Hello Friends. Join me today as we learn about the benefits of cornsilk.
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, nor do I have a degree in medicine. This advice is given as a result of my own research and experience in using these natural remedies in my own body and home. Please do your own research and talk to your doctor before adding any natural supplements or remedies to your regimen.
All my life, I helped my grandparents plant, grow, and harvest corn from the garden they raised. I remember having to shuck all that corn and silk it. I thought those strands of hair were the most annoying thing ever created because they stuck to you like crazy when you were already hot and sweaty. It was not until just recently that I was enlightened about the benefits of something as simple as cornsilk.
Let me help you understand.
This is just a few things that cornsilk helps do:
* Helps lower cholesterol.
*Stimulates blood circulation, which helps distribute oxygen where it is needed, especially to the brain.
*Reduces blood sugar levels. Very helpful to diabetics.
*Relieves gout pain.
*Treats kidney function, painful urination (UTI), inflammation, kidney stones, etc.
*Prostate disorders
*Diuretic- which means it detoxifies the body.
*Stimulates the secretion of bile by the liver.
*High in Vitamin C
*Great source of Beta Carotene, Riboflavin, Selenium, Niacin, and Limonene
*Anti-inflammatory
Now do you see? Something as simple as strings in corn can be beneficial to our health and well-being.
I can't help but think of all the corn silk I have wasted over the years. But not anymore. I have learned how to save those precious strings and make wonderful things with them since we grow our own corn.
There are several ways you can preserve these for medicinal purposes.
First, find yourself some handy dandy little helpers like we have
As you shuck your corn, pull the silks out and save them. Bring them inside. No matter how I am going to use these, I want to start with clean strings. I know bugs and worms have been crawling all over them. I gently rinse and strain.
First thing I am going to try is a simple tea. I take a small pinch, add it into the little filter that fits into my tea steeping cup.
I pour boiling water on top and set it aside to let it steep for 10 minutes.
After it was done steeping, I strained the silks and removed the filter. Sweetened with a little honey and drank.
It was surprisingly good.
I reserved the remainder of the tea and stored it in the refrigerator for later use.
I can get it out, heat it up, and drink again. If you are going to drink the tea, since it is a diuretic (which means it flushes out the system, makes you urinate a lot), I would drink it first thing in the morning or afternoon, not at night.
I use this teacup all the time for my medicinal teas. It also microwaves very well. It also has a steeping lid, but unfortunately, I broke it. 😢😢
I do have this cup and accessories in my Amazon store on my kitchen essentials list. Link to my store is below.
The next thing I did was make a tincture. I started with clean and dry silks. You do not want water in a tincture. It can turn the contents moldy over time. I stuffed corn silk down into the jar, but did not overcrowd it. Preferably to the neck of the jar.
I poured apple cider vinegar into the jar, making sure the contents were completely submerged leaving a one-inch headspace.
If you want to use alcohol, you most certainly can. Just make sure it is 100% proof alcohol, like Vodka.
Place lid and band on fingertip tight and store in a cool, dark place for 4 to 6 weeks.
After 4 to 6 weeks, strain the silks and pour the tincture back into the jar. You can also pour some into little amber glass bottles with a dropper.
Since I use apple cider vinegar to make my tinctures, I don't really like the taste of the vinegar, so I disguise it in something like an already acidic juice. I can take a dropper full up to two times a day. Doses may vary due to a person's ailments or what they are using it for.
Of course, you can dehydrate them. Spread your corn silks on a dehydrating tray, careful not to overcrowd them, and dehydrate them at 95 degrees to completely dry. You can also do this same method in your oven. Spread them onto a big baking sheet and dry on the lowest setting in your oven until they are all dry.
Store dried cornsilks in an airtight container or jar. When you want to make a tea, take out a small wad or pinch and place it in a cup. Pour some boiling water over the silks and let them steep for up to 10 minutes. Remove silks, sweeten to your liking, and drink. I have not dried any yet, but I will be in the future.
