Making Hard Candy with a Medicinal Twist Warning- All plants and trees should be fully researched and are your own personal responsibility to use them or not for any purpose
Mark you trees in summer and dig up roots in winter. That’s when they’re most potent because everything in plants goes down to the roots in the winter. I’ve only ever made tea with it. Great video! Learned me something new.
same here..was taught by my grandmother to mark them and dig them in the winter and same as you she made tea with it..she dosed all of us with her tonic but we all liked it so nobody fussed bout getting it..she also made sure it was a red sassafras and not the white.you can tell by root color red is red not hard to tell ..don't really know if it made a difference or not but we've always dug the red...
Funny, The main chemical inside Sassafras is Safrole, which is the most commonly used base ingredient of MDMA. (before the rest of the synthesis ofcourse) Neat video!
Thanks for all of the great content you've put out over the years Dave. I've been watching your videos for the past 9-10 years, and you were the first UA-cam channel I regularly watched. I was only a kid then, and I really do think your content along with a few other channels, helped push me to where I am today. Your channel inspired me to make cane poles, build lean-tos, etc. I even got a pocket hunter slingshot for Christmas one year. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but during those afternoons spent in the drainage canal behind the neighborhood or off in the woods during boyscout campouts, I was learning how to work with my hands and be an outdoorsman. I'm currently in college studying forest resource management, and I'm working a summer job doing floristic surveys in a small band of prairies that's slowly disappearing in north Louisiana. The natural world has been a crucially important part of my life, and I want to thank you for being an inspiration
I still use sassafras to boil and give the house a great smell. In one of my edible plants book and I can't remember the name right now it told me that if you got too much of the oils from the root of the sassafras that it could give you a narcotic effect. That's true because I double checked and triple check that fact. I used to pick the root and chew on it while I was hiking to give me a little kick from the caffeine that's in it and I also used to use the young leaves and stuff in my fish belly when I was cooking over the fire this gave it a light lemon flavor. The leaves can be dried as can some of the bark and used as a flavoring in some stews. Just about the whole plant can be used in one way or another as food or seasonings, but I'm sure you already knew that also I'm sure it was in your books also. Some people that may be reading this did not know that so now they do. I did not know this about the candy and it sounds like it would be a great taste in a cough drop. Thanks very much for the video Dave I really appreciate it. Have a great day stay safe and keep your powder dry and the candy cooking!
I appreciate all you and your co workers like Corporal Kelly have shared with me over the years. Thank you and keep the info coming. Now is the time to share the knowledge.
As usual awesome stuff!! Keep it coming!! I’ve always loved just grabbing a stem off a sassafras tree and just smelling it. My favorite tree all around! I’ll be making this!
Those Peterson field guides are nice books I have that book,is full of great medicinal and edible plants. I really enjoyed your candy recipe Dave made from sassafras roots. Knock out dandelion ☕ next,every part of that plant can be used. Like when u do plant knowledge,thanks
I remember reading Sarah Morgan's Wartime diary years back and there was one similar recipe to this they called "Candy Pulls" though they used Molasses or Honey whichever they had & Lemon or Cherry along with the Sassafras root. Thanks for sharing Dave.
Interesting tutorial, Dave! As stated below, Sassafras makes great stew/gumbo thickener when dried leaves are ground to a powder. I also save a good bit of dried leaves each year (gathered before they turn orange in the fall) and brew tea with them rather than the roots. Been doing it for 50+ years. Enjoyed the video!
seems like a putty knife the width of your mold would come in handy for scoring. thanks for this great video, Dave. educational, as always. BTW, a wild cherry cough drop video would be AWESOME!!!
Funny, I just saw this and had to click. I’ve got about 15 sassafras trees and many many tiny ones. They are prolific growers with a tremendous root system here in central rural Illinois. My trees grow straight and very very tall, some die, and are very “limby”. But I just love the smell. Oh, by the way, there dead limbs are fantastic kindling for a fire starter. The best!
My mother, from eastern Kentucky, use to make hard candy like this all the time. Mainly near Christmas and give it out as gifts. At times, if you got a stomachache, she would gives this to us. Needless to say, I always had a stomachache 😊 Thanks for the video 👍👍
Dried and ground up is used in gumbo and stew as well. A lot like a pepper flavor. Mom would make rootbeer for us when we were kids from sassafras root. Awesome stuff!
