S-weet Snow!
“[Laura] and the other Laura, and all the other children, scooped up clean snow with their plates then they went back into the crowded kitchen. Grandma stood by the brass kettle and with the big wooden spoon she poured hot syrup on each plate of snow. It cooled into soft candy, and as fast as it cooled they at it.”
-Little House in the Big Woods, Laura Ingalls Wilder
With 50 inches of snow on the ground, we finally had the opportunity to try sugar-on -snow, the sweet maple candy Laura and Mary and her cousins enjoy at Grandma’s while living in the Big Woods of Wisconsin.
To make sugar-on-snow:
Heat Maple Syrup (the real stuff, not Mrs. Butterworths) to 225-230 F
(if you don’t have a candy thermometer, heat the syrup to a rolling bubble).
Pour the heated syrup over a bowl of fresh, cold snow – Pour slowly!
The syrup will harden into a taffy like candy
at which point you can peel it off the snow and enjoy!
We found several New England sites on-line that suggested following the sugary treat with a bite of sour pickle or a taste of a plain doughnut or Saltine cracker We didn’t have any of these on hand, so we ate the sugar-on-snow straight. It was chewy, sticky, and very sweet! It was FUN to watch the syrup harden on the cold white snow, but the sweet treat proved just a little too sweet for the boys. I know, hard to believe, I couldn’t believe it myself! You may just have to try it yourself to see what you think!