Sugar Rush

Hi Puzzlers,

Have you seen our newest candy puzzles, Sugar Rush and Night Time Cravings? Just looking at them starts my mouth watering! I do try to refrain from eating too much candy or sweets, but often, especially after looking at these puzzles, I need to have a sugar fix. Candy by definition is any “variety of confections made with sugar or syrup, which is often combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts, etc.”

Honey was the first sweetener. Cavemen would eat it straight from the combs. The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans would use honey to coat fruit, seeds, flowers and stems. I’m thinking granola bar! Yum! Many historians believe that the first candies were eaten as medical treatments for digestion problems and sore throats. The marshmallow plant (yes -- you read right!) was ground and mixed with honey as a sore throat remedy. The much-loved Jujubes (also a plant) have been used for centuries to aid in digestion, mood, poor appetite and more. We have been masking the bad taste of medicine with sweeteners since antiquity.

During the Middle Ages spices were added to sugar with the intention to use the “candy” to help prevent digestive troubles due to over-consumption and food not being very fresh or balanced. These candies were very expensive and only the elite groups could afford them. They would be packaged in tiny boxes and given to guests, who would savor them at night in their rooms.

After the British colonized Barbados in 1627 and Jamaica in 1655, they began to almost exclusively produce sugar on these islands. Due to the forced labor of the African slaves, sugar manufacturing prices were much lower. The reduction in sugar cost allowed every social group the chance to afford sugar and as time passed more sugar, and thus candies, was produced. And, as they say, the rest is history -- until we get to the wrappers and that will be the topic of our next blog.

Happy Puzzling!

Flea Market

Hi Puzzlers,

Have you ever been to a Flea Market? I have a few that I go to whenever I get the chance because they are just so much fun. I go to look at all the interesting and crazy items people are selling. I always seem to find something cool and unusual at a great price. Flea Markets are also a good way to start a business-just go to one and see all the entrepreneurs.

No one really knows when the first flea market began. Some say that flea markets began in the Middle East as outdoor markets. The first stories found on this topic came out of Paris in 1860. The market was called “marche auz puces” and it was open Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.

The flea in the flea market name is in reference, as you may have guessed, to the insect. Old upholstered furniture that was sold in these markets was generally infested with fleas. Mainly poor people and slum dwellers visited these markets, which at the time was most of Europe. And yes, there were a lot of fleas and not just on the dogs and furniture! I am glad times have changed!!!

What hasn’t changed is the entrepreneurial spirit of all the vendors. People of all ages rent space and set up tables selling products to the general public. Do you want to have a multi-family yard sale that will guarantee a steady flow of customers? Looking for antiques and unusual novelty items? How about Girl Scout cookies? Do you have a new product you want to test market? Are you looking for a part for that old nostalgic refrigerator you just have to get running? Try a flea market! Are you worried about packing a lunch? Don’t be. Most markets have vendors selling yummy fried dough, sandwiches, sodas and much, much, more.

Today the United States has more that 5000 flea markets nationwide and countless numbers worldwide. Flea markets are as popular today as they were 150 years ago. Just check out our very own Cronan on our Flea Market puzzle-he is the one holding the portrait of the Sacred Heart.

Happy Puzzling!