Hey there Dave. A few things : I'm not really into hard candy or root beer, but, I wanna try that. I really do. It sounds good and interesting. it also makes me think of those wood barrel shaped root beer candies. Lol.. A couple ways to possibly remember the leaves. The 3 finger looks like the rebel alliance emblem in star wars. The 1 finger could be a oven mitt. Haven't thought of anything for no finger yet. And lastly, good to see zon is still around..🙂 Thanks for the video. I'm definitely gonna try that sometime.
Thanks Dave for sharing . The sassafron tree and roots . And showing the leaves . Did not know you could make candy out of it . I have heard my Mother and other Older ladies . Say that they made tea from it . When you were sick you drink the tea . Thanks for sharing your knowledge . About different herbs . Have A Great Day .
Dave, we used to harvest the root every late winter for tea making through the year. Then reports surfaced about Sassafras containing a substance that was a Carcinogenic. Put an end to our Sassafras tea! Ever heard about that? Enjoyed the video. Never heard of making the candy but it sounds really good and not too difficult. May try it and to heck with the nay sayers and their reports! Thanks.
Hey I really enjoyed your book and I want to get the new one .I have a question about the sassafras roots is it better to get them in the spring ,summer,or fall,or even winter. Thank you for your channel and all that you do for us all. May the father above bless and keep you and yours in all his perfect ways. Amen.
Great video, Dave! I know just enough botany and have just enough plant identification skill to know that I know SO LITTLE about the subjects, so videos like this that spoon-feed me what the plant is, what it’s used for, how it’s used and when to store it are always fascinating to me. I’d love a series that focused on what wildlife/buschcraft materials and resources that coincides with the time of year. Like it’s late June, so plants X, Y and Z are in full swing right now. I guess I’m just describing a farmer’s almanac, but for out on the or harvesting for the homestead. Like how you can only find Morrell mushrooms at a certain time of year in certain conditions. A specialized series like that would no doubt be a challenge, but I would watch every second of it lol
I've always get excited when I come across Sarsaparilla trees when I go on hikes. I'm in the Wake/Granville county area and it grows all over the place around here. Love your videos!
I have sassafras trees on my property. I have collected some roots a couple of years ago, because i boil small amounts of roots into a tea. It works great and taste good.
Sassafras was one of the first trees/plants that got me delving into the woods. All because I bought a preprep'd bottle of concentrate way back when in the Smokies for making tea as a kid. Also, I think I just felt the need for more insulin watching this :P
When I was a kid, we used to make hard candy like this, sassafras, peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, sweet anise (licorice), horehound, and a few others. The sassafras, sweet anise, horehound and both mint, we foraged ourselves, the rest of the flavors, we bought the essential oils at the pharmacy. Making that candy was one of the best times of the year.
could you use just all honey instead of sugar? although this candy has been in my family's history, I have never sampled it, so I will have to try this. Thank you for showing us this!
Thanks Dave, for a great informative video. I would like to know if a person were making the Cherry Candy/Cough drops would you use the roots from the cherry tree like you did Sassafras? I have lots of wild cherry trees and the roots would be easy to get, but I wanted to know if you would use the roots instead of the flavoring would work too? Thanks again for your great videos. We are learning a bunch of stuff from these kind of videos.
When I first got turned onto sassafras was from a Mennonite family up ontop of the mountain from me and they use the wood mixed with oak an hickory for BBQ and I've been using it since when I smoke ribs now I can definitely use more of the roots besides making sassafras tea
I must say all your new videos are always awesome 👏 and love always learning something new thank you for doing these videos and sharing the knowledge 👍🫡
Hey hey Dave i hope life is treating you well .... Hey listen if you keep a small pot of hot water near by when making this candy or pour any type of thick liquids by placing the measuring cup in the hot water then pulling and pouring in your liquid this will help it to come out much easier and more accurate measures as well lol just food for thought
I wonder if you couldn't use stevia or some other natural sweetener instead of that bleached out white sugar... Cheers. Thanks for the uploads - I've learned a lot.
My uncles used to make sassafras tea. While the smell is okay. I just never liked it. But then I don’t like root beer or tea. Now if you have dandelions root tea then I’m all in. 😁
In Louisiana the leaves of the sassafras tree are ground into a powder and used as a thickening agent in Gumbo, as a spice it is called filé
Cool video
That is true. In fact I have some file from Louisiana
I bet that's pretty tasty
Mark you trees in summer and dig up roots in winter. That’s when they’re most potent because everything in plants goes down to the roots in the winter. I’ve only ever made tea with it. Great video! Learned me something new.
same here..was taught by my grandmother to mark them and dig them in the winter and same as you she made tea with it..she dosed all of us with her tonic but we all liked it so nobody fussed bout getting it..she also made sure it was a red sassafras and not the white.you can tell by root color red is red not hard to tell ..don't really know if it made a difference or not but we've always dug the red...
