The Origins of Candy Apples: A Story of Passion and Innovation

As I sit down with Derek, a full-time Massachusetts firefighter turned candy apple entrepreneur, I am met with a sense of excitement and passion. He has turned his hobby into a thriving business, "Wild Orchards," which boasts an impressive 25 flavored candy apple creations. But how did it all begin? For Derek, it was a chance to escape the pressures of firefighting and explore a new creative outlet.

"I used to think that the year didn't make any sense to have Halloween, you know or during the summer at the fair," he says with a chuckle. "Why not have it mid-January, dead of winter? I mean, what's wrong with having fun in the middle of January?" This unconventional thinking led Derek to start his own business making candy apples. He began with regular red flavors but soon fancied fruitier options. "Why is it always red and Cherry?" he asks rhetorically. "There are Jolly Ranchers, there are all these other flavored candies out there. Why can't they make a candy apple in different flavors?"

Derek's business has blossomed into a unique and colorful experience. With over 25 flavors to choose from, including pineapple, orange, mango, guava, and passion fruit, his candy apples have become a sensation at local events and parties. "I start with green apples," he explains. "I use Granny Smiths. The tartness offsets the sweet candy and it lets you taste the flavor. The flavors accentuate a lot better." These are not just any ordinary apples – Derek sources them from local farmers to ensure the highest quality.

The preparation of each candy apple is an intricate process, requiring great care and attention to detail. "I hand wash the apples in a vinegar and water solution," he explains. "The water would do sufficiently, but vinegar actually takes off more wax than just plain water." After drying, strong sticks are stuck into the bottom of each apple. This is where the magic happens – Derek's secret formula comes into play. He mixes up a batch of his candy coating, which involves precise amounts of sugar, flavor, and color. The exact recipe remains a trade secret.

The coating process is where the artistry begins. Derek carefully heats the mixture to the right temperature, adding precise amounts of flavor and color. Once ready, each apple gets dunked into the coating, which is then twirled to remove excess. The result is a beautiful, uniform coat that showcases the natural beauty of the Granny Smith apples.

"Contemporary Candy Apples," Derek says with pride, "cool off before getting wrapped." And indeed they do – the bright red coating creates a striking contrast on the green apples. Besides the Wild Bunch in this Orchard, Derek also makes a classic caramel-coated Apple, but the regular red remains his most popular flavor.

As I continue to chat with Derek, it becomes clear that he has tapped into a growing market for seasonal treats. "Candy apples are generally more popular in the East," he explains, "where caramel apples are a Chicago invention and popular in the Midwest." Meanwhile, kandon candies in San Jose, California, have been making these giant lollipops since the 1960s.

These colossal candies, which Derek calls "Psychedelic Pops," have become a staple at amusement parks. Tom Kennedy, the owner of Kandon Candies, created this colorful treat as a response to the psychedelic craze of the 1960s. The pops are made by hand, with each batch starting with white hot liquid candy that's poured onto a cooling table where powdered food coloring is mixed in. The colors are then bound together with small white strips and rolled into a thick rainbow rope.

After stretching and cutting the rope into large balls, the lollipops are stamped into their classic shape and cooled through a tunnel. Finally, they're wrapped up and packed into boxes for distribution. Eating an entire psychedelic pop takes a super-sized appetite – but Derek's creations have captured the hearts (and taste buds) of many.

