Rock Candy

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Take about a cup of water (or more, if you want to make several pieces of
candy), and heat it in a saucepan until it almost boils. Turn off the heat.
Start stirring in granulated sugar, making sure that each addition is
*completely dissolved* before you add more. You are aiming for a
'supersaturation solution' of sugar in the water.
When you can no longer add sugar to the solution, it is ready. Let it cool
a bit, and then pour it into a tall, narrow jar (or jars). Suspend a clean
piece of cotton string into the center of the syrup. Tying the top end of
the string to a pencil that sits on the rim of the jar works well. Cover
the solution loosely so that dust or other contaminants will not float into
the sugar solution, and put the whole thing into an out-of-the-way place
for two to three weeks.  Don't shake or disturb it.
During that time, larger than normal sugar crystals will form on the cotton
string and possibly in the bottom of the jar. When the crystals have
stopped growing or are as big as you like them, take the string out,
briefly rinse the crystals in clear water and hang them to dry for a few
minutes.  Rock candy!
You can also add food coloring to the sugar solution. The crystals will
pick up a tint on the tips from it, and it looks kind of neat.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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