Homemade Candy

[Abby Brown] Sometimes you can get a taste of the good old days by wandering around the square of a small town and checking out the cool buildings like the courthouse. But today, I get to actually taste history. We're visiting an old-fashioned grocery store that still makes their own homemade candies.

(Map marking Lucas County in southwestern Iowa.)

This is Piper's Grocery and Homemade Candies in Chariton, Iowa. It's been here well over 100 years. In the early days, people would come here and get meat, cheese, bread and whatever other groceries they might need. As the years went by, the owners added homemade candy to the items available to shoppers and the community loved it.

Where's the candy made?

[Jill Kerns] It's actually made right here in the back. We make caramels and we make toffee, we make the mints. We make all sorts of things and then we get to work with the chocolate.

[Abby] So how have the recipes changed from the very beginning?

[Jill] They haven't.

[Abby] And what's the favorite?

[Jill] Probably the turtles.

[Abby] Could I try a bite?

[Jill] Oh, that'd be wonderful. I'd love it.

[Abby] Okay. And these are the turtles, right?

[Jill] These are the turtles.

[Abby] Oh gosh they look delicious. Here we go.

Mmmmm.

It tastes like history. Like a recipe from the past.

[Jill] Which one would you like dear?

[Boy] The one with a bunch of eyes.

[Jill] That one is pretty cool.

[Abby] You can come into this store and you can shop and pick out your candy and take it home with you. How has ordering changed over time?

[Jill] Well, in the beginning, that's what you had to do. You had to come in and get it in person, but now we have a website. You can call.

[Abby] Okay. And where do your orders get shipped?

[Jill] All over.

[Abby] Really?

[Jill] All 50 states and even all seven continents.

[Abby] Visitors can pop into Piper's not only for a grocery item or a quick sweet treat, but also to get a flavor for what an old time grocery store was like. The same friendly atmosphere still exists, just like it did when everyone in a small town knew each other, and shopping at the store on Main Street was just like visiting a friend.

Every county in Iowa has some sweet history to share, like the famous candy at Pipers in Lucas County.

Funding for FIND Iowa has been provided by The Coons Foundation, Pella and the Gilchrist Foundation.