An Unpublished Writer, 1922-2013 #3

Even until a few weeks before Mom’s death she always had a jar of candy, usually dark chocolate, nearby. I think I knew when she stopped being interested in candy that the end wasn’t far off. Mom’s love of sweets was passed on to me.

I hope you are having a sweet holiday season and that it continues through the new year. Here are a some of my mom’s sweet memories about her love of sweets and a sweet recipe.

SWEET STUFF

When I went to the grocery store today I treated myself to a bag of Dove’s Dark Chocolates. I know very well that such as that should not be a part of my diet (?); however I do have a sweet tooth and every once in a while I indulge it.

The candy counter of today is a far cry from what it used to be back in the days of my childhood. I remember when Grandad used to take me to a little confectionery store on Charlestown Road in New Albany. We lived on Silver Street, so it was a matter of three blocks or so, and part of the way was up a little hill, so it seemed a long way for my three-year-old legs. I think he usually took me on the weekend, and I would have a nickel to spend. Such riches!

Once we got there the fun began. There were little chocolate pigs, peppermint sticks, all-day suckers (and they were large enough to really last all day!), and red-hots. There were licorice sticks, which I never liked, and big round jawbreakers, which Mother wouldn’t let me have for fear I would choke to death. Most of the candies were two or three for penny, and spending a nickel could take a long time. Grandad used to get impatient while I struggled with the big decision as to how to get the most for my money. Chocolate pigs and peppermint sticks usually won out, I think.

And then there was Byrd’s. This was a candy store and soda fountain on Pearl Street in New Albany, and they made their own candy. The smell alone was worth the trip and would probably add 10 pounds to my waistline today. When I was taken down town, and as a special treat, we would go to Byrd’s. I remember caramel covered marshmallows, each wrapped in its own little waxed paper square, and they were called Majesta’s or Queen Anne’s. And the hard candy, spun out like ribbons and curved back and forth in glistening strips. Chocolates with cream centers (hand dipped, of course), chocolate molded in wonderful shapes, trays of peanut brittle – a treasure trove for a skinny kid.

During the Depression money for candy was scarce for most kids. But Daddy worked for Bradas & Gheens Candy Company in Louisville. He didn’t make much money, but the benefits were great for me. Also his brother, Shorty, worked for the Indiana Candy Company, a wholesale distributor in New Albany. Broken chunks of chocolate, slightly defective peppermint sticks and out of shape Easter eggs, along with bunnies minus an ear, all found their way home, from one source or another. I was awash in a sea of candy. No wonder I had a bad complexion. I finally got to the point of not caring much for candy for a while, but I was very popular with the kids in the neighborhood.

When I was small my mother worked for the B.C. Holmes Paint Company, which was next door to the Indiana Candy Company. A big highlight of my life was when mother took me to work with her for a Saturday morning. Not only did I get to play with the big Royal typewriter and the adding machine, we also paid a visit to her friend, Mary, next door. Mary was a chocolate dipper and packer, and she would have a marble slab in front of her with a lovely glob of chocolate on it. She would dip a cream center in it, give it a swirl, and like a baby bird my mouth would fly open and Mary would pop the chocolate in. Needless to say, I always went home half sick.

There has been a candy shop in Jeffersonville for many years, owned by the Schimpff family. At one time they sold sandwiches and such, and had a soda fountain, but they have been known mainly for their candy. The most potent memory I have is of their red hots. Made in a large sheet, then broken into small stained glass pieces, they were beautiful to look at and wonderful to eat. When I was in high school we would walk “down town” on our lunch hour and come back carrying a little white bag and the classrooms would reek of cinnamon all afternoon.

The store closed temporarily a few years ago because the last living Schimpff candy maker died. But it is open again, courtesy of a family member in California who is going to move to Jeff. The last time I was down home I tripped and fell into the store; blew $10 before you could say “scat.” And the soda fountain is working, too.

When there was enough of the makings in the house, mother or Sis (my great-aunt) would make home-made fudge. This was a bit iffy at times, since a candy thermometer was a luxury we could not afford. It took a lot of consultation to decide when a good-sized dollop of candy, dropped into a cup of cold water, had reached the “soft ball” stage. You didn’t want the finished product to be gooey, although it was delicious eaten with a spoon, and you certainly didn’t want it to go to sugar. Timing was everything

Taffy pulls were fun, even if the end result was a trifle grubby. A friend of the family had a recipe for taffy that was handed down from mother to eldest daughter. They made and sold pounds every winter, and when you tucked a chunk in your mouth and it went from rock-hard to chewy, you knew the true meaning of “melt in your mouth.” The eldest daughter died quite young, and the mother was well into her nineties when she died. I’d love to know who has the taffy recipe.

During my dad’s sojourn at the candy factory he developed a great admiration for peppermint stick candy makers. As long as he had a memory bank he would tell anyone who would listen how to make peppermint candy and how the striping was done with great delicacy and skill.

I still have a sweet tooth that runs rampant at times, especially pertaining to chocolate. But nothing competes with the sweet memories of yesteryear’s candy. Godiva choclates, and those of Schimpff’s, run a close second if push comes to shove!

– Martha Ferguson

Mom was a very accomplished baker. One of my favorite cakes of hers was applesauce cake. She would make it throughout the year, but I always associate it with the period from Thanksgiving through New Years.

Applesauce Cake

Sift in a bowl
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

Prepare in a separate bowl *
3/4 cup of cut up dates
3/4 cup of raisins
3/4 cup of chopped pecans and or walnuts

Toss two tablespoons of the flower mix in with the dates, raisins, and nuts and set aside.

Mix in a large mixer bowl:
1/2 cup soft shortening
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon of allspice
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
2 tablespoons of cocoa

Add 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, mixing well.
Add 2 eggs, one at a time.

At low speed, into egg mixture beat the rest of the flour mixture with 1 1/2 cups of applesauce.

Beat until just smooth; stir in date, raisin, nut mixture..

Bake in tube pan for 55-60 minutes at 350°.

DO NOT TURN THE PAN UPSIDE DOWN TO COOL. The cake will fall out in pieces if you do. Wait until cake is thoroughly cool to remove from pan.

* You can use all raisins or any combination of date, raisins, or nuts, just as long as you use 2 1/4 cups total. Have also used candied fruit.