As I conclude my conversation with Derek, it becomes clear that his passion for candy apples has led to something truly special. With 25 flavors to choose from and a dedication to quality ingredients, "Wild Orchards" is sure to become a household name in the world of seasonal treats.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enget in line for a thrilling adventure in amusement parks get an inside look at the treats we eat between rides find out the secret to making kettle corn so Savory watch as apples get a candy coating and feast your eyes on this go behind the scenes to see how these giant lollipops get spun up other Foods introduced at public events are crackerjack which is thought to have first appeared at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and then Charles hirers presented root beer at the 1876 Philadelphia Worlds Fair and a snack you can find at parks across the country today is an old-fashioned treat it's kettle corn with the kettle giving a unique taste and right now we're going to take you behind the scenes to see how these special popcorn pots are made and this is so good popcorn popcorn get your kettle popcorn you may have seen it we're starting to go starting to go heard it and even smelled it over coming over but have you ever tasted kettle corn you just want to keep on eating it kettle corn has been around since the mid 1800s when a Missouri farmer figured out how to give regular popcorn a light Candy Crunch and in the olden days they used an old cast iron kettle over an open fire they' throw some popcorn in there some lard in there and then throw a little bit of sugar in there until recently the sweet treat was a mystery to much of America we still find areas that we can go to that people don't know what it is they walk up to you and they'll say give me double butter extra salt but kettle corn is dramatically different from plain popcorn it's kind of got like a sugary coating kettle popcorn is not supposed to be overly sweet it's supposed to be just lightly sweet and lightly salty Dantel helped develop a way to cook kettle corn for a crowd it's called ye old kettle cooker and it's handmade in Oklahoma these days the cooker is popping up at some of the biggest amusement parks here's how it works first a propane flame is turned on under the kettle it should sound like a a jet engine when you turn it on next two scoops of oil are poured in the oil will get between 400 and 450° now usually once it starts to smoke on you you can tell that it's warm enough a wooden Ladle keeps the corn moving you have to keep the popcorn moving very fastly so that it doesn't burn just as the corn starts to pop a touch of sugar is added in Ence vaporizes the sugar or draws it right into the kernel so you don't have a coated type popcorn like you would in say a caramel corn once it gets popping the real work begins a whistle signals when the batch is done salt is tossed in with a slightly sweet corn oh it's good Dan says it took lots of trial and error to come up with a perfect kettle corn recipe there was an awful lot of batches thrown away we tried everything from regular sugar to brown sugar to powdered sugar in all different formulas once you've popped the perfect kettle corn it doesn't last long I've had people tell me they don't even like popcorn literally don't like popcorn and they can't quit eating this welcome back to unwrapped where we're unwrapping America's favorite amusement park snacks and one of those snacks is the candy apple not to be confused with the caramel apple these are the ones with the hard candy coating and we're going to take an inside look at the secrets to making that candy coat stick what could be better than a big juicy Apple how about a big juicy apple covered in candy no one is quite sure how this tasty tradition got started but there's no doubt it's one of the sweetest ways to get your Apple a Day once you're a candy apple you know eater you're going to love it until you die you know as long as you can chew Derek Fowler has loved Candy Apples since he was a kid but found them hard to find most of the year didn't make any sense to have it just for Halloween you know or during the summer at the fair why not have it you know mid of January you know dead of winter so this full-time Massachusetts firefighter de decided to start his own business making candy apples he started with regular red but soon fancied fruer flavors know why is it always red and Cherry you know there's Jolly Ranchers there's all these other flavored candies out there why can't they make a candy apple in different flavors now dereck's business has blossomed into a 25 flavored candy apple Empire called wild Orchards there's so many of them there's P there's pineapple orange mango we have a guava we have a passion fruit to make his candy apple Creations Derek begins with green apples I use Granny Smith the tartness offsets the sweet candy and it lets you taste the flavor the flavors accentuate a lot better these are no Garden variety Granny's these are some of the most ample apples you will ever see size actually matters I won't use anything less than a 2 and 1/2 in apple what you rarely find in your your grocery first the apples are hand washed in a vinegar and water solution the water would do sufficiently but vinegar actually takes off more wax than uh just plain water with them then they are carefully dried water and Candy don't mix and if you don't get all the water as much water as possible off the Apple once you start to dip the candy will not adhere to the Apple next strong sticks are stuck into the bottom of each apple this is a lot of hard work now that the apples are ready Derek mixes up a batch of his candy coating this is the secret formula here one scoop of this and uh another