This stroll takes you out for some fun so put on your costume and let's hit the streets.
Trick or Treat..it's time for some
Love it or not it's been around forever and I for one get excited when I start seeing those bags of Candy Corn on the drug store shelves...I know that the air will be changing, the leaves will be turning and Fall is here!
Dating back to the late 1800s, candy corn is basically the same now as it was during the days of cowboys and penny candy. Which makes us wonder if the stuff we're eating today is still the first draft of a batch that the creator tried to perfect until his dying day. The original recipe really hasn't gone through much refining since its humble beginnings. The only real major additions are marshmallows and fondant.
Nobody knows the candy's true creator. The Wunderle Candy Company was the first professional confectioner to sell the stuff in the 1880s, followed by the Goelitz Confectionary Company of Cincinnati who gave candy corn its first national distribution the following decade. While not the inventor, you can blame Gustav Goelitz and his brother for coming up with the idea to sell the stuff in bulk.
While it might be everywhere during October, only a handful of companies actually manufacture and distribute candy corn today. Back in the day, there was no patent for the product since the recipe had such a long oral tradition. In fact, it was many years before it even had an official name. One of the earliest names for candy corn was "Chicken Feed" -- an unappetizing moniker that the Goelitz company actually marketed it under when it initially hit the market. Unsurprisingly, the name was eventually changed to one we know today.
Candy corn might sound like a sweet and innocent thing that couldn't harm a fly, but it actually caused one of the more destructive industrial fires in business history. Back in 1950, Goelitz's New Jersey factory was making a big batch of the stuff in a kettle lined with beeswax when the kettle caught fire just before their big Halloween rush. The fire destroyed the block-long building and 2,000 pounds of candy corn stock, giving competitors a window of opportunity to supply stores with extra bags of the stuff when Goelitz couldn’t meet their demands.
Candy corn is actually one of the least unhealthy candies on the market. While it's traditionally made with honey and corn syrup and contains roughly 28 grams of sugar per serving, it's fat free and only 140 calories per handful.
Last year, a poll of candy consumers were asked by a market research firm to name their favorite treat brands. By far, candy corn was the "most polarized brand and generated the most negative feelings." But I still like it anyway, so there!
There is even an adult way to really enjoy Candy Corn.
Someone out there created a Candy Corn Cordial that can either be made with vodka or orange liqueur. Add floating candy corn for garnish if you're feeling adventurous.
I'm game are you?
Happy Halloween Y'all
Until next time.....
