As Betsey became more and more expert in making candy she found she could plan many ways to save time.
Having everything ready to work with at the beginning made the work far easier.
So while Betsey popped the corn, the maple syrup, sugar and butter were busily boiling.
Of course Betsey had to work quickly and put her whole mind on what she was doing. By the time the corn was popped, carefully picked over and placed in a good-sized buttered pan, then sprinkled with a little salt, the candy was about done. She tried a little in cold water, and when it became brittle she poured it slowly over the corn, constantly stirring.
When it was cool enough to handle, Betsey, with well-buttered fingers, shaped it into balls, which she wrapped in waxed paper.
How to Sugar Popcorn
| Sugar (granulated), | 2 cups |
| Water, | ½ cup |
| Butter, | 2 tablespoons |
| Corn (not popped), | ¾ cup |
Betsey, after first popping the corn, put the sugar, water and butter in a saucepan. When the candy was boiling Betsey added the popcorn gradually, until all had been added that the syrup would cover, then stirred gently from the bottom until the sugar formed grains on the corn.
It was then turned into a dish to cool.