The celebration of the special “Candy Corn Day.” On Friday, Oct. 30, we will celebrate “Candy Corn Day.” It is fitting that we have a special confectionery harvest delight that has been a success in the candy industry for well more than a century. It still has a taste of simplicity that it has endured through many years and generations. It has always been a staple at Halloween parties and celebrations. We see it in the Thanksgiving holiday and it was always a Christmas treat in stockings.
In the 21st century, there are several varieties of candy corn that include the traditional white, orange, and yellow combination, and the Indian corn variety that features brown, orange, and white. Another variety that is fairly new and produced by Brach’s is brown sugar candy corn in colors of tan, white, and yellow. It has the flavor of brown sugar. The candy corn is a simple concoction and contains few ingredients, mostly sugar, flavorings, corn starch and corn syrup. It will cure your craving for a sweet harvest treat and adorn the candy dish and centerpieces.
An unusual recipe that features candy corn. Many people don’t like candy corn simply because, let’s face it, the confection is composed mostly of sugar. This recipe will tone down the sugar in the candy corn. It originated in Saint Louis, Missouri, quite a few years ago. Some employees at the candy counter of Woolworth’s Five and Dime developed this recipe and sold it by the pound during the month of Halloween. All Woolworth’s in the Saint Louis area adopted the recipe and it became a Halloween tradition in Saint Louis.
Even though Woolworth’s is no longer in business, many folks in Saint Louis have kept the tradition and still make the Woolworth recipe named “Candy Corn Trail Mix.” It is so simple that even a child can make it. All you need to do is chop up a bag of candy corn into small pieces, chop a can of Planter’s roasted peanuts into small pieces, chop a large bag of pretzels into small pieces, and mix all ingredients together. Add a box of golden raisins or a six-pack of yogurt-coated raisins for extra flavor. Pour into a plastic pumpkin and place on the dining room table or the coffee table. Keep a Saint Louis tradition alive and share the recipe with friends and family members. Good stuff!
A ghost pumpkin to spook Halloween. Pumpkins at this time of year come in all sizes, shapes, and colors and blend in well with harvest and Halloween decor. A special and unusual pumpkin variety is the grayish-white oblong pumpkin which is “ghostly” in color. It would make an unusual attention-getting, cute, ghost pumpkin jack o’lantern.
To make a ghost pumpkin, pick an oblong gray-white pumpkin. Slice the bottom to make it flat so it will sit upright on a pie shell aluminum plate. Use a black permanent marker with a wide tip to design two big, round oval-shaped eyes and a round black nose, and very long oblong-shaped mouth (vertical). Place a white rag of towel around base of pan. You can use this unusual pumpkin indoors or outside on the porch or even on the lawn. Boo-oo-oo!
The furnace and air conditioner can experience a short breather. The mild temperatures of mid-October are providing a brief respite for the furnace and air conditioner. The crisp October air is comfortable and we may have only a few more to enjoy as frost will arrive along with cooler temperatures.
You can still plant a row or bed of onion sets. The nights are still getting to be cooler, but that should not hinder the setting out of a bed or row of onion sets. Most hardware stores and seed stores still have them in stock. They will have all winter to produce a great harvest and all you have to do is protect them from rare weather extremes like hard freezes by covering them with a layer of crushed leaves. Give them a drink of Alaska fish emulsion mixed with proper amount of water in a sprinkling can once a month. You can choose from white, yellow, or red onions.
Expecting the first frost of the season. A frost can be expected any day now although we usually see our first killing frost the last week in October. There may be a few scattered frosts and some cold nights. Even when a light frost is forecast, gather all warm weather vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers and wrap tomatoes in sheets or newspapers and store in a box inside the house or basement.
Last opportunity to plant flowering bulbs of spring. With the arrival of a heavy frost in a few days, freezing temperatures will not be far away. The bulbs of spring flowers such as crocus, hyacinth, jonquils, narcissus, daffodils, tulips, and snowdrops can still be planted. The best way to purchase spring bulbs is from bins of individual bulbs in varied colors or in mesh bags so you can see and feel the bulbs. You can also know the colors you are purchasing. Hyacinths come in colors of red, white, yellow, blue, purple, and lavender. Buy a bag of bulb-booster to apply around bulbs and also cover bulbs with a layer of peat moss before covering with soil and a layer of crushed leaves.
As autumn leaves fall, empty limbs may reveal an empty bird’s nest. A hidden Christmas ornament might appear before your eyes as autumn leaves fall and expose a bird’s nest. An empty nest can be carefully removed and sprayed with a clear coat of varnish and made into an unusual Christmas ornament. Place in a small box wrapped with tissue paper and it will last for many years.
Making a great pumpkin cheese-ball. A great centerpiece for any Halloween party or festival is this great pumpkin cheese-ball to be served with “Scoops” or crackers. You will need one eight ounce box of cream cheese (softened), one eight ounce pack of finely shredded sharp cheese, half cup of canned pumpkin, half cup of pineapple preserves or orange marmalade, half teaspoon pumpkin pie spices, four or two pretzels to make a stem or one stick of celery cut in half and placed together to form a stem. Beat cream cheese and finely shredded sharp cheese, add pumpkin pie spices and marmalade or preserves until smooth. Add a few drops orange food coloring. Refrigerate for three hours until it is firm enough to shape into a pumpkin. For the orange food coloring, you can use three drops red and three drops yellow food coloring.
Form the mixture into a pumpkin and use a knife to detail sectional lines on the pumpkin. Use a celery stick cut in half and placed together to form stem of pumpkin and stick down into the cheese pumpkin, or you can use five pretzels to form a stem. If you want to make the ball a jack o’lantern, use sliced American cheese to form eyes, nose, and mouth. Serve on a platter garnished with Scoops or Ritz crackers.
Checking out the turnip row. The turnips should be responding to the cooler October temperatures. Check them to see if turnips are beginning to form. Hill up soil to the sides of the row. Apply a drink of Alaska fish emulsion every fifteen days. Mix fish emulsion with proper amount of water in a sprinkling can and pour on top of the turnips. Make sure the apply a layer of crushed leaves between rows.
Hoe-Hoe-Hoedown: “Teaching dog an old trick” – Children walking home from school were watching the fire truck roll past them. The company Dalmatian dog was sitting on the front seat. The children began to discuss the dog’s duties. “They use him to keep back the crowds,” one kid suggested. “No, it’s just for good luck,” another kid said. Another kid ended the discussion when he said, “They use him to find the fire hydrant!”
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com