The Candy Thermometer

I can remember my mother making candy at Christmas time when we lived on the farm. I was just a little girl then, but my mom always wanted me to learn how to do things, especially in the kitchen. I think that was to make up for not being able to do hand work. Lol

If the recipe said “soft ball” then she would drop just tiny bit of the syrup in really cold water and mold it with her fingers. When it made a soft little ball it was done. There was hard ball and hard crack as well. I loved to help with hard crack. When we would put a tiny bit of syrup into the cold water it would actually crack. Plink! That was when she made anice candy.

Since those days, they have invented the candy thermometer. Oh my, how easy it is to make candy now a days.

Well, I have been a bit nostalgic this year. All of these old memories have come slamming back to me. Not making me sad, but with a lot of smiles too.

I think my sister, Rosie, made some of my favorites. She made cookies with chocolate kisses in the middle. She frosted a zillion cookies with my mom one year even when she was very very sick. I think she made fudge that did not crumble, did not run to the edge of the pan etc. I am describing my fudge if you haven’t guessed already.

My mother made a yummy peanut butter fudge. Oh, it was so good!

I made divinity that was flavored with different flavors of Jello. That was really good too. Like my mother, I taught my daughter, Melanie, how to do that. That took a candy thermometer to do that for the syrup to be just right. I say that, but my mom made popcorn balls with red and green syrup without a candy thermometer.

Oh, the good old days. I thought I was going to have to do it without one today, but Fran found mine, so I guess I have to make candy now. I think peanut brittle. Yes, that sounds good.