July 18th is National Sour Candy Day! Adults and children alike will enjoy lip-puckering, eye-watering flavors. Choose your favorite sour candy and celebrate!
In the candy world, sour candy is the young, energetic, and fun member of the candy family. It awakens the taste buds and adds a punch of youthful energy. Every flavor combination out there creates a dazzling taste sensation. Surprisingly, sometimes a sweet candy delivers a walloping tear-jerking zap in a bite-sized lozenge or sucker that lasts for several minutes. Other times, it delivers the punch in a chewy form. These fun sour candies come in a variety of entertaining shapes and sizes. From chewy twists and ropes to sweet bite-sized pieces and straws, each one creates a unique juicy tang, indeed.
On this sweet holiday, instead of trying regular old candy, celebrate by trying sour candy. It’s like having a birthday and not getting any older! If you’ve tasted sour candy before, try a new flavor and discover which one makes your mouth pucker the most! Will it be Cherry or Watermelon or maybe a combination of Tangerine-Lemonade? Without a doubt, July 18th is the perfect day to share any of the variety of flavors the American Licorice Company has to offer.
NATIONAL SOUR CANDY DAY HISTORY
American Licorice Company founded National Sour Candy Day in 2015 to celebrate all the tasty varieties of sour candies and to encourage everyone to give them a try. To learn more about the Sour Punch® brand, follow on Facebook and Twitter.
Brighten up your day with some sour candy. As a matter of fact, consider visiting a sweet shop and pick up a bagful. Share with your friends or coworkers. See who makes the best pucker and share your sour combinations using #NationalSourCandyDay on social media.
National Delaware Day on July 13, recognizes the First State to declare independence from the British. Rich in history, Delaware’s lands once belonged to New York and later Pennsylvania. But the independent spirit of this beautiful coastal countryside is more than just legendary.
The Delaware River and Bay derived their names from the 12th Baron del la Warr, Thomas West, a governor of Virginia. The name later carried over to the land as well.
During the Second Continental Congress, Delaware’s delegates created a bit of suspense for the history books! Read more under Caesar Rodney and George Read.
Delaware became official in 1776 when the 13 colonies declared their independence from the British government and Delaware adopted its first territorial state constitution.
First State
Delaware is proud of its First State status. With that comes many other firsts. Delaware boasts the earliest Swedish settlers in 1638 who built the Old Swedes Church which still stands. Now known as the Holy Trinity Church, it is one of the oldest churches in America. Swedish settlers built the first log cabins on American soil, too.
The Stars and Stripes flew for the first time during the Revolutionary War during the only battle to take place on Delaware soil.
Shipbuilding became big business first in Delaware in 1840. The first iron shipbuilding yard in the United States was founded in Delaware by Samuel Harlan of Betts, Pussey, and Harlan – machinery makers.
From ships to rails, Job H. Jackson and Jacob F. Sharp founded the Jackson and Sharp Company of Wilmington in 1863. By 1871 they built the first narrow-gauge railcar in the United States.
The coastal state also lays claim to the first bathing beauty contest in 1880. To attract business to a summer festival, the competition was held at Rehoboth Beach. Thomas Edison was one of the judges.
From land to sea, Delaware satisfies the appetite all season long. Once known as the best producer of peaches until a blight wiped out the orchards in the late 1800s, the state is making a comeback, and the peach blossom is their state flower.
Summer boardwalks and beaches fill with the salty sweetness of taffy and crab cakes made from the regions’ blue crab.
The world’s largest maker of scrapple, RAPA Scrapple Company, calls Bridgeville, Delaware home. Also the home of the World Champion Pumpkin Chunkin competition in the heartland of the state, an autumn drive will fill your basket with fresh produce, poultry and the season’s best baked and canned goods the farmers’ markets can produce.
March 8th is National Peanut Cluster Day! Melted chocolate mixed with peanuts makes a perfect combination for sweet and salty deliciousness!
Two things had to happen for peanut clusters to even exist. First, a method had to be invented for the cocoa bean to be processed and transformed into what we know as chocolate. That process wasn’t widely used until about the late 1890s and just about the same time the second extraordinary thing happened; agriculture found a way to grow the peanut and bring it to the public with steel tools and steam power.
It didn’t take long for confectioneries to add the now readily available peanuts to melted chocolate. The sheer simplicity of the salty peanuts added to sweetened chocolate is a mouthwatering temptation few can resist, even today. Candy makers find them to be a popular addition to cookie tins or other holiday baskets. Their simplicity allows bakers to easily round out any cookie or bar tray. They also quickly satisfy a snack craving without much effort at all.
Peanut clusters are an easy to make snack that can be ready in just minutes. Melt the chocolate. Add the peanuts and stir them together. Drop them by spoonfuls into a “cluster” on waxed paper or foil. Let them harden and then ENJOY!!
Remember to share! Use #PeanutClusterDay to post on social media.
Observed on February 15th, National Gumdrop Day recognizes a favorite candy of many; the gumdrop! There’s no question as to what to do. Eat gumdrops and eat as many as you want!
Gumdrops are a tasty, colorful, chewy candy that is made with gelatin and then coated with sugar. They come in a variety of flavors and can either be fruity or spicy. These little candy treats make terrific embellishments for decorating gingerbread houses and other baked goods.
The classic board game, Candy Land, features both a Gumdrop Pass and a Gumdrop Mountain.
Besides enjoying them by the handful, there are many other ways to use gumdrops:
In cookies
Decorate cakes or cupcakes
In popcorn cake
For crafts
For gifts
Add mini gumdrops to your favorite snack mix for movie night
You can also make gumdrops yourself. According to many recipes, you would need vegetable oil, sugar, corn syrup, fruit juice, powdered fruit pectin, baking soda, and food coloring.
Credit for the modern gumdrop goes to chemist and candy manufacturer Percy S. Truesdell. According to articles written after his death in 1948, Truesdell took the once hard, poorly flavored glob of sugar and turned it into the smooth, chewy delight we enjoy today. While at the University of Ohio, the chemist altered the consistency of the candy by experimenting with the amount of starch used. He later worked for the Snyder-Chafee Company until 1915. In 1916, Truesdell founded and incorporated the P.S. Truesdell Candy Manufacturing Company. At his death, he became known as the Gumdrop King.
Listen to The Crew Cuts sing their song “Gum Drop” or play a game of Candy Land. As you do, be sure to enjoy your favorite gumdrops, too! Use #NationalGumdropDay to post on social media.
A favorite of young and old alike, National Hard Candy Day on December 19th, recognizes the sweet tooth in all of us.
Most hard candies are 100% sugar with flavoring and colors added. To achieve a hard candy, confectioners boil a sugar syrup to 320 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the temperature is reached, the hot, pliable sugar is poured into molds or rolled and folded into shapes and left to cool. Once cool, the solid sugar becomes hardened and brittle.
The first hard candies, such as lemon drops and peppermints, were likely prescribed as a remedy for stomach ailments.
Hard candy became popular in the seventeenth century as sugar prices fell. Previously, hard candy was something that only the well-to-do could afford. By the mid-1800s, over 400 companies were manufacturing this popular treat.
In 2015, Jolly Rancher surpassed Werther’s Original was the best selling hard candy. Other popular hard candies include Dum Dum Pops, Life Savers, Tootsie Roll Pops, and Charms Blow Pop.
Enjoy your favorite hard candy. While shopping for some to taste, be sure to pick some up to fill those stockings, too. Use #NationalHardCandyDay to post on social media.
