Trick or treat, darlins’.
It’s time to buy the Halloween candy. Sure, some people like to wait until October 31* for the big buy, but what’s the fun in that? Buying earlier in October lets you enjoy orange Kit Kats and pumpkin-shaped Reeses for the entire month.
This is the year to put a little Ohio in the mix.
First up, caramels from Three Kids and a Kitchen. Based out of Reynoldsburg, the kitchen turns out caramels in flavors that range from traditional to pumpkin spice. The house candies are bigger than dime-store caramels -long tubes of melty goodness, wrapped in waxy paper. The difference between the Three Kids’ caramels and the ubiquitous commercial ones is evident in the first bite: the Ohio ones are softer, smoother and buttery-er. You can taste the ingredients.
There’s also Marsha’s Homemade Buckeyes: nicely packaged so they don’t pose the ominous poison threat of actual homemade candies. These come out of Perrysburg. While the ingredients might be a little suspect (margarine), the peanut butter filling inside each one is sublime, and does taste like something from a rural potluck.
Now, if these treats are too rich for your budget, there’s always Dum Dums. Believe it or not, Dum Dums are totally patriotic to the state of Ohio. They’re made by Spangler Candy in Bryan, Ohio. The little lollypops were first developed in 1924, they’re dirt cheap, and kids love them. Spangler also makes Circus Peanuts and seems to be a distributer for Life Savers -which, although invented in Cleveland, has long since become a property of Mars candies.
You can find out more about Three Kids and a Kitchen, including retail outlets at www.3kidskitchen.com.
You can find out more about Marsha’s Homemade Buckeyes at www.marshashomemadebuckeyes.com.
And Spangler candy? It’s right here: www.spanglercandy.com.
*Beggars Night is October 30 this year in Columbus, keep that in mind.
