SuzyKK: Candy Party

candy party at Kirsch Camp!

It's an annual event at the Kirsches that all the neighbors look forward to every
December between Christmas and New Years. Usually there are about 50 attending
the festivities.

Just in case you're not familiar with CANDY MAKING;

It is an ART... a SCIENCE... and TIMING is EVERYTHING!!!!

This year the tradition is being passed down to the next generation, so Jonathon and his sibs and even a couple of neighbors learned what it takes to be a candy maker in the Kirsch kitchen!

Dad (John Kirsch) made it look effortless all these years!! But there is a technique that must be developed. It's about patience and then swiftness of movement when Joy (who has been stirring the pot continuously for about fifteen minutes and keeping an eye on the candy thermometer), yells "HOT CRACK!!" and the sweet bubbling lava is poured onto the marble slab. Now the candy makers jump into action!

We are teams, all of us, anxiously waiting with our scissors at the kitchen counter that is completely covered in powdered sugar. The first batch is peppermint and the aroma in the kitchen is amazing. It's like a burst of energy. The cutter at his place in front of the marble slab cuts sections and whisks them off the slab to the powdery countertops where we cut like crazy before the candy hardens. We cut little pillows and roll them in the sugar. Each batch that follows is a different color and flavor; anise, lemon, cherry, root beer, clove, cinnamon, wintergreen and tangerine. In between batches the candy is picked up and placed in a big sifter where the excess sugar is shaken off and the candy put in jars. At the end everyone has their very own colorful collection of sweet confection to take home and share!

Here are some pictures from a few years back when John, the Master Candy Maker, was at the helm.