Birdy Candy

Many of you know this song, right? I grew up with clear-voiced Pete Seeger’s version, and until about 10 minutes ago, I never paid attention to the lyrics.

Little Bird, Little Bird fly through my window

Little Bird, Little Bird fly through my window

Little Bird, Little Bird fly through my window

Buy molasses candy

And until 10 minutes ago, I never thought to wonder what molasses candy is. And what does molasses candy have to do with the song? And why buy it when it looks easy to make?

Look in your old cookbooks or snuffle around online – this is a well-known recipe, and many versions exist, both vegan and not-so-vegan.

No, I haven’t tried this recipe yet: some little ones are arriving in a few days, so we’ll make it together then. For my first try, I’m going to try Mimi’s version, because I like her molasses candy photo the best and because she prefaces the whole event with a muchly huggable story about, well, an old friend. Go read. I think you’ll like it, too.

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P.S. Pete Seeger’s Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes CD? I love it, random lyrics and all. Like Sesame Street, it’s one of those when-I-was-a-kid things kids will lovingly pass on to their own kids. If you grew up with this and haven’t heard it in a while, now is a good time to refresh your memory.