Some of the best memories about my grandparents are from way - WAY back when I was just a wee lass.  Fondest of all, are those that pertain to food – specifically candy. 

Smell is the sense that is most closely related to nostalgia.  Fresh baked bread, ginger snaps and homemade doughnuts and chocolates.   Mmmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmmm!  All of those scents remind me of my grandma.  And oh how I miss her every time those sweet smells waft by.

For those who don’t live in a cold climate, snow is a form of precipitation that takes on a fluffy soft and white appearance. No, that’s not a scientific definition; it’s just that white stuff that falls for about 4 months of the year. Here in Canada we must learn how to deal with the snow and the cold.

We have Snow tires, Snow shovels, Snow forecasts, Snow removal, Snow blowers, Snow cones, Snowmobiles, Snow plows, Snow covers, Snow balls, Snow forts, Snow fights, Snow days and Snowbirds. We even have the famous country singer Hank Snow. I’ll bet you didn’t know he was from Nova Scotia.

Well, my very favorite snow word is Snow Candy. I think this might be a little known word in other parts of the world. My Google search for it came back with this:

“Your search - "snow candy" - did not match any documents.” So I tried “snow taffy” – again: “Your search - snow taffy - did not match any documents.”

So I figure I either need to educate the rest of the world, or I need to be educated myself.

When I was a wee lass, my favorite season was winter. Winter meant snowmobile rides, tobogganing, ice skating and best of all - visits to the woodlot to make our yearly supply of maple syrup.

I don’t pretend to be an expert on this process, but I have listed a few sites that will tell you if you are interested in learning. I can tell you this, making maple syrup takes patience. That’s why grandparents were invented. At least, that’s one of the main reasons I think mine were invented.

All the hard work of finding the right type of maple tree, tapping them and collecting the syrup was done by grandma and grandpa, who made several trips to "the back 40" to bring them all in. We didn't mind helping if the snowmobiles where included in the trip!

Once back to the "camp" the fire is lit and the pots are put to boil. Ah, there is very little to compare to a wood burning stove on a crisp and cold February day! Especially when those pots on top of the stove contain maple syrup, and outside the falling snow creates the perfect conditions for this winter treat.

http://www.canadianmaplesyrup.com/mapletapping.html
http://www.massmaple.org/history.html

I can almost picture a young native walking through the woods on a crisp clear February day and discovering the crystal like drips frozen from the twigs of a maple tree.  Curious, they would break it off, sniff it a bit and gingerly bring it to their mouth to taste.  A bright smile breaks out and they look for another branch with a similar colored icicle.  Joy for the tasty discovery soon spreads to other tribe members, and they work out how to duplicate the treat.

I know there are products and "how to" directions for gathering and making maple syrup for the enterprising person who wants to make their own. For me, that knowledge wasn't necessary. Again, I had my grandparents. They had the hardware to gather the syrup, and the know how from years of experience. I don't think I can remember ever once seeing them use a thermometer to check the temperature.

The wooden spoon would be stirred and lifted until it "looked just about right". We all stopped what we were doing every time we noticed the spoon being lifted out hoping it was ready.  When the pot holders were brought down, we all went for boots, hats, and coats, and usually beat grandma out doors.  We had already scouted the area, and knew the perfect place to go.  We all gather around the perfectly clear patch of snow waiting.  Grandma often made a production out of pouring the syrup over the snow, and always made us wait with her own peculiar evil little grin.

When she figured we were about ready to bust, she'd let us at it, and away we went.  Each of us scrambling for that particular piece of candy we had our eyes on.  When we got it, we didn't care that it was cold and wet, we sat right down in the freshly fallen snow and devoured our own little maple syrup snow candy on the spot and looked for more.

Looking back at some of my fondest memories almost always involves food. I'm sure that today, we wouldn't even think about pouring hot sugary syrup on the snow and then eating it.  But it's a memory I'm quite fond of.  I think that's one treat my own kids have never tried.

Writing this Hub sure makes me miss my grandparents. 

I had to share this link with you all when I ran across it.  I just couldn't resist.  For those who love to cook, this is a great site that even gives you a shopping list with the recipes.  That's not likely new to you all, but I felt like I was in heaven when I found it!  It's allrecipes.com.  Found it.  Love it.  Feel like sharing!

Of course, the one that caught my eye was Grandma's Peanut Butter Fudge.  Enjoy

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