Rock Candy in a Bowl
2 cups water
4 cups sugar
food coloring (optional)
Place two cups of water into a saucepan. Add four cups of sugar and stir
for a minute to get as much sugar as possible to dissolve. Place the
saucepan on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Stir until the
sugar is dissolved. Add food coloring, if desired. Stir. Take the
saucepan off the heat. If you're using a Rubbermaid or Tupperware
container you can pour the hot liquid directly into it. Otherwise let
the liquid cool in the saucepan; then pour into your plastic container
(DO NOT use a glass container!!!!). (Larger crystals grow if the
solution cools slowly. So, if possible, place container in a warm spot.)
Crystals will form on the surface in a few days. Do not remove them;
sink them to the bottom with a spoon. In 7 days or so the bottom of the
plastic container will be covered with a thick layer of sugar crystals
(rock candy). Turn the container over in the sink. Let the excess sugar
solution drain completely. This takes about 2 hours. When the surface of
the crystals is dry, push on the sides and bottom of the plastic bowl
and the crystals will break into chunks. Put crystals onto wax paper and
let them dry completely. The more they dry, the more they sparkle. |