homemade hominy

[mrs.puff]

Hey everybody-- I learned how to make my own hominy this winter, without using lye! I got the recipe from the Little House Cookbook.

Shell one dry ear of field corn, wash it off and pick out the floaties.
Place corn in a medium sized pot, with about 2 cups water, and 2 tsp of baking soda. Bring to a boil, then simmer for several hours til puffed up and the skin starts to come off. Water will turn orangy-yellow.
Drain off water, then place corn in fresh water. Rub skins off with hands under running water if you've got it, and pick off the hard "eyes". This takes a little while. Once you have it all cleaned off pretty well, then add fresh water and boil longer. Change water two or three times til it's no longer really yellow. Cook til hominy is as soft as you want it .

This is a good way to use some of that field corn that ends up leftover in so many farm fields. You can use what is called "squirrel corn" from the grocery store.

 

[gettinaclue]

Thanks for the heads up! I've been wanting to try this!

Do you know if this can be canned?

 

[mrs.puff]

I don't know why not. I don't know times or anything. Hominy holds up pretty well to some stiff boiling, so it should do fine. I'd can it like you were canning corn or beans, since they're starches also.

I find the homemade hominy has a great "corny" taste that store-bought lacks. It's really good. I want to eat the whole pot. I'd say one ear of corn makes about 2-3 pints.
Good Luck!

 

[old fashioned]

I was just wondering about this very same thing and was trying to figure out how to pose the ? on here without everyone shaking a finger at me because I thought eating store canned hominy would be an SS sin.
But was never sure how to do it homemade (or if it was even possible). I'm the only one in this house that loves hominy & usually eat the whole can myself.

Thanks for posting this info, I'll have to try it this year since it doesn't seem too very complicated-just boil the heck out of it.

One question here, do you need to keep adding the baking soda with each water change? (I'm guessing you do, but it didn't say)

 

[noobiechickenlady]

How cool! I was hoping to make some hominy this year. Free made some with pickling lime this December.

A google search turned this up about canning, it also mentions the baking soda method
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/hominy_without_lye.html

 

[murphysranch]

I Love Hominy. We pan fry the pork chops, and then with all the little bits left in the pan from the chops, pan fry the canned hominy. Yummy!

 

[freemotion]

I still have some of that hominy in my freezer. It adds a wonderful flavor to taco soup...very "corny" indeed! It reminds me of tortilla chips but without the crunch. I would like to expand the experiment and make tortilla chips with it. When I have lots of homemade lard this coming winter, I'm sure I will do just that.

 

[hoosier]

Thanks - I have some corn in my basement.