Page 95 - One Thousand Ways to Make $1000

boxes had to be inexpensive to keep costs down, so she chose plain, deep
cream-colored boxes and with a hard brown crayon wrote the words “Honey
Fudge” in a distinctive backhand script on the covers. A little practice was
required, of course, to acquire the proper swing to the writing. At first she
found it difficult to get the right pressure when using the crayon on the cover,
but this problem was solved by placing the box cover on a block of smooth
wood. A little touch such as this in packaging merchandise often means the
difference between success and failure in marketing your product.

Where to Sell Candied Popcorn

S

TANDING in a crowd of three hundred and fifty people who stopped to
watch a prairie baseball game, James Barlow, of Waterloo, Iowa, got an idea.
Barlow wanted some popcorn and the nearest store was about two blocks
away! Here were a hundred or more people all wanting popcorn. What a
chance for making money! So he decided to test the possibilities of his idea
the following Sunday. He bought a corn-popper and went to work. His wife’s
cookbook furnished a recipe for making caramel from corn syrup and water,
and from that recipe Barlow made up a quantity of syrup which he poured
over the corn. Then he pressed this caramelized popcorn into balls, wrapping
each ball with red waxed tissue. Just before the game began he filled a
clothes basket with popcorn balls and carried it into the crowd gathering to
watch the game. Slowly moving up and down the side lines, he soon sold all
his popcorn at five cents a ball, and returned home three times during the
game to refill the basket. His total sales were one hundred and seventy-nine
popcorn balls.

Expensive equipment is not necessary for successfully caramelizing popcorn.
You may secure satisfactory results by pouring a thin caramel syrup over the
corn shortly after it is popped, and letting it stand for a few minutes. Either
corn syrup or molasses will make a good caramel when mixed with water and
boiled. The syrup should be thin, however, so it will spread easily and dry
quickly.