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By
Diane Forrest
My mother is involved with several Women's organizations
at our church. Every year they meet at a
camp about an hour away for meetings. My
mother, not known for her camping skills, attends this camp every year. When she returned home last weekend, she told
us stories about how they gathered around the campfire, sang songs and toasted
marshmallow. This brought back memories
of my younger days. We would take coat
hangers. Unbend them and skewer them with marshmallow. Then hold them over the
flames of the campfire until they caught on fire, then we would run around and
chase people with flaming marshmallows. It is amazing that we never got burned
by having a flaming marshmallow stuck to our skin!
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Today is National Toasted Marshmallow Day. There are some views why it occurs at the end
of the month. Some think that its the
end of the summer, time to get the last campfire in before starting back to
school. This tradition was invented by
Earnest Patrick Finn in the late 18th century. A marshmallow is placed on the
end of a stick or skewer and held carefully over the fire until it turns golden
brown or is burnt. This creates a caramelized outer skin with a liquid, molten
layer underneath. According to individual preference, the marshmallows are
heated to various degrees — from gently toasted to a charred outer layer
according to gone-to-putt.com.
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The history of marshmallows dates all the way back to
ancient Egypt. Pharaohs used to eat the sweet extract that comes from squeezing
mallow plants. It wasn't until the 19th century that marshmallows evolved to
become the delicious treats we know and love today.
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So grab a bag of marshmallows and some sticks and head
out to the campfire to make your own memories.
You can even sandwich the marshmallows between some graham crackers and
a piece of chocolate and make some s’mores!
Just please don't chase anyone with a flaming marshmallow.
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