May 23 - National Taffy Day

National Taffy Day

When I hear "taffy," saltwater taffy first comes to mind. And when I think of saltwater taffy, I think vacations.


For some reason, my family would always buy saltwater taffy when we were on vacation, even if we were nowhere near salt water! I distinctly remember going to Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to visit the Great Smoky Mountains. There was a store in the touristy part of town that, if I remember correctly, had a taffy pulling machine in the front window.


So, because I think of vacation destinations when I think of saltwater taffy, I assumed I wouldn't be able to find saltwater taffy at my local grocery store (even though I live in Los Angeles, a major tourism spot). I wondered how difficult it would be to make my own taffy at home. I found this very helpful site that explains not only how to make taffy, but why you put in certain ingredients. I like that. I also found lots of fun sites explaining how to throw an old-fashioned Taffy Pull Party. Or who can come to your party and show you and your guests how to pull taffy, if you'd rather do that.


The easiest solution to celebrate Taffy Day would be to just pick up some Now & Laters or Laffy Taffy. However, when I was at the hardware store the other day, I happened to come across a bag of saltwater taffy! I bought it without a second thought. I'm glad I did.