scoop of sugar we yield about 30 to 40 apples a touch of water is added and the sugary mix is heated once it's reach the right temperature precise amounts of flavor and color are added this is a ginger beer special request when the coating is ready each apple gets dunked you spin it enough to get the excess off then you twirl it just so you get a nice uniform coat and uh this is just this is a lot of experience here these contemporary Candy Apples cool off before getting wrapped for traditional Candy Apples the bright red coating creates a colorful contrast on the green Granny Smiths besides the Wild Bunch in this Orchard Derek also makes a classic caramel coated Apple but the regular red Remains the most popular and now that Derek has made candy apples available year round they're finding a whole new Niche outside the fair and my busiest time is actually uh the fall and wedding season candy apples are generally more popular in the East where caramel apples are a Chicago invention popular in the midwest another sticky confection you can find at the fair is the lollipop but not just any ordinary suckers at amusement parks they need to be f and here are some big colorful candies to um grab on to swirling colors make it look like a pin wheel maybe that's why it's so attractive to little eyes M that's actually kind of good then again maybe it's the massive size that makes it irresistible to little mouths kandon candies in San Jose California has been making these Giants since the 1960s they call it a psychedelic pop in honor of the era at the time most suckers came in a single color but one clever customer gave owner Tom Kennedy the idea to brighten things up and she said to me she said I I want a multicolored pop cuz this was the was the beginning of the Psychedelic craze in the United States Tom made up a single batch of his colorful creation and was stunned at the reac action it it flew it flew so fast we couldn't believe the sail soon amusement parks were looking to add this Sweet Sensation to their stock today kenden still makes scores of these colossal candies each batch begins with white hot liquid candy it pours out at 310° onto a cooling table where powdered food coloring is mixed in by hand creating all five colors the color circles are placed on another table for cooling then they are rolled up and stretched into Stripes next the colors are bound together with small white strips making what candy makers call a jacket meanwhile a larger mass of the candy is carried to a polar where it transforms from Amber to White this large loaf will make the center of the sucker the jacket is rolled around the white bundle and the 80lb batch of candy is put in into a warmer where it's stretched into a thick rainbow rope next the Rope is cut into large balls and a stick is pressed in while it's still warm the ball is then stamped into kenan's classic sucker shape after writing through a cooling tunnel the pops are wrapped up and carefully packed into boxes at 2 lb a piece eating an entire psychedelic pop takes a super siiz appetiteget in line for a thrilling adventure in amusement parks get an inside look at the treats we eat between rides find out the secret to making kettle corn so Savory watch as apples get a candy coating and feast your eyes on this go behind the scenes to see how these giant lollipops get spun up other Foods introduced at public events are crackerjack which is thought to have first appeared at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and then Charles hirers presented root beer at the 1876 Philadelphia Worlds Fair and a snack you can find at parks across the country today is an old-fashioned treat it's kettle corn with the kettle giving a unique taste and right now we're going to take you behind the scenes to see how these special popcorn pots are made and this is so good popcorn popcorn get your kettle popcorn you may have seen it we're starting to go starting to go heard it and even smelled it over coming over but have you ever tasted kettle corn you just want to keep on eating it kettle corn has been around since the mid 1800s when a Missouri farmer figured out how to give regular popcorn a light Candy Crunch and in the olden days they used an old cast iron kettle over an open fire they' throw some popcorn in there some lard in there and then throw a little bit of sugar in there until recently the sweet treat was a mystery to much of America we still find areas that we can go to that people don't know what it is they walk up to you and they'll say give me double butter extra salt but kettle corn is dramatically different from plain popcorn it's kind of got like a sugary coating kettle popcorn is not supposed to be overly sweet it's supposed to be just lightly sweet and lightly salty Dantel helped develop a way to cook kettle corn for a crowd it's called ye old kettle cooker and it's handmade in Oklahoma these days the cooker is popping up at some of the biggest amusement parks here's how it works first a propane flame is turned on under the kettle it should sound like a a jet engine when you turn it on next two scoops of oil are poured in the oil will get between 400 and 450° now usually once it starts to smoke on you you can tell that it's warm enough a wooden Ladle keeps the corn moving you have to keep the popcorn moving very fastly so that it doesn't burn just as the corn starts to pop a touch of sugar is added in Ence vaporizes the sugar or draws it right into the kernel so you don't have a coated type popcorn like you would in say a caramel corn once it gets popping the real work begins a whistle signals when the batch is done salt is tossed in with a slightly sweet corn oh it's good Dan says it took lots of trial and error to come up with a perfect kettle corn recipe there was