I’ve always loved the confections from Hammonds, one of the few remaining small candy companies in the US {click on delights to read more}. So, I was positively thrilled to learn that the Hammond factory was nearby one of the colleges I was visiting with Splendid jr. in Denver last week…and that we had just enough time to squeeze in a little visit.
These are not your average candy canes. The size, color, and glossy appearance of these confections make them more than just edible, they are the types of candies you’ll love incorporating into your home decor. Of course, when you think of candy canes you think of Christmas, but the golden-green shade of these pear candy canes sitting in my kitchen counter definitely calls out “autumn” to me.
And these swirly, curly lollipops look pretty with the early Clementines and will be perfect for Halloween {if they last that long}.
So, what makes these candies better than your average sweet? Well, this little candy company, which has been around since 1920, extensively trains their employees to use the same practices they’ve used for nearly a century to create each of these beautiful confections. From start to finish, much of the creation process is done by hand. Many of the machines that are used are older than some of the employees who are using them today!
They give tours frequently during the day. To start off, there is a video on how the candies are made. After the video there is a visit to a viewing room adjacent to the factory where you can watch the people making all of these marvelous candies. In the viewing room, there is a video screen which shows close-ups of different areas of the factory and the guide explains what each of the workers are doing.
It all begins in these copper kettles where the basic ingredients are mixed and heated {variations of sugar, corn syrup, and water}.
Have you ever noticed that the white portion of a candy cane dissolves much more quickly than the colored stripes? I haven’t given it too much thought before, but I learned why this happens.
The golden colored threads you see on the “puller” below is the base for all of the candies, it doesn’t have any color added. This puller stretches the candy, making it less dense and getting more air into the mix. The added air makes the candy turn white, and also causes it to dissolve more quickly than the colored stripes, which have not been “pulled”.
The piece of candy to the left in the photo below is the the same piece of candy shown on the puller above, it went from golden brown to white in a matter of minutes. The craftsman is now forming the colored portion of dough. The table is heated to keep the candy soft and pliable.
After he shapes the dough to the right size {there are markers on the table}
He trims the ends off of the formed candy and adds it to the multi-colored pile front and center. This leftover part of the candy becomes part of the filling for the candy canes.
The colored striped candy is then wrapped around the center candy and it is all fed through an extruder. The extruder magically shoots out a continuous rope of candy, with the filling on the inside and the striped pattern on the exterior.
One crafts person cuts the rope to the right length.
the next person swirls and curls the rope into lollipops,
or gently arches them to make canes.
Whether you take the tour or not, you can visit the shop and stock up on all sorts of beautiful candies for any season.
Click here to watch the video to the tour {this the same tour video linked to above}.
My very favorite part of this video is the ancient machine that makes the fabulous ribbon candy {clove ribbon candy is a holiday staple at the market}.
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| image from Country Living |
There is another classic candy company, similar to Hammonds, located in Easton, Maryland called Hillards. I love this video from Hillards on the process of making ribbon candy.
Caution: this may put you into the holiday spirit!!
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| To view their complete assortment and order confections from Hammonds click here. |
Love this!! How wonderful to see things being done as they once were, warms my heart. And I couldnt' help but notice the white marble they have there, which underscores my point beautifully on my post yesterday about marble and how its used!! Beautiful post!
What a sweet way to celebrate a holiday. I can think of a friend who I would love to give a big bouquet of the brown ones as a hostess gifts!
i love hammonds… of course anything made in colorado is near to my heart…
i had loads of their candy in the store last year and it sold like crazy… maybe i should bring it back???
hope you had a great weekend… rainier was amazing..
xo
WONDERFUL!!! I definitely remember and loved Hammonds! What a fun visit.
These homemade candies look too good to eat! I love the look of the brown candy canes in your kitchen! Yes, I'm now officially in the holiday spirit!
xo
Serena
We give Hammonds candy canes as gifts every year to all the children we know…they're so old fashioned and delicious, the kind Santa would eat!
When I watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang recently, my favorite part is when they're in the Scrumptious Candy Factory…it's beautiful! Off to check out Hammonds now, how fun that you were able to visit.
xo J~