Ingredients
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups granulated white sugar
• Food colouring/flavouring (optional)
Heat 2 cups water in a pot, bringing it to a boil. Stir in the 4 cups of sugar in 1/2 cup increments. Remove the solution from the heat and allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes.
Add colouring or flavouring if you don’t want plain rock candy. Pour the solution into the glass or jar where you plan to grow your rock candy crystals.
Tie one end of a string around the middle of a pencil and tie a paperclip to the other end. The paperclip will act as a weight and keep your string hanging straight down so it doesn’t touch the sides.
Dip the string in the glass of sugar/water solution, remove it, and lay on a piece of wax paper to dry. As the water evaporates, you will see a few crystals form on the string. These are seed crystals and they will help larger crystals grow around these points.
Lower the string into the glass of sugar/water solution, resting the pencil on the top of the glass. The string should hang straight down and never come in contact with the bottom or sides of the glass. Cover the solution with a paper towel.
Place the glass somewhere safe, where it will remain undisturbed. As the water evaporates, the remaining solution becomes more saturated with sugar, and the water must force the sugar out. The sugar molecules will collect on the string, forming your rock candy crystals.
Wait one week for crystals to form. Carefully remove the string from the solution and lay it on wax paper to dry.