I hope you have found this information and research very informative. Please use your own discretion.
This post contains affiliate links to which 4D Farms LLC. participates and earns a small commission on purchases you make when visiting our links at no extra cost to you.
If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading.
If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our home or on the farm, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category.
4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists.
We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them.
We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten.
Other affiliate links for your shopping experience:
Dollar Tree:
I love Dollar Tree and in case you didn't know, you can order from their website online. This is a great feature for anyone who might need to order multiple quantities of something. Perfect for Schools, Daycares, Churches, Nursing Homes, etc. You can find all you need in one place and have it delivered right to your door and you can shop in the comforts of your own home. You can get to their website by clicking here
Nutri Mill:
Nutri-Mill: Stand Mixers and Grain Mills: ( use Code: 4DFARMS20 at check out) If you are interested in grinding your own grain into flour to turn into the most nutrient-dense bread ever, then you need a grain mill. I love my Nutri Mill Classic Mill. They also have the best stand mixers. You can also purchase grains from them or you can find some on Amazon too. I have a few companies in my Amazon Storefront , who carry Non-GMO grains. You can order any size pounds you like and have them delivered to your home. Look for them on my Kitchen Essentials List along with all of my bread-making utensils, pans etc., that I personally use in my own kitchen to make delicious bread with. Link to my Amazon Storefront is above.
Smokers and Grills for the guys:
PIT BOSS Outdoor Smokers and Grills: are the smokers and grills my guy uses to smoke and grill all of our meats. He even has some videos on our YouTube channel of how he smokes and makes a lot of our meats. He has even smoked eggs before. Yes, EGGS. They were so delicious. One of these bad boys is the perfect gift for anyone who loves to grill or smoke meats. Check them out.
If you are the hunter or huntress in your family, check out TideWe for all your hunting gear for guys and gals: Most of our hunting seasons are in the fall and winter and their line of insulated hunting gear is one of my favorites. We also love their hunting blinds for ultimate concealment. Be sure to visit them. We have a Hunting Playlist on our channel as well.
Optics Planet, Inc.:
Since we are avid hunters, we rely on ammo, gun parts and scopes to be accurate and on point. You can visit their website here and find all your essentials
Garden Tower Project:
If you are a gardener and love those flowers, herbs or veggies, but you don't have the garden space, then consider going vertical on your porch or balcony to save space. You can check out Garden Towers here I know you will find something there you like.
Herb Affair:
If you want to save money on supplements and want to make your own like I do, you can find all you need here at Herb Affair Here, you will find an array of powdered herbs and spices for medicinal use, Capsule It Machine to make your own capsules and an assortment of different size capsules to fill with your herbs. This machine is so easy to use and has clear and easy instructions to follow.
The only thing I have ever fermented is saurkraut. As I researched more and more, I knew I wanted to try more.
By all means, you can ferment vegetables the old way, but Dear Hubby made this process so much easier for me by gifting me a new fermenting kit by Masontops. It comes with pickle pebbles, a vegetable tamper, a pickle pipe, an instruction and recipe book. I have this in our Amazon storefront on my Canning and Preserving Essentials List. (link to my storefront is below).
There are so many benefits to fermenting. It produces the lactic acid that creates good bacteria for healthy gut flora. We all know what happens when our guts are out of whack. It causes so many health issues.
There are so many vegetables that you can ferment. I tried Ginger Carrots for the first time and, surprisingly, they were so delicious.
I followed the directions in the recipe book, and it was so easy. The only hard part is waiting for them to ferment. The spice from the ginger gave a little hint of heat that was just the right tone.
I used just regular long carrots to make these. I peeled and cut into French fry form and packed them into my jar. Not tight, just filled.
Added the ginger
Filled with water to the neck.
Carefully placed the weight in because I did not want to push any water out of the top of the jar.
