Monday, October 19, 2009

Farley’s Harvest Mix

Farley's Harvest MixCandy Corn haters probably think all candy corn is alike. And for the most part it is. It’s just a very sweet fondant lovingly crafted to resemble a stylized piece of field corn.

There are dozens of new version that are flavored, but by far the most popular and best selling is the classic stuff that comes in the Harvest Mix of mellocreme items.

Farley’s is an old company, making candy under the Farley’s name since 1891. They’ve distinguished themselves by making a huge variety of generic and popular candies such as gumdrops, candy coated peanuts and hard candies. In 1996 Farley Candy Company merged with Sathers Candy Company, a company with a strong distribution arm to become Favorite Brands International. In 1999, Nabisco bought up Favorite Brands and then within a year Kraft Foods purchased Nabisco. Then in 2002 Kraft Foods sold off Farley’s Candy Company and Sathers Candy Company which became Farley’s & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. Since then Farley’s and Sathers has swallowed up a few other candy companies, most recently Brach’s in 2007. Other brands include the classic Fruit Stripe Gum, Heide, Now and Later, Trolli Gummis, Super Bubble and Bob’s.

Farley's Harvest Mix

I found this Farley’s Harvest Mix at the Dollar Tree. The Harvest Mix (or Autumn Mix) is usually a combination of Candy Corn, Indian Corn and Mellocreme Pumpkins. This is no different. I found the bag a little odd. It’s a pretty big bag, and I think that 9 ounces for a buck is a good value, but the bar seemed barely half full. 

Farley's Harvest Mix - Candy CornFarley’s Candy Corn is made in Mexico, as is Brach’s ... which as I mentioned earlier (if you didn’t skip that paragraph) is now owned by Farley’s & Sathers, so I have to wonder if it’s just the same stuff. Both are made with honey and both contain gelatin (most other brands of fondant type candies are made with egg whites).

They look very much the same (well, most candy corn looks the same). I wouldn’t call the attention to detail fantastic, some were smudgy at the margins of the colors, others were of course shortened two color or one color versions. But the general flavor of them was a smooth and sweet dissolve. The texture is only slightly grainy and satisfyingly dense with a light moisture to it to keep it from being completely crumbly.

The honey note is noticeable as is a little hint of salt, which keeps the sweetness in check.

Farley's Harvest Mix - Indian CornThe Indian Corn from Farley’s is definitely not the same as Brach’s or any else that I’ve photographed to date.

Instead of three color stripes, there are only two here. A deep brown base and an orange top.

The brown base has a light cocoa flavor but the orange top seems less like the traditional candy corn. It doesn’t have that little bit of salt or honey flavor. It’s just bland and sweet. There’s not enough of the cocoa to balance out all that sweetness, so this Indian Corn, though it has a nice texture, is just too sweet.

I also got a little bit of a bitter aftertaste from it, which I suspected was from the food coloring. (More orange means more Red #40.)

Farley's Harvest Mix - Mellocreme PumpkinThese little pumpkins are quite cute. They’re nicely made, I found virtually all of them to be well formed, without bubbles or uneven bottoms.

The green stem and deep creases give them a nicely stylized look of real pumpkins. (If real pumpkins were smaller than your thumb and had flat bottoms.)

Like most other Mellocremes, these are just a dense sugar fondant. The flavor isn’t as pronounced or salty as the corn, so it’s all sugar. The texture is extra smooth, as the centers are quite soft.

But the sweet is simply too electric for me. It shoots bolts straight through my teeth and into my brain, leaving me feeling weary and abused after eating a half. There’s also the orange aftertaste, a lingering metallic note.

UPDATE: I talked to a representative at Farley’s & Sathers who confirmed that the Farley’s Candy Corn & mixes are now the same as the Brach’s. (They kept the Brach’s recipe.) So there you go ... I just re-reviewed the same product.

Related Candies

  1. Toffee Flavored Chocolate Covered Candy Corn
  2. Halloween Dots: Bat, Candy Corn & Ghost
  3. Brach’s Chocolate Candy Corn & Halloween Mix
  4. Milk Maid Caramel Apple Candy Corn
  5. Candy Corn Kisses
  6. Gourmet Goodies Candy Corn
  7. Brach’s Autumn Mix
Name: Harvest Mix
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Farley's (Farley's & Sathers)
Place Purchased: Dollar Tree (Harbor City)
Price: $1.00
Size: 9 ounces
Calories per ounce: 109
Categories: Fondant, Mexico, Farley's and Sathers, Halloween

POSTED BY Cybele AT 9:05 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. I bought a bag of Brach’s Autumn Mix on Friday at Genuardi’s, and the Indian corn looks identical to the Farley’s Indian corn: two layers, orange w/ brown base.

