I Grew up in a town that had a population less than 1000

I didn't appreciate how unusual this was until I moved to Toronto to go to University. While in University, as I explained some things to friends, they were usually a little shocked. For instance:

Walking to School

My school was 1.5Km from my house. It needed to be 1.6Km (1 mile) in order for me to take the bus. My neighbour on the other side of our fence, was 1.6. :-(. All my life, I can remember walking to school. When I asked my mom what age I was when I first started walking to school, she matter-of-factly said "You were in Grade 2 - so you were 7."

I can not imagine that today!!! Letting your 7 year old walk, alone, to school that is just under a mile away!! So, of course, I asked her how could she risk losing her little boy?? She answered my question with a question, "On your walk to school, of the houses that you passed, how many of the houses that you passed did you know the families that lived there?" I went through it in my head ... I knew the families of at least 70% of the houses that I passed.

That's simply something you don't see in the cities. If you currently live in an apartment building, think of all the units on your floor. How many of those families do you know?

The Caramel Corn

Every year at Hallowe'en, my mom made Caramel corn. To give out. As Candy. To Strangers. Many of them came back the following year specifically to our house to get another bag.

I was thinking about that as I made a batch. What would happen if I gave out home-made caramel corn to the kids that came to the door. Would their parents allow them to eat it? Would there be pitchforks and torches at the door? Alas, I did not give any out to the trick-or-treaters. Mostly because the adults were too busy eating it all. :-)

Making Caramel corn is quite easy. First, pop about 2 cups of popcorn and put it in an oven safe pan in the oven at 250°F

Now, for the part that you don't want to know. Put 1 cup of margarine, 2 cups of brown sugar, half a cup of corn syrup and 1.5 teaspoons of salt in a small saucepan. (Yes, that is sugar, oil and salt - moderation is the key)

Heat the mixture until a candy thermometer indicates that it's 250°, then turn off the head and let it rest for about two minutes. At that point, add half a teaspoon of baking soda. This is fun to watch as there is a chemical reaction that adds levity to the caramel and changes the colour to a lighter "caramel" colour.

Now, you just have to pour the caramel over the popcorn, then return it to the oven.

Every 15 minutes, pull it out and give it a gentle stir. You want to try to avoid breaking up those delicate pieces of popcorn. I usually stir it about 5 times before I feel the caramel has sufficiently coated the corn. At that point, spread it over some cookie sheets while separating the kernels so that it won't cool into clumps.

Once it's cool enough to touch, it's cool enough to eat. But I like to put mine in bags and give out to friends.

If your children came home with home-made hallowe'en treats, would you feel comfortable letting them eat it?