Placed the pickle pipe on the jar, then screweed the band on fingertip tight. You do not want it too tight.
Set it in a cool, dark place to ferment for up to 4 weeks for the best results. The longer they ferment, the better.
Then I wanted to try the Kurry Kraut. The curry in this kraut was out of this world. We could use this on deli sandwiches as well as a side dish to any meal.
For this recipe, you can use all green cabbage and shredded carrots, but I wanted to add more color so I cut up purple and green. Didn't turn out too bad if I say so myself.
You pound your cabbage and carrots down a little at a time until they start releasing their juices.
Fill a little more and repeat the same process. Keep filling and pounding until the brine reaches the top and can cover the cabbage and carrots. You do not want any above the water, or it can spoil.
After all the juice is at the top, then place the weight on top, making sure no cabbage particles float to the top and no spillage of water. Place the picle pipe over the rim and add the band fingertip tight. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 4 weeks.
I have never had Kimchi before, but so wanted to give it a try.
I used the same colors for this as I did for the kraut. Isn't that pretty?
You add all your ingredients and use the same pounding process as the kraut.
Place the pickle pipe on and screw the band on fingertip tight. Again, store in a cool, dark place for up to 4 weeks.
At any time in the 4 weeks, you can do a taste test if you like. If it is to your liking, go ahead and use. If you think it needs more time, store it back in its place. After opening and using, store in your refrigerator. It keeps for quite a while.
Here is a video of the final product and taste test.
We used the kraut and the kimchi on fish and shrimp tacos, and it was so delicious. You have to give fermented vegetables a try.
This post contains affiliate links to which 4D Farms LLC. participates and earns a small commission on purchases you make when visiting our links at no extra cost to you.
If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading.
If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our home or on the farm, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category.
4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists.
We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them.
We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten.
Other affiliate links for your shopping experience:
Dollar Tree:
I love Dollar Tree and in case you didn't know, you can order from their website online. This is a great feature for anyone who might need to order multiple quantities of something. Perfect for Schools, Daycares, Churches, Nursing Homes, etc. You can find all you need in one place and have it delivered right to your door and you can shop in the comforts of your own home. You can get to their website by clicking here
Nutri Mill:
Nutri-Mill: Stand Mixers and Grain Mills: ( use Code: 4DFARMS20 at check out) If you are interested in grinding your own grain into flour to turn into the most nutrient-dense bread ever, then you need a grain mill. I love my Nutri Mill Classic Mill. They also have the best stand mixers. You can also purchase grains from them or you can find some on Amazon too. I have a few companies in my Amazon Storefront , who carry Non-GMO grains. You can order any size pounds you like and have them delivered to your home. Look for them on my Kitchen Essentials List along with all of my bread-making utensils, pans etc., that I personally use in my own kitchen to make delicious bread with. Link to my Amazon Storefront is above.
Smokers and Grills for the guys:
PIT BOSS Outdoor Smokers and Grills: are the smokers and grills my guy uses to smoke and grill all of our meats. He even has some videos on our YouTube channel of how he smokes and makes a lot of our meats. He has even smoked eggs before. Yes, EGGS. They were so delicious. One of these bad boys is the perfect gift for anyone who loves to grill or smoke meats. Check them out.
If you are the hunter or huntress in your family, check out TideWe for all your hunting gear for guys and gals: Most of our hunting seasons are in the fall and winter and their line of insulated hunting gear is one of my favorites. We also love their hunting blinds for ultimate concealment. Be sure to visit them. We have a Hunting Playlist on our channel as well.
Optics Planet, Inc.:
Since we are avid hunters, we rely on ammo, gun parts and scopes to be accurate and on point. You can visit their website here and find all your essentials
Garden Tower Project:
If you are a gardener and love those flowers, herbs or veggies, but you don't have the garden space, then consider going vertical on your porch or balcony to save space. You can check out Garden Towers here I know you will find something there you like.
