This photo by Flickr user 2-Dog-Farm is simply a fun shot. None of the artistic hoo-hah Susan hates so much when I go on about it. This is just plain fun and creative and a great example of creating your own Halloween memories. There. Happy, Susan?
Do you want your candy photos featured here? Submit them to the Candy Dish Blog Flickr group. We want to see your candy photos and so does the rest of the world!
Say that three times fast.
My dear officemate Carlos recently took a vacation with his lovely wife to New Mexico. When he returned, he was kind enough to bring me some gummy candy from the American Southwest. One of the gummies, Prickly Pear Candy from Desert Gatherings, struck me as unique and tasty, so I decided to research it a little bit. I mean, let’s face it – not many people know what a prickly pear is. Or is it just me? Hey, I’m an East Coast girl, gimme a break. Turns out, it’s been the company’s most popular seller for over 5 years!
I soon learned that the prickly pear cactus grows in most American deserts and can reach anywhere from 1 to 7 feet high. According to cactususa.com, the fruits of the pears are edible and sold in stores under the name ‘tuna.’ They are also rich in slowly absorbed soluble fibers that may help keep blood sugar stable. And companies like Desert Gatherings make prickly pear into candies, jelly, fruit spread or even syrup to drizzle over those Sunday morning hotcakes.
Am I the last person on Earth to hear about these delicious gummies? Either way, thanks for the souvenir, roomie! And to think, the whole time you were gone, I thought you were in Arizona.
Oops.
Okay, I know we missed Photo Wednesday. I had to leave early yesterday so did not have a chance to do it. This week’s photo is specifically for our loyal reader Nighthawk, who is a confirmed nut about Dots. Sure enough, when he reads this post today, sitting in his Troy, NY office, he will lose all productivity and have to leave work early, as I did yesterday. It’s only fair that we all conform to the law of conservation of productivity from time to time.
Nighthawk, go on down to the Quick Sack and load up on these. Tell your boss that Uncle Carl said it was all right to take the afternoon off.
Do you want your candy photos featured here? Submit them to the Candy Dish Blog Flickr group. We want to see your candy photos and so does the rest of the world!
Another set of gummy lessons from our pals over at Instructables. This time, instead of making a gummy shot glass, we learn how to conduct various Frankenstein-like surgeries on gummy bears, such as heart, head and limb transplants.
It takes a steady hand to do this kind of thing, as you can imagine. One false move and the bears could perish. Give this a shot yourself and upload some photos to our Flickr pool.
Many thanks to loyal reader Don W., who has recently been promoted from fiance to husband in Susan’s org chart of life, for sending me an article on how to make gummy shot glasses. What? You didn’t know Susan and Don tied the knot and had a candy buffet and cocoa marinated flank steak and cupcakes with Guylian praline chocolates on top? Where have you been?
These glasses would be a lot of fun at a party and would certainly generate a lot of conversation. Even better, this set of plans can be used to make any sort of gummy object you can find or build a mold for.
What gummy creation are you going to make to keep cool in the June heat?
America’s favorite appetizer on a toothpick is now a bubblegum! Or is it Austria’s favorite? I am not sure they have Vienna sausages in Vienna but I could be wrong on that score.
Archie McPhee has a lot of weird candy and gum. Since I am over ten years old, technically I shouldn’t like this stuff but it brings out the kid in me to see it. Gummy bacon, William Shakespeare head pops and wasabi gumballs are some of my favorites from their collection. Think about it – how often can you enjoy the sweet taste of Shakespeare and simultaneously be inspired to write a companion piece to one of his many beautiful sonnets? It is almost as if life itself is reflected in these candies.
What would you most like to try from their list? I just hope the gum sausages don’t come in that weird brine that the real sausages do. Yuck.
Bubble gum cocktail weenies by Archie McPhee Seattle
Susan sent me this link to an Instructables page that tells how to make your own gummy Legos. Just imagine – finally a construction material that is good to eat and practical, as well. The author goes through the entire process, from making a special gelatin-based mix to even how to make the mold he used. As he points out, any sort of mold made from food-grade materials, such as the special silicone he used, is acceptable.
I have to admit that I was leery about this at first, since it seems like it would be a difficult thing to do, but the author is very clear and this seems not so bad. It’s not the lost-wax casting method, as perfected by such greats as Auguste Rodin and Frederic Remington, so I have hope of being able to do this myself with little trouble. The only drawback, according to the author, is the expense of the molding material. I looked on the website he suggests but could not find the product he referenced. However, I did find an equivalent here, and it is rather expensive. The good news is that these molds are reusable.
In the end, though, I am not convinced that this process is any easier than just buying some gummy candies at the supermarket, but I suppose if you are really set on making tons of your own custom jelly candies, $20+ per pound of silicone may be worth it. Have you ever tried this? What was your experience?
| Blog: |
| Candy Dish Blog |
Topics: |
| Candy, Chocolate, Food |
www.flickr.com
|