an awful lot of batches thrown away we tried everything from regular sugar to brown sugar to powdered sugar in all different formulas once you've popped the perfect kettle corn it doesn't last long I've had people tell me they don't even like popcorn literally don't like popcorn and they can't quit eating this welcome back to unwrapped where we're unwrapping America's favorite amusement park snacks and one of those snacks is the candy apple not to be confused with the caramel apple these are the ones with the hard candy coating and we're going to take an inside look at the secrets to making that candy coat stick what could be better than a big juicy Apple how about a big juicy apple covered in candy no one is quite sure how this tasty tradition got started but there's no doubt it's one of the sweetest ways to get your Apple a Day once you're a candy apple you know eater you're going to love it until you die you know as long as you can chew Derek Fowler has loved Candy Apples since he was a kid but found them hard to find most of the year didn't make any sense to have it just for Halloween you know or during the summer at the fair why not have it you know mid of January you know dead of winter so this full-time Massachusetts firefighter de decided to start his own business making candy apples he started with regular red but soon fancied fruer flavors know why is it always red and Cherry you know there's Jolly Ranchers there's all these other flavored candies out there why can't they make a candy apple in different flavors now dereck's business has blossomed into a 25 flavored candy apple Empire called wild Orchards there's so many of them there's P there's pineapple orange mango we have a guava we have a passion fruit to make his candy apple Creations Derek begins with green apples I use Granny Smith the tartness offsets the sweet candy and it lets you taste the flavor the flavors accentuate a lot better these are no Garden variety Granny's these are some of the most ample apples you will ever see size actually matters I won't use anything less than a 2 and 1/2 in apple what you rarely find in your your grocery first the apples are hand washed in a vinegar and water solution the water would do sufficiently but vinegar actually takes off more wax than uh just plain water with them then they are carefully dried water and Candy don't mix and if you don't get all the water as much water as possible off the Apple once you start to dip the candy will not adhere to the Apple next strong sticks are stuck into the bottom of each apple this is a lot of hard work now that the apples are ready Derek mixes up a batch of his candy coating this is the secret formula here one scoop of this and uh another scoop of sugar we yield about 30 to 40 apples a touch of water is added and the sugary mix is heated once it's reach the right temperature precise amounts of flavor and color are added this is a ginger beer special request when the coating is ready each apple gets dunked you spin it enough to get the excess off then you twirl it just so you get a nice uniform coat and uh this is just this is a lot of experience here these contemporary Candy Apples cool off before getting wrapped for traditional Candy Apples the bright red coating creates a colorful contrast on the green Granny Smiths besides the Wild Bunch in this Orchard Derek also makes a classic caramel coated Apple but the regular red Remains the most popular and now that Derek has made candy apples available year round they're finding a whole new Niche outside the fair and my busiest time is actually uh the fall and wedding season candy apples are generally more popular in the East where caramel apples are a Chicago invention popular in the midwest another sticky confection you can find at the fair is the lollipop but not just any ordinary suckers at amusement parks they need to be f and here are some big colorful candies to um grab on to swirling colors make it look like a pin wheel maybe that's why it's so attractive to little eyes M that's actually kind of good then again maybe it's the massive size that makes it irresistible to little mouths kandon candies in San Jose California has been making these Giants since the 1960s they call it a psychedelic pop in honor of the era at the time most suckers came in a single color but one clever customer gave owner Tom Kennedy the idea to brighten things up and she said to me she said I I want a multicolored pop cuz this was the was the beginning of the Psychedelic craze in the United States Tom made up a single batch of his colorful creation and was stunned at the reac action it it flew it flew so fast we couldn't believe the sail soon amusement parks were looking to add this Sweet Sensation to their stock today kenden still makes scores of these colossal candies each batch begins with white hot liquid candy it pours out at 310° onto a cooling table where powdered food coloring is mixed in by hand creating all five colors the color circles are placed on another table for cooling then they are rolled up and stretched into Stripes next the colors are bound together with small white strips making what candy makers call a jacket meanwhile a larger mass of the candy is carried to a polar where it transforms from Amber to White this large loaf will make the center of the sucker the jacket is rolled around the white bundle and the 80lb batch of candy is put in into a warmer where it's stretched into a thick rainbow rope next the Rope is cut into large balls and a stick is pressed in while it's still warm the ball is then stamped into kenan's classic sucker shape after writing through a cooling tunnel the pops are wrapped up and carefully packed into boxes at 2 lb a piece eating an entire psychedelic pop takes a super siiz appetite\n"