Herb Affair:
If you want to save money on supplements and want to make your own like I do, you can find all you need here at Herb Affair Here, you will find an array of powdered herbs and spices for medicinal use, Capsule It Machine to make your own capsules and an assortment of different size capsules to fill with your herbs. This machine is so easy to use and has clear and easy instructions to follow.
Hello Friends. Apple Season is upon us, and we love to make so many different things with all the different varieties of apples. Sometimes we will mix several different ones together in the same batch and come up with something delicious. We love to mix sweet and sour together.
Come with us today as we make low to no-sugar apple jelly, apple sauce, and apple butter.
We are using a steam juicer today to make this process so much easier. We bought my mother one for Christmas one year and she loves it. It takes so many steps out for her. If you want to collect your juice another way, you can skip this part because I am going to show you how to set it up. But wait, if you have never used one of these, I would highly recommend it. If you are interested in getting one, I have this one in my Amazon Store on my Canning and Preserving Essentials list. The link to my Amazon store will be linked below.
Place the water pot onto your stove and fill it with water up to the fill line.
Then place the middle pot, which has a funnel-shaped colander in it, on top of the water pot. It is also the pot that has the hose connection sticking out of the bottom of the pot. Make sure the post of the hose connection sits right down into the half-moon cut-out space.
Just like this, and attach the hose.
At this point, clamp the hose shut using the clamp that is attached to the hose, and then hook it to the handle of the pot. This way, no juice will start leaking out while the steamer is extracting the juice.
Second, be sure to prepare your jars and heat them up to keep warm, as you will be placing hot liquid into these jars. I like to warm mine up in my oven on a low temperature.
Next, we are getting all of our apples washed, sliced, and cored. We do not peel our apples because all the vitamins are in the peels, and we don't want to waste those nutrients. If you do not want the peels, by all means, you can peel yours. We use a nifty kitchen gadget to make this process so much faster.
This little gadget slices and cores at the same time.
We check for seeds, and then we toss them into the strainer basket of the steam juicer.
Once it is all full, we place the strainer basket on top of the middle pot of the steam juicer.
Place the lid on the strainer basket and turn your burner on to start heating up.
As the water heats up, it steams the juice out of the apples and sweats them down. The juice is being collected in the middle pot. This will be around a 30 to 45-minute process
In the meantime, save those cores, and if you have peeled your apples, save those too. We are going to put them to use. Put those into a big pot and add enough water to cover the contents. Bring them to a boil and let them boil just long enough to draw out some more juice. Or you can just set the to simmer for a while. Which ever fits your timetable better.
After they have simmered or boiled down a little, strain the liquid out into a bowl and reserve it for later. This will be extra juice to add with the other that will be used in making the jelly.
After about 30 minutes, take the lid off the steam juicer and use a potato masher to mash down all the apples. This extracts more juice and also lets you see how much more they need to sweat down.
Replace the lid and let this for for a bit more. Keep an eye on it. Now, we need to get this set up to catch the juice by using gravity. This is our setup. This steamer works well using gravity to pull the juice down to the hose. We like to take a dishpan (since we are already going to be using it to boil the juice) and place it in a chair or you can use a table, etc. If you are just collecting the juice for drinking, like grape juice, you can collect the juice in a pitcher or individual jars for canning. Make sure at this point the hose is still clamped tight.
Once you start seeing juice collect in the hose, you can release the clamp and hook it onto the hose post and let it freely drain into the pan.
Look at all this liquid gold.
Repeat the process of mashing and draining, mashing and draining, until you think all the juice is extracted from the apples. Remove the top pot, which is the strainer basket, and set it aside. You can turn off your burner or stove eye now. Tilt the middle pot that has the hose attached, and drain out the rest of the juice to empty the pot.
We like to clear off the stove at this point to make room on my big burner to place the dishpan of juice onto to get ready to make the jelly. We are multitasking since there are two of us, but I will try to keep the instructions separate.