Funny, The main chemical inside Sassafras is Safrole, which is the most commonly used base ingredient of MDMA. (before the rest of the synthesis ofcourse)
Neat video!
Thanks for all of the great content you've put out over the years Dave. I've been watching your videos for the past 9-10 years, and you were the first UA-cam channel I regularly watched. I was only a kid then, and I really do think your content along with a few other channels, helped push me to where I am today. Your channel inspired me to make cane poles, build lean-tos, etc. I even got a pocket hunter slingshot for Christmas one year. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but during those afternoons spent in the drainage canal behind the neighborhood or off in the woods during boyscout campouts, I was learning how to work with my hands and be an outdoorsman. I'm currently in college studying forest resource management, and I'm working a summer job doing floristic surveys in a small band of prairies that's slowly disappearing in north Louisiana. The natural world has been a crucially important part of my life, and I want to thank you for being an inspiration
I still use sassafras to boil and give the house a great smell. In one of my edible plants book and I can't remember the name right now it told me that if you got too much of the oils from the root of the sassafras that it could give you a narcotic effect. That's true because I double checked and triple check that fact. I used to pick the root and chew on it while I was hiking to give me a little kick from the caffeine that's in it and I also used to use the young leaves and stuff in my fish belly when I was cooking over the fire this gave it a light lemon flavor. The leaves can be dried as can some of the bark and used as a flavoring in some stews. Just about the whole plant can be used in one way or another as food or seasonings, but I'm sure you already knew that also I'm sure it was in your books also. Some people that may be reading this did not know that so now they do. I did not know this about the candy and it sounds like it would be a great taste in a cough drop. Thanks very much for the video Dave I really appreciate it. Have a great day stay safe and keep your powder dry and the candy cooking!
That's way cool! The kids love old timey root beer and horehound candy. We have sassafras growing around the property. Thank you for the inspiration.
I appreciate all you and your co workers like Corporal Kelly have shared with me over the years. Thank you and keep the info coming. Now is the time to share the knowledge.
As usual awesome stuff!! Keep it coming!! I’ve always loved just grabbing a stem off a sassafras tree and just smelling it. My favorite tree all around! I’ll be making this!
Those Peterson field guides are nice books I have that book,is full of great medicinal and edible plants. I really enjoyed your candy recipe Dave made from sassafras roots. Knock out dandelion ☕ next,every part of that plant can be used. Like when u do plant knowledge,thanks
I remember reading Sarah Morgan's Wartime diary years back and there was one similar recipe to this they called "Candy Pulls" though they used Molasses or Honey whichever they had & Lemon or Cherry along with the Sassafras root. Thanks for sharing Dave.
Interesting tutorial, Dave! As stated below, Sassafras makes great stew/gumbo thickener when dried leaves are ground to a powder. I also save a good bit of dried leaves each year (gathered before they turn orange in the fall) and brew tea with them rather than the roots. Been doing it for 50+ years. Enjoyed the video!
My grandma used to make sassafras tea in the Spring. She said it was a good blood thinner to help me get used to the changing weather.
Thanks for all you do Dave. What is it like to look at this community that you have inspired so much?
seems like a putty knife the width of your mold would come in handy for scoring. thanks for this great video, Dave. educational, as always. BTW, a wild cherry cough drop video would be AWESOME!!!
Funny, I just saw this and had to click. I’ve got about 15 sassafras trees and many many tiny ones. They are prolific growers with a tremendous root system here in central rural Illinois. My trees grow straight and very very tall, some die, and are very “limby”. But I just love the smell. Oh, by the way, there dead limbs are fantastic kindling for a fire starter. The best!
My mother, from eastern Kentucky, use to make hard candy like this all the time. Mainly near Christmas and give it out as gifts. At times, if you got a stomachache, she would gives this to us. Needless to say, I always had a stomachache 😊
Thanks for the video 👍👍
Yes, cooking and old school medicine I'm all in. Can't wait for more.
