Cut rock candy from Florida

A few months ago, I wrote about some wonderful cut rock candy that my friend Samantha had brought back from Singapore. (You can read about it here.) I mentioned that I was sad that this kind of candy isn't made in the U.S. and that we're stuck with just plain old dumb hard candies.
Well, turns out I was wrong. I was contacted by Raley's Confectionary of Tallahassee, Florida and they told me that, yes, indeed, beautiful cut rock candy can be found in the good old U. S. of A. They make traditional flavors like cherry and lemon, but also really fun flavors like Red Wine, Pumpkin Spice and Cappuccino. Each of the pieces has a little picture on them, too, like these "Emoticons" with smiley faces and characters.

Some of the flavors I tried are pictured here: watermelon, peach, menorah (oh wait, I think it's blueberry), wintergreen and kiwi. Here's what I love about these candies: they taste super bright and fresh, and they're made with all natural colors, flavors and Fair Trade sugar. Prices start at $5. For more info, visit their website at www.raleysconfectionary.com.

Christmas Gift Idea #2: Made in the U.S.A. candy canes!

You've heard me complain about candy made in China before and at this time of year I always seem to get a few e-mails from people asking about candy canes. I was so excited when I received a press release yesterday about a new candy cane on the market. Check this out: True Blue Candy Canes are red, white and blue candy canes for a cause. Twenty-five percent of profits from the candy canes benefit the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, which assists children who have lost a parent in the Marine Corps by allowing them to pursue higher education.

In 2009, Alexander Lynn—just 18 at the time—vowed to help families of U.S. service members after his cousin returned home from a nine-year assignment in the Marine Corps. It was just two weeks before Christmas, and Alexander glanced at his Christmas tree laden with candy canes, and the idea of True Blue Candy Canes dawned on him.

Each True Blue Candy Cane is handcrafted by Hammond’s Candies of Denver. True Blue Candy Canes can be purchased online at truebluecandycanes.com. 

 

Now, as is usually the case, these are more expensive than made-in-China candy canes. They're $9.99 for a box of three (don't choke!), but it should be noted that these are big and substantial. (I haven't tried them, so I can't comment on the taste.) And, of course, $2.50 goes directly to the charity. So it all comes down to how strong your political leanings are.

American Candy Canes

There's always lots of candy news coming my way, but I thought this particular tidbit would be of interest. Spangler has announced it's boosting its candy cane facility in Ohio. This is good news for folks who have to go on a wild goose chase at Christmastime looking for an American-made candy cane. Hooray! And now back to preparations for the upcoming Halloween 2011 season.

Easter in the U.S.A.

This is the time of year when people start stocking up on Easter candy, thinking that by some miracle they'll be able to resist the sweet siren call of that bag of black jelly beans squirreled away in the closet. Good luck with that. In the meantime, I've been scouting out the aisles, looking for new candy and candy that's made in the U.S.A.-- not as easy to find as you'd think. There's Peep's, everyone's favorite marshmallowy delight, including (apparently) Justin Bieber, who was doused with hundreds of them on Conan recently.Russell Stover eggs are "Proudly Made in the U.S." according to the caramel egg package.
There are Lindt bunnies and ladybugs, some of which are made in Stratham, N.H. (where my wonderful friend formerly known as KrisFromFlorida, now KrisFromNewHampshire, just got a job; BOOYAH!). Pez are made in Connecticut and the store shelves are stocked with bags of little mini Easter Pez. Yes, there is candy out there that is made in the U.S.; you just have to hunt for it.Having said all that, I was pretty surprised to find these on the shelves: Easter Choco' Treasure. These are chocolate eggs that have a plastic capsule inside that contains a toy. As anyone who's ever traveled to Canada or Europe knows, there is a similar product (made in Italy) called Kinder Surprise. These are chocolate eggs (and really yummy chocolate, I might add) that contain a capsule with usually a very clever little toy inside. In January, a woman was stopped at the border between Canada and U.S. and found herself in a bit of hot water because she was found to be carrying in a contraband Kinder Surprise. Yes, the eggs are banned by the FDA because they pose a choking hazard. Hmmm. So how did the Easter Choco' Treasure (made in China) make it onto the shelves?
I've done a little searching, but still have yet to come up with an answer. I'm not the only one. The Surfing Pizza has asked the very same question (although he was brave enough to actually buy a bunch). As one might expect, he wasn't enamored with the chocolate, and was even more disappointed by the toy.