    Have you reviewed Brach’s Autumn Mix in the past with a different design?

    Comment by Olivia on 10/19/09 at 10:51 am #
  2. Coincidentally, I was eating the Brach’s Autumn Mix version while reading this review.  I would say the Brach’s is almost the same, down to the weird orange dye aftertaste.  The Indian Corn is also two-tone.  Not a big fan of Indian Corn, and no one in my office seems to like it either, as the large bag has been picked over and there is only Indian Corn left.

    Comment by LL on 10/19/09 at 11:03 am #
  3. Hehe. I think you’re experiencing candy corn fatigue. I can’t differentiate the taste between brands, but I think Brach’s wins just on looks.

    Comment by Laura on 10/19/09 at 11:27 am #
  4. Someone needs to study the addictive powers of candy corn. No other candy makes me so crazy. I had to flush half a bag down the toilet last week to keep myself from going back for “just a few more” until the bag was empty. Then I found out a good friend is exactly the same kind of crazy for candy corn. She told me she spent an entire Saturday just before Halloween one year on a desperate fruitless mission through the markets of Manhattan for a candy corn fix. Then she told me about the salted peanuts and candy corn bar mix. YIKES! Tummy ache, tooth ache, brain ache…hold me back!

    Comment by CandyProfessor on 10/19/09 at 11:38 am #
  5. haven’t been a fan of candies but i like to bite candy corn once in a while.

    Comment by craigspr on 10/19/09 at 1:18 pm #
  6. I worked for Favorite Brands- it was a bit of a train wreck so the subsequent buyouts were a blessing. Thanks for posting the timeline!

    I don’t care for candy corn but I’ll eat the candy corn/nut blend that CandyProfessor mentioned. The taste is similar to a PayDay candy bar, which I don’t care for. So I won’t eat plain candy corn, and I won’t eat a PayDay, but I’ll eat candy corn mixed with peanuts even though it tastes like a PayDay….I don’t get it either!

    Comment by auntjone on 10/20/09 at 7:27 am #
  7. ruffy's avatar

    LOL, CandyProfessor, I go through the -exact- same ritual with candy corn.  If there’s an open bag on my desk, I will keep eating it until it’s gone, even if I start to feel queasy after the first couple fistfuls.  It’s downright bizarre.

    And for me it’s not mellowcreme pumpkins or even indian corn, ONLY candy corn…

    Comment by ruffy on 10/20/09 at 7:28 am #
  8. Me, I rather like the pumpkins the best followed by the regular corn. Not a big fa of the indian corn either. The thing with me is, I like candy corn, but only in very small doses. I can’t eat a lot of it at any given time. I will usually only but it if i can find it in a small package or in like little fun size trick or treat give away bags so I can get my fix without having to buy a big bag and have it go stale/hard.

    Comment by Yurei on 10/20/09 at 2:31 pm #
  9. For some reason this will always be my favorite Halloween candy, these are so good I them with milk like cookies lol : )

    Comment by princess on 10/21/09 at 5:09 am #
  10. I can’t stop buying candy corn! I’m on my fourth bag this season! I’ve never had this problem before, i don’t know why it’s so appealing this year. I really like the Brach’s assorted mallocremes with the banana and maple flavor more than I like the autumn mix.

    Comment by Shannon on 10/21/09 at 2:01 pm #
  11. I’m with Candy Professor!  What is it about candy corn that is so addictive?

    Comment by Pam Walter on 10/22/09 at 4:38 am #
  12. Warning, candy corn shortages already experienced in my neighborhood. Yesterday’s candy corn run found only bags of Brach’s “indian corn” and some new version: caramel candy corn. Finally located a crushed bag of the real stuff, but all the white tips were broken off! (sad face).

    Comment by CandyProfessor on 10/22/09 at 11:22 am #
  13. sadly Farley’s and sathers version of candy corn was better then brachs.
    brachs is what you buy…when you have not found
    anything good. the darker the colors the better the flavor.

    Comment by rob on 8/05/14 at 6:35 am #
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