I have watched this video at least 3 or four times now. This is good info thank you
Dried and ground up is used in gumbo and stew as well. A lot like a pepper flavor. Mom would make rootbeer for us when we were kids from sassafras root. Awesome stuff!
I do miss the smell of fresh Sassafras. We don't have it here in the Black Hills. It was everywhere when I grew up in PA.
You can physically hear his mood get better and better though the video! Thanks so much for this!
Hey there Dave.
A few things : I'm not really into hard candy or root beer, but, I wanna try that. I really do. It sounds good and interesting. it also makes me think of those wood barrel shaped root beer candies. Lol..
A couple ways to possibly remember the leaves. The 3 finger looks like the rebel alliance emblem in star wars. The 1 finger could be a oven mitt. Haven't thought of anything for no finger yet.
And lastly, good to see zon is still around..🙂
Thanks for the video. I'm definitely gonna try that sometime.
Thanks Dave for sharing . The sassafron tree and roots . And showing the leaves . Did not know you could make candy out of it . I have heard my Mother and other Older ladies . Say that they made tea from it . When you were sick you drink the tea . Thanks for sharing your knowledge . About different herbs . Have A Great Day .
So frickin cool! Just want to say thank you for all you teach me brother! Much love and respect! 🙏✊🍻
Just found about 100 saplings at work today! Working at a golf course in the sticks has alot of perks! Lots and lots of medicine and food!
Thanks for this one Dave...just like makeimg peanut brittle.. great video .. keep em comeing
Dave, we used to harvest the root every late winter for tea making through the year. Then reports surfaced about Sassafras containing a substance that was a Carcinogenic. Put an end to our Sassafras tea! Ever heard about that? Enjoyed the video. Never heard of making the candy but it sounds really good and not too difficult. May try it and to heck with the nay sayers and their reports! Thanks.
make sassafras tea all the time, I love it !
Hey I really enjoyed your book and I want to get the new one .I have a question about the sassafras roots is it better to get them in the spring ,summer,or fall,or even winter. Thank you for your channel and all that you do for us all. May the father above bless and keep you and yours in all his perfect ways. Amen.
Great video, Dave! I know just enough botany and have just enough plant identification skill to know that I know SO LITTLE about the subjects, so videos like this that spoon-feed me what the plant is, what it’s used for, how it’s used and when to store it are always fascinating to me. I’d love a series that focused on what wildlife/buschcraft materials and resources that coincides with the time of year. Like it’s late June, so plants X, Y and Z are in full swing right now. I guess I’m just describing a farmer’s almanac, but for out on the or harvesting for the homestead. Like how you can only find Morrell mushrooms at a certain time of year in certain conditions. A specialized series like that would no doubt be a challenge, but I would watch every second of it lol
I've always get excited when I come across Sarsaparilla trees when I go on hikes. I'm in the Wake/Granville county area and it grows all over the place around here. Love your videos!
I have sassafras trees on my property. I have collected some roots a couple of years ago, because i boil small amounts of roots into a tea. It works great and taste good.
A silicon ice cube tray can be a good way to make these, it doesn't need scoring and makes identical candies.
Sassafras was one of the first trees/plants that got me delving into the woods. All because I bought a preprep'd bottle of concentrate way back when in the Smokies for making tea as a kid.
Also, I think I just felt the need for more insulin watching this :P
When I was a kid, we used to make hard candy like this, sassafras, peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, sweet anise (licorice), horehound, and a few others. The sassafras, sweet anise, horehound and both mint, we foraged ourselves, the rest of the flavors, we bought the essential oils at the pharmacy. Making that candy was one of the best times of the year.
Wow! Thank you sir! This Is a wonderful skill! Congrats from Chile 🇨🇱
Once again another informative and interesting video. Thank you.
Great review.
Your knowledge is amazing. Greetings from Germany ✌️
that is awesome Dave! Thanks for the vid!
Thank u Dave this so very enjoyable 😮
Great video, it's just amazing how old time hard candy, is still better then the candy for sell on the stores shelves. Thanks David!!
Never made candy out of sassafras but I really loved sassafras jelly that I've made in the past.
Hello from Detroit Michigan brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise and for taking us on your adventure through the wood's
My ex-wife left all her candy molds. I have sassafras all over my property. I I think I'll put her molds to use.
Great video DAVE! Learned something new...THANKS ...PLEASE SOME MORE VIDEOS LIKE THIS !👍
could you use just all honey instead of sugar? although this candy has been in my family's history, I have never sampled it, so I will have to try this. Thank you for showing us this!
