you picked was starting to dry while it was still on the stalk, the sugars in it have already turned to starch. While the nutritional value is still mostly intact, the "sweetness" in the corn is gone so it is probably only good for corn-meal as NaeKid said. It could also be used as seed for next years crop, unless it's a hybrid variety, in which case it likely will not grow the same as the parent plant. So I guess you're back to flour.


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## Tammy (Sep 12, 2009)

I dont see why you couldn't dry corn on the cob and then use. What is the difference between drying on the cob to use and taking off the cob to dry. If anyone knows and can explain i would appreciate it.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

As it dries on the cob, the sugars in the corn turn to starch thereby losing it's sweetness. It's still usable it just doesn't taste as good.


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