Good morning, how are you? I wanted to share our series featuring Food Holidays: June 16th, 2022. If only I had knew yesterday was National Fudge Day I would have purchased the ingredients for Charlie and I to make Fudge this evening but that is out because I didn’t know and didn’t purchase the ingredients we would need. If your going to the store today would you purchase the ingredients for us and drop them off and Charlie and I will make a batch of Fudge for you. Don’t forget the Nuts which should be Walnuts or Pecans for us and what ever you would like for yourself.
Ever hear anyone exclaim, “Oh, fudge!” when they’ve screwed something up? Like the Slinky, this dense Candy-like treat known as Fudge is believed to have been a mistake. According to legend, a confectioner flubbed while trying to make Caramel, but ended up creating something just as tasty. We celebrate this holiday on June 16th, which is National Fudge Day. Fudge also has historical ties to female scholars in the late 19th and early 20th Century, when recipes for Fudge spread like wildfire among students at women’s colleges such as Vassar, Wellesley, and Smith. One student made 30 pounds of Fudge for the Vassar Senior Auction in 1890!
NATIONAL FUDGE DAY ACTIVITIES
- If your planning a vacation this Summer then you should plan a trip to Mackinac’s Fudge Festival in Mackinac Island, Michigan. A 4.35-square-mile island that is home to over a dozen shops dedicated to Fudge, even though its permanent population only hovers around 500 people. While the famous Fudge destination’s celebration doesn’t coincide with National Fudge Day, it doesn’t need to. Plenty of folks make the trek every year to see Fudge-making process, try Fudge-infused Cocktails created by local Mixologists. Then they run in a Sugar-sack relay race, or look for one of several “golden tickets” hidden inside boxes of Fudge. Entitling winners to a free-vacation package. This festival occurs in April, giving you plenty of time to book your tickets. While waiting for the trip you can even get in a few extra hours on the elliptical in preparation.
- Dish out Ice cream on National Fudge Day? You can’t have Hot Fudge Sauce without, Fudge. The Sauce that you spoon over Ice Cream and top with Whipped Cream is essentially the same as regular Fudge, except that it never sets. A mistake made out of a mistake, in other words! Until the advent of Fudge, the only options for topping your Ice Cream were plain ol’ Chocolate Sauce and Sauces made from Fruit. Nothing wrong with a Strawberry Sundae, of course, but we have early Fudge fudgers to thank for this most iconic of American Ice-Cream treats.
- It’s always fun to treat ourselves but think about what a delight it would be to receive a box of handmade Fudge. It doesn’t take any longer to cook up a double batch than a single batch of Fudge. Save half of the Fudge for yourself and deliver the rest to a friend. Bring Fudge into the office or to your local firehouse , to spread a little sweet cheer. Not confident about combining open flame and melting Sugar? Every Fudge shop will happily ship their product anywhere in the world. That way, you can also choose a sampler pack.
WHY PEOPLE LOVE NATIONAL FUDGE DAY
- Chocolate is probably the most well-known flavor of Fudge, because Chocolate is so universally beloved. Besides Chocolate and its variations including Chocolate Peanut-Butter, Chocolate Walnut, or German Chocolate wwe can pig out on Maple Walnut, Cookie Dough, or Kahlua. Unless you had your sweet tooth extracted by the dentist at a very young age, you’re going to find a flavor of Fudge that you enjoy.
- Perhaps because Fudge is closer kin to Candy than to other treats like Cookies Fudge has a reputation for being finicky and difficult to make. That may well stem from Fudge late-19th-Century history, when Fudge often would have been made on a Wood-Fired Stove and without the benefit of Candy Thermometers. Nowadays, we have precise temperature control, accurate measurement, and ingredients including Corn Syrup, Marshmallow Fluff and Condensed Milk that make whipping up a batch of Fudge a veritable snap.
- Unlike some seasonal delicacies including Crawfish, Hatch Chilies, Corn on the Cob, Fudge is appropriate and appetizing year ‘round. There are seasonal flavors, but one appeal of Fudge is that it’s good in Summer or Winter; as a gift, a potluck contribution, or just a bite-size dessert that will satisfy with its richness. Did you know that Fudge freezes fabulously? That means you can make a nice big batch of your favorite variety of Fudge, then package the Fudge up into portions, and tuck the Fudge away behind the TV dinners for those emergencies you know, the average Tuesdaywhen you need a little something sweet.
Fudge facts:
- Fudge is a type of Western confectionery which is usually very sweet, and rich. Fudge is made by mixing Sugar, Butter, and Milk. Heating the ingredients to the soft-ball stage at 240 °F or116 °C. Then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency. Many variations with other flavorings are possible.
- The components of Fudge are very similar to the traditional recipe for which is noted in The Household Book of Lady Grisell Baillie 1692-1733. The term “Fudge” is often used in the United Kingdom for a softer variant of the tablet recipe.
- American-style Fudge containing Chocolate is found in a letter written by Emelyn Battersby Hartridge, a student at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
- Word of this popular confectionery spread to other women’s colleges.
- Hot Fudge in the United States and Canada is usually considered to be a Chocolat
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