Enjoyed it Dave
Great job, I liked it. I also recently started making videos about hiking and bushcraft and it's pretty good. Greetings from Belarus!
Thank you for this! I have sassafras here, so I have to try it. I really want to get into the medicinal value of wild plants. 🙂
try measuring the sugar, then corn syrup, then your hot decoction to rinse. I'm proud to know that word bc of you. You're a legend Dave
Thanks Dave, for a great informative video.
I would like to know if a person were making the Cherry Candy/Cough drops would you use the roots from the cherry tree like you did Sassafras?
I have lots of wild cherry trees and the roots would be easy to get, but I wanted to know if you would use the roots instead of the flavoring would work too?
Thanks again for your great videos. We are learning a bunch of stuff from these kind of videos.
Neat Idea, reminded me of CS Lewis and Turkish delights
Absolutely love it! Very much appreciate all of this content
Awesome! I have been wanting to harvest some of my sassafras trees. Perfect Timing.
Very informative video! It's inspired some ideas for me to make some other medicinal candies.
Awesome video
Its also a larval host for some swallow tail butterflies.
Rootbeer hard candy is my favorite, these look delicious
Thank you, good video🥰😎appreciate it. From S.C.
Sweet vid!
Dave, I love your chow vids. I have tried several of your recipes. However, you sure make it hard for us Keto guys to conform. thx again.
Thanks Dave
When I first got turned onto sassafras was from a Mennonite family up ontop of the mountain from me and they use the wood mixed with oak an hickory for BBQ and I've been using it since when I smoke ribs now I can definitely use more of the roots besides making sassafras tea
Thanks Dave! Really enjoyed this one
Looks great! Can’t wait to try that recipe!
Good information and video. Have made tea, candy is a great idea. Thank you.👍
Ive got to try this! Thanks for sharing!
One of your best videos yet
Awesome!! Very interesting. Sounds delicious!! 💪👍
I must say all your new videos are always awesome 👏 and love always learning something new thank you for doing these videos and sharing the knowledge 👍🫡
I see you have the peterson field guide. I have that exact book, the eastern central, and the peterson field guide to edibles in the east.
Really interesting video. I'm not sure if Sassafras grows in the UK but I'd love to give this a try.
I grew up making sassafras tea as a kid. We used to rush the leaves and smell them to make sure we had the right plant (the leaves smell like lemon).
Good stuff - thanks for the transfer of knowledge.
Dave...
Man I love old fashioned horehound!! Hadn't thought about it it a long time... thanks for the reminder!
Awesome! These sound so good.
Fantastic video dave. Only issue is that sassafras doesn't grow where i live! Lol.
nice use of the StS strainer! great idea.
not sure if we have a plant like this in Australia, will have to do a bit of research
Thank yuh, thank yuh, thank yuh!!!
I'd look forward to your videos about making candy
Hey hey Dave i hope life is treating you well .... Hey listen if you keep a small pot of hot water near by when making this candy or pour any type of thick liquids by placing the measuring cup in the hot water then pulling and pouring in your liquid this will help it to come out much easier and more accurate measures as well lol just food for thought
Thanks Mr. Canterbury this video was pretty good, liked it . Actually this was a sweet video .😬
Man what a great video can't wait to see what else is next for the candy recipes👍🏼👍🏼
3:25 CAT!!!
Another good video. Im wanted to make some hard cany.What kind of mold are you using?
Thanks, Dave!
Great segment DC. Could you sort of incomparate it to your cooking show? Cheerrs mate.
Great video. I think this will be something I'll definitely do with my little boys.
I don't like store-bought root beer, but sassafras is pretty good
I wonder if you couldn't use stevia or some other natural sweetener instead of that bleached out white sugar... Cheers. Thanks for the uploads - I've learned a lot.
Could honey be substituted for the sugar and corn syrup?
I love sassafras tea !
I should have asked you at Atlanta Blade Show, when are we getting a pathfinder cook book? Between you and the Corporal it would be amazing.
Cool
His "anvil sheers" look exactly like my bypass sheers...
is this the same as hoarhound?
My uncles used to make sassafras tea. While the smell is okay. I just never liked it. But then I don’t like root beer or tea. Now if you have dandelions root tea then I’m all in. 😁
I'm growing some peppermint in the garden may have to try this
My old scout master use to make sassafras jelly. How do you do that?