What did you grandma keep in her candy dish?
We all have some fond memories of visiting our Grandparents and checking out the candy dish. For many of us this is something we could do at their house, but not our own!
We had to sneak it at home when mom and dad weren't looking, then deny any involvement is the decreasing candy count in the dish. They candies always tasted great, although we may try some now as adults and not be so fond of the taste.
We asked our customers what candies brought on their favorite childhood memories of visiting G&G, and this is what they said... Is your on the list?
Nonpareils
Often misspelled and mispronounced, these chocolate treats always left some of the little candy balls in the bottom of the bowl. If you got to 'drink' those when the candy was gone you were living! The French name has been interpreted to mean they were "without equal" for intricate decoration of cakes, desserts, and other sweets.
Cut Rock Candy
Yes, these are the classic cut rock candy pieces we grew up with. In the center were designs and flavors that included a variety of mints, fruits, and spices. They came both wrapped and unwrapped and you had to eat them one piece at a time to enjoy the unique flavor in each piece. Yum!
Gum Drops
These were my dad's favorite - especially the green ones. When the gum drops were fresh, oh did they taste great. Once in a while we found spice drops in the dish - a welcome change. When the gum drops got hard the became things to throw around outside ( like Grandma never knew ).
Candy Sours
What exactly is a "sour" - well they are soft-panned starch jellied candy in a variety of sour flavors including cherry, orange, apple, lemon, and grape flavors. Personally, grape is the best flavor hands down. Our customers like the cherry the most. Biting into these is like getting a mouth full of juice!
Bridge Mix
The components of bridge mix vary, depending on who makes it. One candy maker uses different chocolate-coated candies including Brazil nuts, almonds, peanuts, coconut creams, vanilla creams, Italian creams, peanut crunch, vanilla caramels, raisins, malted milk balls, cherry marmalade jellies and orange marmalade jellies. Another will make a slightly nuttier mix with Brazil nuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts and chocolate-coated raisins. This was popular back in the day, but our own office poll indicated it was nobody's favorite. Sorry Bridge-Mix lovers.
Horehound Hard Candy
Horehound candy is dark brown with a distinct bittersweet taste. This candy is usually seen in old fashioned candy shops, museums, and in the old black and white photos from yesteryear. Horehound itself is a member of the mint family, and has been described as a combination of mint, licorice, and root beer.
Starlight Mints
The good old standby - peppermint, spearmint, chocolate, or fruit, these were always good in a pinch and tasted refreshing after running around the house playing tag for an hour or so.
Brachs Royals
When we were kids in the 1960s, Brach's Milk Maid Royals were the king of the candy bowl. Did anyone else maybe help themselves to one at the grocery store while mom and dad were doing the weekly shopping on Saturday morning?! Flavors included Royals Chocolate, Raspberry, Butter Rum, Maple, Orange, and Vanilla. Going to the warehouse to get a few right now... vanilla is the finest of the flavors - right Lisa?
Ribbon Candy
Yes - even though this is mostly out at Christmas, it is still one of the most popular candy memories for many people. The other aromas in Grandma's house at holiday time had to help with the memories! Some liked the peppermint in red and white only, and others liked the mini ribbon candy in vibrant colors. Ribbon candy is a traditional Christmas candy that goes back for centuries in Europe, though it is unclear exactly where the candy was first created. I think it was in my Gramma's kitchen in 1963.