There are many and varied uses for corn husks. One of the most common uses for corn husks is cooking. They are often used for wrapping tamales, a Mexican dish made of cornmeal batter and shredded meat. Corn husks are also a favorite for wrapping fish and other types of seafood so they can be grilled.

Other uses for corn husks include making craft projects, such as corn husk dolls and puppets. Pilgrims, pioneers, and Native-Americans found several other uses for corn husks besides making simple toys. They stuffed mattresses and cushions with corn husks, wrapped up leftover food, used them as kindling for starting fires, and found many other uses for corn husks.

While many people are aware of toys and simple crafts that can be made from corn husks and pipe cleaners, home decorating also inspires different uses for corn husks. They can be made into attractive flowers. Fold them in half and attach the ends together to make a flower petal. Make several and then attach the ends at the center. Glue a dried flower to the center as an accent.

Other uses for corn husks in home décor include making bows. These are made the same ways as flower petals and then attached together at the ends. Wrap the center with an additional corn husk that has been folded in half lengthwise. Glue or staple it from the back and trim excess or cut the remaining length in half to make the tails of the bow. Glue a tiny pine cone or dried flowers to the center as embellishment. Corn husks also make great wreaths and centerpieces.

Use your imagination to find other uses for corn husks. When you peel corn on the cob, save the husks and dry them for future use. If you don’t want to go to the trouble, you can generally find packages of corn husks in grocery stores, although they are sometimes labeled as tamale wrappers.