Pennsylvania Dutch Food Festival Offers
Clear Toy Candy Making Demonstrations
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Fanning Staff
EAST PETERSBURG (Lan
caster Co.) —“This is a hobby that
went wild,” Nancy Fasolt said of
her Cake And Kandy Emporium
(CAKE).
It’s the place to go if you are
searching for cake and candy
molds or know how in making spe
cialty candies and cakes. And, if
you don’t want to take the time to
make your own, CAKE is the place
to buy European-style truffles,
scrumptious candies in all sizes
and shapes, fabulous decorated
cakes, and even have a customized
model of your home made in
chocolate.
As part of the Pennsylvania
Dutch Food Festival, Nancy will
teach clear toy candy making on
Monday, February 15, and Wed
nesday, February 17, at the Cake
And Candy Emporium, 2019 Mill
er Rd., East Petersburg. There is no
charge for the event, which
includes free sampling of clear
toys and chocolates.
Clear toy candy (dierich orde
glass) is crystal clear toy ‘candy
made in yellow, red, or green
shapes of toys and figures. It origi
nated in the mid 1800 s when the
candy was given to Pennsylvania
German children as Christmas pre
sents. The children set their plates
each Christmas Eve in anticipation
of the Christ-Kindel (Christ Child)
Clear toy syrup is poured Into molds, which are available
in many shapes and sizes.
5
V
Enjoy fresh from the farm goodness throughout Lancaster County during the first
Pennsylvania Dutch Food Festival, February 15 to 20. Special events Include a chick
en pot pie cook-off, tours of bed and breakfast Inns, lectures about traditional Pen
nsylvania Dutch foods, local culinary specialties featured by area restaurants and a
community chicken pot pie benefit dinner.P/ioto credit pa Dutch Convention A Visitors
Bureeu.
riding on a donkey to leave gifts of
fruit, nuts, and clear toys.
Because children played with
the candy, it was named clear toy
candy. Clear toy plates, cups, sauc
ers, pitchers, and baskets graced
many tea parties held by Pennsyl
vania German girls. The boys pre
ferred candy molded in shapes of
trains, animals, and scenery.
In the past, two Philadelphia toy
mold companies produced most of
the metal molds used to shape the
candy. The search for the 420 orig
inal molds in a wide variety of
shapes and sizes. continues by
collectors.
Nancy buys many antique col
lections of molds, which she adds
to her own collection or sells.
“They are so popular, I can’t
keep them on the shelves,” she
said.
In addition, plastic molds, at a
more economical cost, are now
being manufactured. Nancy said
that they work as well as the metal
molds but they don’t last very
long.
In the past, clear toys were also
used as Christmas tree ornaments
before glass ornaments were
made.
Nancy said that the clear toy
candy is easy to make when you
know how, but many people make
it wrong by adding too much
coloring. .
“The toy should appear crystal
* tv
Nancy Fasolt of the Cake and Kandy Emporium shows off clear toy candy molded in
cow shapes. Learn the history of traditional PA German clear toys, see them made,
and sample them on February 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Cake and Kandy Empor
ium, Village Common, Rt. 72 & Miller, Rd., East Petersburg.
Shoofly pie Is among the most popular Pennsylvania Dutch desserts served in Lan
caster County. Although not one really knows where the name originated, shoofly pie
was probably first created by German immigrant housewives who innovatively used
.the Ingredients that survived the long vogage from Europe flour, molasses, shor
tening, brown sugar, and spices. Photo credit PA Dutch Visitors Bureau.
clear when it is finished,” she said.
Shortly after Nancy opened her
first shop, an 80-year-old lady, a
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 6, 1993-B3
former candy maker, came into the
store, picked up a piece of toy can
dy that Nancy had on display and
said, “Someday I am going to
teach you the proper way to make
clear toy candy.”
Nancy was delighted. The
woman had a rare collection of
dear-toy candy molds from the
19405.
She taught Nancy to make the
candy by scooping a handful of
Pennsylvania Dutch
Food Festival
LANCASTER (Lancaster Co.) The first-ever Pennsylvania
Dutch Festival promises to attract crowds during its week-long celeb
ration of Lancaster County foods to be held February 15 to 20.
Planned activities include a chicken pot-pie cook-off, tours of food
producing plants and farmers’ markets, a tour of bed and breakfast inns
and farms serving specialty foods, and much more.
Visitors can watch renown chefs will prepare traditional Dutch
foods, observe clear toy candy making, cider pressing, soft pretzel
making and shoofly pie making,'and even get to sample many foods.
A free brochure detailing the Pennsylvania Dutch Food Festival and
a free map and visitor’s guide is available by calling 18Q0-735-2629 or
(717) 299-8901, extension 4392.
com syrup from a bucket contain
er, a method that Nancy continues
to use although she has figured out
the precise measurements for those
who want the recipe.
Nancy said that her interest in
candy making began about 10
years ago when she visited a friend
who used turkey-shaped lollipops
for Thanksgiving dinner favors.
“When she told me how much
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