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One year when I was growing up on our Wisconsin dairy
farm, the Brownie leaders had announced we were going to make some
extra-special candy at our next meeting.
So — when school let out one
winter afternoon — I lost no time getting to the gym where we always
had our meetings.
For once nobody was late, and when
we entered the gym, the Brownie leaders already had everything set
up.
"What's in the pans?" asked one
girl.
On the table were several square
cake pans full of some clear caramel-colored stuff.
"That's our taffy," explained one
of the leaders.
The questions came fast and
furious then.
"What do we have to do?"
"What's taffy, anyway?"
"But I thought WE were going to
make candy…"
"You are," one of the leaders
said. "This is called saltwater taffy. Cooking it is the very
hardest part but now just the fun part is left — making it."
We looked back and forth amongst
ourselves. If the candy was already cooked, what else was there?
"First we want you to wash your
hands. And use lots of soap and warm water. Don't just rinse,
either," the other leader continued.
One girl spoke up. "Why do we have
to wash our hands like that?"
"Because you're going to put them
in the taffy, so they have to be very clean," the leader answered.
Put our hands IN the candy? Hmmm,
maybe the fun part WASN'T already done…
A little while later when we
returned from our hand-washing expedition, the leader was busily
working something back and forth between her hands.
"What's THAT?" asked one girl.
"This," she said, "is taffy. And
it's almost ready."
The mass of stuff she held was
light and cream-colored.
"Where'd it come from?" another
girl asked.
"There," the leader replied,
nodding toward the table.
The cream-colored glob in no way
resembled what was in the pans.
"How'd it get like THAT?" another
girl asked.
Both the leaders laughed.
"It's what happens to taffy when
you pull it like this."
We watched for another five
minutes.
"There," she said, "it's done."
She laid the taffy on a piece of wax paper, rolled it into a rope,
and then quickly cut it into sections with a pair of scissors.
"Now I want you to taste it," she
instructed.
No problem there…
"This is good!"
"Chewy."
"Tastes a little like caramel."
The leader smiled. "Rub butter on
your hands," she instructed, "then grab some taffy…and start
pulling."
In no time at all, a dozen little
girls wearing Brownie uniforms were industriously manipulating
handsful of taffy.
"This is FUN!" declared one girl.
"The funnest thing we've EVER
done!" exclaimed another, nodding vigorously.
"Can we do it NEXT week, too?"
asked a third.
"I told you just the fun part was
left," the Brownie leader said.
When the taffy had reached the
right consistency we cut it into pieces. Then the leaders produced
some Baggies, and a little while later it was time to go home.
"Did you have fun today?" my
mother asked as I got into the car. She had ridden into town with
Dad to pick me up from the Brownie meeting.
"Look what we made!" I exclaimed.
My mother squinted at the bag of
candy. "Why, that looks like the taffy we used to make in school.
Wonder if it tastes the same."
I stared at my mother. She had
gone to school in a one-room country schoolhouse about a mile from
our dairy farm.
"You've made taffy?" I said.
She smiled. "Of course. We used to
make it for Christmas. Wasn't much left by the time Christmas rolled
around, though."
I held the bag toward her.
She popped a piece into her mouth
and then nodded. "Tastes just the same."
Dad thought it was good, too.
And apparently so did everyone
else in the family.
The next morning as I sadly
contemplated the empty Baggie, I decided the Brownie leaders had
been dead wrong.
Making the taffy wasn't the best
part — eating it was.
**********************
Saltwater Taffy
In a large saucepan, combine all
ingredients except the vanilla. Stirring constantly, cook over
medium heat until the mixture reaches 256 degrees Fahrenheit on a
candy thermometer (or until a small amount dropped into a cup of
cold water forms a hard ball).
Stir in vanilla. Pour into a
buttered 8x8 square pan. Let cool.
Note: if you would like to make
colored taffy, stir in a few drops of food coloring just before you
add the vanilla or other flavoring.
When the mixture is cool enough to
handle, rub a small amount of soft butter between your palms, take a
handful of taffy and pull until it becomes stiff and lighter in
color. Pull or roll into ropes and cut into pieces with a scissors.
To store the candy, let it sit for
an hour or so and then wrap the individual pieces in plastic wrap or
waxed paper.
About The Author
LeAnn R. Ralph is the author of the books, "Christmas in Dairyland
(True Stories from a Wisconsin Farm)" -- "Give Me a Home Where the
Dairy Cows Roam" and "Cream of the Crop (More True Stories from a
Wisconsin Farm)." You are invited to read sample chapters, order
books and to sign up for the FREE! newsletter from Rural Route 2 --ruralroute2.com
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