Making Chewing Gum

Yesterday we had a mother/son date at the Green Corner Store...for ice cream from Loblolly (the soda fountain inside the Green Corner Store).  Loblolly makes EVERYTHING - ice cream, waffle cones, syrups.  Most ingredients are local and devoid of corn syrup or gluten.

After eating our sweet treats (I had a brownie sundae with raspberry sauce, he had a waffle cone and vanilla Italian soda = all very delicious!), he perused the store and found this Chewing Gum Making Kit.  I've linked to Amazon, but it is $3 cheaper if you get it locally.

He was just a little bit excited about making gum today.

Above, contents of the box - chicle (gum from the rainforest), powdered sugar, corn syrup, powdered flavoring and a plastic bowl for mixing.  Below is a close up of the gum before melting.

You are to either microwave or float said chicle in boiling water.  The instructions said the bowl could melt in the microwave so I opted for boiling water.

Next, add corn syrup.

Stir to mix then pat out on the powdered sugar.  I used wax paper on top of my cutting board because I didn't know how sticky this gum would be and if it would come off my cutting board.  It was rather sticky so be sure to use a disposable spoon.

 Roll it out flat like pie crust.  There were two flavors included in the box - peppermint and tangerine.

 He used a pizza cutter to cut the gum as well as tiny cookie cutters.

 He hummed and sang the entire time he was in the kitchen.  He was so excited.

The taste and texture?  Surprisingly good.  The flavor leaves quickly but the gum is still fun to chew.  John Isaac said, "I definitely think it was worth $12, don't you Mom?"  He knows I'm a tightwad.  I agreed and later, in between songs, he reiterated the same point.

If you find yourself with an extra $12 and are looking for a fun experiment, let me recommend gum making to you.  - Julie