Favoritos de rhondab77

Driving along a dirt road near midnight - rain and thunderstorms in the distance - we came across this guy on the road. Naturally I slammed on the brakes and stopped for the little guy. My recollection is not clear this long after seeing it but I would guess it was about 2 ft long? An absolute treat.

Robust but low herb, no more than about 1/4 meter tall, and very hairy, growing along Poopout Trail, Dalton Ridge, front range of the San Gabriel Mountains. Candy recipe followed:

1. Collect a decent amount of fresh horehound (see photo # 2).
2. Strip leaves off of stems and add to a pot with 2 cups of water.
3. Bring water to boil for a few minutes and let it steep off heat for a while.
4. Decant the liquid into 2 cup measuring cup and take note of the approximate recovered volume.
5. Measure out an equal volume of sugar, or use honey up to about 1/4 of the volume of the liquid from step # 4.
6. Add sugar, honey, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, and a approximately 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the liquid and boil until the liquid comes to 300 F (150 C).
7. Grease a large plate with butter while the candy climbs to temperature.
8. When the candy mixture comes to its final temperature, remove from heat, and pour the candy onto the buttered plate.
9. Allow hot candy to cool for a few minutes.
10. Once cooled enough to handle safely, use a knife or spoon to pull away small pieces of candy, and using hands, roll the candy into balls, canes, or whatever desired shape, and place on a second buttered plate to cool.