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jars of red jelly with fresh ears of double red heirloom corn

Double Red Corncob Jelly

Learn how to make traditional corn cob jelly, with a naturally colorful twist!
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Course: Jams & Jellies
Keyword: corncob, heirloom corn, natural color
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4 half-pint jars

Equipment

  • heavy duty stockpot
  • heatproof whisk or other stirring utensil
  • 4 cup pyrex measuring cup (optional, to make filling jars easier)
  • 4 half-pint jars with lids and rings (and an extra 4 oz jar handy if needed)
  • water bath canner
  • jar lifter
  • towel for setting the hot jars on

Ingredients

To make the corn cob juice:

  • 12 ears double red heirloom corn (but can also be made with white or yellow corn, for no red color)
  • 8 cups (2 quarts) water

To make the red corncob jelly:

  • 3 cups corn cob juice from above
  • 1 box Sure-Jel powdered pectin (1.75 oz yellow box)
  • 3 cups sugar

Instructions

Before you begin:

  • Fill your water bath canner with enough water so your jars will be covered by at least an inch of water. We also fill our clean jars with water and place in the water bath canner while it’s heating to keep them hot.
  • Place the water bath canner on a burner, place the lid on top of it, and turn the heat to high so it can begin heating while you make your jelly.
  • Optional: Fill a 4 cup Pyrex or Anchor Hocking measuring pitcher with really hot tap water and let it sit nearby. After the jelly is cooked, you can empty out the hot water, pour the hot finished jelly mixture into it, then use it to neatly fill your jelly jars.

To make the corn cob juice:

  • Remove the corn from the corncobs.
  • Place the corn cobs in a large stockpot and cover with the water. 
  • Bring to a boil, then cover the pot with the lid and turn down so the water is simmering.
  • Simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Strain the resulting juice through a fine mesh strainer lined with a layer of cheesecloth.

To make the corncob jelly:

  • Pour the 3 cups of corncob juice into a stock pot or large saucepan.
  • Empty the box of pectin into the pot and stir well until there are no lumps in the juice.
  • Turn the heat to medium high and bring to a full rolling boil. 
  • Once boiling, add the 3 cups of sugar and bring the mixture back to a strong rolling boil.
  • Boil for 5 minutes.
  • Turn off the burner, but don’t remove the jelly from the heat quite yet. If you see foam on top, you can optionally skim it off before filling your jars.
  • Work quickly, but carefully for this next part!
  • Use a jar lifter to remove the jars from the water bath canner and place them on a towel.
  • Pour the ultra hot jelly mixture into the waiting 4 cup Pyrex pitcher for easy pouring into jars, OR ladle the hot mixture directly from the cooking pot into the hot jars. 
  • Fill to a 1/4 inch headspace.
  • Wipe rims of jars clean with a damp paper towel, then place the lid and rings on the top of the jar.
  • If you don’t process your jelly in a hot water bath, the shelf life is about 3 weeks, stored in your fridge. If you do water bath can it, it should last a full year stored in a cool dry spot out of sunlight.

To water bath can corncob jelly:

  • Using a jar lifter, place the filled jars down into the hot water of the preheated water bath canner. Make sure the hot water is covering the jars by at least one inch.
  • Place the lid back on the canner and bring the water to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, then remove the lid (carefully – watch for hot steam).
  • Remove the jars from the canner and place them on a towel to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours.
  • Jars that haven’t sealed after 24 hours should be stored in the fridge and used within 3 weeks. Sealed jars can be labeled and stored in a cool dark place for up to a year. You don’t need to keep the rings on the jars once they’ve been sealed by water bath canning.