Jelly:
Place the dishpan or pot of juice back onto your stove. Turn your burner on. Since we are making low to no-sugar jelly, we use Pomona's Pectin, and there are a few little steps.
The box comes with the pectin that is designed to work with sugar substitutes. And there is a little package of calcium to turn into water that acts as an activator to gel the juice. We are strictly using the directions that come inside the box as well, so this is not my recipe. If you are not using this particular pectin, follow the directions that come with the pectin you are using. We also use this book sometimes for other great recipes and apple jelly. It is packed with so many recipes for all kinds of different fruits to make jellies, jams, preserves, honeys, and butters.
Both the pectin and the book are in my Amazon Store on my Canning and Preserving Essentials List. Link to my store is below.
We first have to make the calcium water, and you will have a bunch left over because this little packet and box of pectin is able to make 3 or 4 batches of jelly. So when you use what you need for one recipe, you store the rest of the water in the refrigerator for the next batch.
You are to add the calcium water, along with some lemon juice, to the juice. Then bring to a boil to activate the gel action.
While that is coming to a boil, mix your sugar and pectin together as per instructions in the package directions or book.
When the juice has come to a boil, add the pectin and sugar mixture, mixing very thoroughly to avoid any clumping and to make sure all ingredients are combined well. We do this with a whisk because we use Stevia, and it is a fine powder. Bring this to a boil again and boil for two minutes, making sure to keep stirring to keep from sticking.
After two minutes, remove from heat, ladle into warm jars, wipe rims of the jars, place lid and band on, and tighten finger-tight.
Place jars into a water bath canner, cover jars with water in the canner until jars are completely covered and under water (about an inch or two above the lids), and process in a rolling boil for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove from the canner with jar lifters and set aside to cool and seal.
You should start hearing those wonderful "pings". Leave these sitting overnight to cool. The next morning, check the seals and if they are all sealed, place them in your pantry. If you have a jar that didn't seal, put it in the refrigerator and let it be the first jar you use up. If, for some reason, the jelly did not "set", all is not lost. You can still use this "syrup" to pour onto pancakes, waffles, yogurt, or ice cream. You can use it as a liquid base in baked goods like pancake and waffle batter, muffins, breads, etc. Don't let it go to waste.
Applesauce:
Take your steamer pot from the steam juicer and pour all the contents into a crock pot. All the juice should be out of it by now.
If you have an immersion blender, blend and puree all the apple slices, ensuring the peels are pureed thoroughly.
At this point, I am going to use half to make the apple sauce first and reserve the other half to make the apple butter. If you want to season your apple sauce, you most certainly can. I choose not to because I can season it when it is eaten or if I am using it in a recipe.
For the apple sauce, I will ladle the puree into my jars up to the rim, leaving a one-inch head space. Then, I use my debubbler tool to make sure there are no air bubbles in the jar. You can also give the jar a little shake or tap the jar on the counter to make the bubbles come to the top. If you have any air bubbles in any kind of puree, this could capture bacteria that can cause mold spores. So removing the air bubbles is very important. After removing the air bubbles, I wipe the rim, place the lids and bands on finger tip tight. Place jars into a water bath canner and fill with water until the jars are completely covered with water. Place the lid on the canner and process for 10 minutes after the water comes to a rolling boil. Remove from the canner and set on a counter to cool.
Apple Butter:
The remaining puree in the crock pot will now get turned into delicious apple butter. To the puree, I will add brown sugar and cinnamon and stir it in until well combined. You can add any other spices that you would like for yours. Put the lid on your crock pot, and let it slow cook overnight on low to create the caramelization. The next morning, ladle into your jars up to the neck, leaving a one-inch headspace. Debubble the puree to remove all air bubbles. Wipe the rim of the jar, place lids and bands on finger tip tight. Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes after the water comes to a rolling boil. Remove from the water bath canner with a jar lifter and set onto a counter to cool.
You have now made three things with all those apples, and nothing went to waste.
