Candy: sweet treats

IDAHO SPUD BAR

It may look kind of like a potato, but it tastes nothing like a spud, nor do its ingredients include potato (try marshmallow, chocolate and shredded coconut). Instead, this concoction, made by the family-run Idaho Candy Co. in Boise, is a tribute to the famous Idaho tuber. It’s available in stores throughout the Northwest or from www.idahospud.com.  (Richard Derk/Los Angeles Times)

OLD FAITHFUL

The peanutty-chocolatey-marshmallowy candy bar is named after — you guessed it — the famous geyser in Yellowstone National Park. Brought to you by the same folks who make the Spud Bar — the Idaho Candy Co.  (Richard Derk/Los Angeles Times)

SALT WATER TAFFY

Back in the 1880s, so the story goes, a particularly high tide on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City, N.J., wreaked havoc on one candy merchant’s goods. In the morning, a customer requested taffy; the merchant replied, “You mean saltwater taffy.” The name stuck, despite the fact that saltwater isn’t an ingredient. Chocolate, on the other hand, can be. Available at www.fralingers.com.  (Richard Derk/Los Angeles Times)

PAL-O-MINE

Celebrate sweets north of the U.S. border with a Pal-O-Mine. From Ganong’s, this Canadian candy bar has been made the same way since 1920. It tastes like a Reese’s cup but is sweeter and harder, with bits of coconut. It’s available in stores throughout Canada and at www.ganong.com.  (Richard Derk / Los Angeles Times)