Snacks from Snow

Snow Delicious! Sweet Treats for Winter

Just because it’s not summer doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a cool, refreshing dessert. In fact, many traditional regional recipes use little more than what nature provides – maple sap, fruit juice, milk, and freshly fallen snow – to make a variety of delicious icy concoctions all winter long. Whether it’s snow cream in the south or maple sugar snow in Canada and New England, snowy snacks are a fun winter treat.
Using a large, clean bowl, casserole dish, or roasting pan, collect freshly fallen snow from outside to use in the following recipes. Make sure the snow you choose is clean and free of insects, dirt, chemical residue, pet waste, etc. The best policy is to collect it while it’s still falling, so you know it’s as clean and fresh as possible.
Some people worry that even freshly fallen snow may be too tainted by air pollution to safely eat. It’s true that pollution particles can stick to snow as it falls, making it less clean than it may seem to the naked eye. In small doses, however, most new snow is reasonably safe. If you live near a large city, are concerned about the air quality in your area, or are just grossed out by the thought of eating snow, you can substitute shaved or chipped ice for snow in any of the following recipes.
Snow Cream
Ingredients:
8 cups fresh clean snow
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
Place snow in a large bowl. Add milk and vanilla. Mix well. Enjoy!
Maple Taffy
Ingredients:
3 quarts fresh snow
1/2 – 1 cup real maple syrup
Directions:
Fill a large casserole dish or roasting pan with clean, fresh snow. Place it in the freezer or leave it outside if the temperature is below freezing. Pour maple syrup into a saucepan and heat it on medium-high until it reaches a temperature of 232° F (about 10 minutes – use a candy thermometer to measure). Stir the syrup constantly to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove the syrup from the heat and pour it over the snow in narrow strips. Allow it to cool for approximately two minutes. Pick the hardened syrup out of the snow and enjoy!
Healthy Homemade Snow Cones
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh snow
1 12-oz. can frozen juice concentrate (any flavor)
3/4 cup water
Directions:
Combine thawed frozen fruit juice concentrate with water. In a large glass, pour about 1/4 cup of the juice mixture over 1 1/2 cups of fresh, clean snow. Set aside the remaining juice mixture for later.

 http://www.farmersalmanac.com/food/2011/02/27/snow-good-sweet-treats-for-winter/