Drying Your Own Corn Husks and Silk For Corn Husk Angels

 “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”  Albert Einstein



 

 

I'll be making some Corn Husk Angel Ornaments later, so instead of buying corn husks at the grocery store I decided to save and dry my own husks and corn silk (for the Angel hair) to use later. I thought I'd share how to go about it so you can save yours too for this project. I'll be adding the Angel Ornaments later in a separate blog. Please be patient as I create my first blog. I'm learning as I go!

First buy some fresh corn on the cob, then tear off the thickest and toughest outside husks and discard or set aside for compost, if you're lucky enough to have an organic garden. I live in an apartment so I haven't got a garden (yet). Now cut off any discolored silk with a sharp knife on your cutting mat or cutting board. Or use a pair good kitchen scissors.

 

 

Now pull off the next tough layer of husks and discard. Gently and carefully pull off the thinner layers of husks and the silk, putting them in separate piles on your cutting mat or cutting board.

 

 



 

Cut off the tough core ends of the husks and try to lay out the silk so that the strands are all going in the same direction. Put the husks and silk in separate boxes on paper towels.

 

 

Turn the husks once a day, moving the bottom ones to the top and mixing them up for even drying. This picture was taken after less than one day of drying and even though the humidity is a little high right now they are already starting to dry nicely. Don't worry about the curling.  We'll take care of that later when we're ready to make the Angel Ornaments.

 

After the husks and silk are completely dry, just store in a plastic zip bag and save for crafting later. If your husks and silk are not completely dry, they may mold in the plastic bag, so when you think they are completely dry, give them a couple more days or put in the oven on baking sheets on baker's parchment and dry with your oven on it's lowest possible setting, with the oven door propped open a little to allow steam to escape. After about 3 hours, take them out, cool completely, and then bag them up to craft with later.

 

And of coarse you can always buy dried corn husks for your corn husk crafts, if you don't want to dry your own or just want a lot of them faster!

 

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