Magnum Heat 

As we approach spring and realize we may have too much corn to burn, you’ll no doubt have the question, “Can we save corn until next fall to burn in our pellet stove?” It seems that winter isn’t quite over yet, so don’t be hasty in getting rid of your corn. We still have some chilly nights ahead of us. However, when the warm weather (finally) arrives, so does the humidity. You do not want to keep a bunch of corn until next fall. It will absorb moisture and not be good fuel for your stove (I know! We got some corn this winter with too high of moisture content, and it was a mess. You don’t want this, trust me.)

Make Your Own Sensory Table with Shelled Corn

So what can you do with shelled corn? Many preschools, ECFE (Early Childhood and Family Education) programs, and parents use shelled corn in sensory tables. While you may have a sensory table at home, you don’t have to go out and buy one. A dry, plastic baby pool that you have stored out in the garage will work great. Other items that will work great are plastic totes or plastic sleds (the kind with sides) pictured above.

Bring the pool or sled inside, and add a couple buckets of corn. Next,  add some measuring cups, bowls, spoons, small plastic toys, rubber ducks, etc.

Your kids will love this. My kids also like playing in the wood pellets.

Corn sweeps up easy from most floor surfaces, including low-pile carpet. The nice thing about using leftover fuel corn for sensory tables is that it’s already clean and should not be full of dust or other foreign debris.

Do you have an idea you’d like to share? I’d love to hear it.

About the Author: Beth Gasser of Confessions of a Mom wrote this article for American Energy Systems. Beth blogs about being a mom, parenting, saving money, frugal living, and more. Beth blogged about her corn stove buying experience, which you can read here. If you have specific questions of American Energy Systems, please leave a comment here.

Stocking up on corn to get you through the cold months is great. This insures you have fuel readily available without buying and hauling repeatedly throughout the winter. Most corn stove owners know about how much corn they will need, but it’s common to have a little (or a lot) leftover.

Can I keep the corn and use it next fall?

Storing corn during the humid months is extremely difficult. To be able to burn corn in your corn stove, you must maintain the proper level of dryness. Yes, you made sure it was correct when you bought your corn last fall, but the cold winter months and dry weather help keep your corn in good condition.

So, what do we recommend? Find an alternative use for your leftover corn and buy new, properly dried corn next fall, so that your corn stove operates and burns as efficiently as possible.

Here are some ideas of what other people have done with their leftover corn:

1. Fill squirrel feeders
2. Crack the corn and use it in bird feeders.
3. Feed your chickens or give it to someone who has chickens or other livestock that would eat quality corn.
4. Supplement your campfire with corn
5. Make a HOT-COLD corn buddy: Fill a sock with corn, tie a knot. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes for a heating pad or store in the freezer for a fast ice-pack
6. Let the kids plant it and see if they can get the corn to sprout and grow; journal it, photograph it, blog it.
7. Fill an empty water bottle with corn, replace the cap, and let the kids give you a headache from noise.
8. Fill a sensory table with corn; similar to a sandbox, but less messy and easier to clean up. A small plastsic swimming pool works great.
9. Compost it
10. Drop it off at an approved deer or wildlife feeding location

Do you have other ideas?

photo credit: fotosderianxo