Candies
Plants are candied in many different ways. Using the plants on campus, there are three main methods for creating candy.

First, nuts or roots can be simmered in sugary syrup, then dried partially and rolled in sugar. Oak acorns may have to be leached* of tannin* before being candied. See the nuts section of this guide for more information. Second, flower petals can be dipped carefully in water, then in somewhat beaten egg white, then covered in sugar and dried. Finally, the hardened sap that forms around wounds in certain trees can be used as a substitute for chewing gum.

Plants in this guide that can be made into candy
Compositae - The Aster Family
Common Burdock

Cook flower stalks, then simmer them in syrup.
Fagaceae - The Oak Family
All of the members of this family that can be candied are prepared by simmering the dried nuts in sugary syrup. The actual Oaks have a bitter chemical called tannin* that must be leached* first, but afterwards they are treated like other nuts.
American Chestnut

Once separated from the husks and pit, these nuts are fantastic dipped in syrup and simmered.
White Oak
Hamamalidaceae - The Witch-Hazel Family
Sweetgum

Hardened sap around wounds in the bark can be substituted for chewing gum.
Juglandaceae - The Hickory Family
Like the Fagaceae family, the dried nuts of members of this family are candied by simmered them in syrup.
Pignut Hickory
Shagbark Hickory
Pinaceae - The Pine Family
White Pine

Remove needles from and peel young shoots. Boil them until they are tender, then simmer them in a rich sugar syrup.
Rosaceae - The Rose Family
Rose

Petals can be soaked in water, brushed with egg white, sugared, and dried.
Except where specifically noted, all text, photographs, and drawings copyright Chris Bersbach and Lisa Leombruni 2002. No part of this page may be reproduced without the express permission of the authors.