If you would like to see video versions of making apple jelly, apple sauce, and apple butter, click on the videos below:
If you would like to know more about a Steam Juicer and how to set one up and use it, you can watch this video:
I hope this tutorial has been very helpful and educational. Most of all, I hope these are three more things that you can add to your list of things to do with apples.
This post contains affiliate links to which 4D Farms LLC. participates and earns a small commission on purchases you make when visiting our links at no extra cost to you.
If you enjoy our blog and content, be sure to sign up to receive emails when a new post is published so you don't miss a thing. We would love it if you would join us. Enjoy your reading.
If you are curious about any products you see in our images or that we use in our home or on the farm, please feel free to visit our Amazon Store where everything is organized into lists for each category.
4D Farms LLC. is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Our storefront link is an affiliate link that earns our farm a commission at no additional cost if you click through and make a purchase. You can trust that we recommend products that we use in our own home and love and maybe some we wish to have. Our storefront is designed to help you locate items easily by specific, organized, and titled lists.
We hope you find something that you enjoy. We also have our channel designed by playlists so you can find your favorite topic to search for certain videos easily. We hope to see you there also. Subscribe to our channel so you can be notified when new videos are uploaded. Be sure to turn your notification bell on too or you will miss them.
We also have a Novelty Merch Store for 4D Farms where you can find apparel, housewares, and novelty gifts for yourself, friends, and loved ones. We hope you like our custom-made designs by me and one of my daughters-in-law. They are our own and copywritten.
Other affiliate links for your shopping experience:
Dollar Tree:
I love Dollar Tree and in case you didn't know, you can order from their website online. This is a great feature for anyone who might need to order multiple quantities of something. Perfect for Schools, Daycares, Churches, Nursing Homes, etc. You can find all you need in one place and have it delivered right to your door and you can shop in the comforts of your own home. You can get to their website by clicking here
Nutri Mill:
Nutri-Mill: Stand Mixers and Grain Mills: ( use Code: 4DFARMS20 at check out) If you are interested in grinding your own grain into flour to turn into the most nutrient-dense bread ever, then you need a grain mill. I love my Nutri Mill Classic Mill. They also have the best stand mixers. You can also purchase grains from them or you can find some on Amazon too. I have a few companies in my Amazon Storefront , who carry Non-GMO grains. You can order any size pounds you like and have them delivered to your home. Look for them on my Kitchen Essentials List along with all of my bread-making utensils, pans etc., that I personally use in my own kitchen to make delicious bread with. Link to my Amazon Storefront is above.
Smokers and Grills for the guys:
PIT BOSS Outdoor Smokers and Grills: are the smokers and grills my guy uses to smoke and grill all of our meats. He even has some videos on our YouTube channel of how he smokes and makes a lot of our meats. He has even smoked eggs before. Yes, EGGS. They were so delicious. One of these bad boys is the perfect gift for anyone who loves to grill or smoke meats. Check them out.
If you are the hunter or huntress in your family, check out TideWe for all your hunting gear for guys and gals: Most of our hunting seasons are in the fall and winter and their line of insulated hunting gear is one of my favorites. We also love their hunting blinds for ultimate concealment. Be sure to visit them. We have a Hunting Playlist on our channel as well.
Optics Planet, Inc.:
Since we are avid hunters, we rely on ammo, gun parts and scopes to be accurate and on point. You can visit their website here and find all your essentials
Garden Tower Project:
If you are a gardener and love those flowers, herbs or veggies, but you don't have the garden space, then consider going vertical on your porch or balcony to save space. You can check out Garden Towers here I know you will find something there you like.
Herb Affair:
If you want to save money on supplements and want to make your own like I do, you can find all you need here at Herb Affair Here, you will find an array of powdered herbs and spices for medicinal use, Capsule It Machine to make your own capsules and an assortment of different size capsules to fill with your herbs. This machine is so easy to use and has clear and easy instructions to follow.
