20 Days, 20 Gifts. #10: Perfect Popcorn Balls

In all honesty, I like almost any popcorn ball that isn't stale. The winning combination of earthy corn flavor, a hit of salt, and a haze of sweet corn syrup, all packed together with spherical crunch, is a good definition of perfect snack food. Some of the best balls anywhere come from the Humphrey Company of Ohio: jumbo globes that taste fresh-popped, not too salty, not too sweet. One reason they are superior is the quality of the popping corn itself, grown on a farm in Wakeman, Ohio. The exploded kernels are fat and fully opened, narry a bothersome hull anywhere in the entire popcorn planet. A legacy of Cleveland’s dear departed Euclid Beach amusement park, where people used to eat them while strolling among the rides and games of skill, the balls are now made by a fourth generation of the Humphrey family, which also makes candy kisses, aka pulled taffy. Here is a factoid I love: University Hospitals of Cleveland proclaimed these popcorn balls (all-natural and no-fat) one of the ten healthiest foods in the snack aisle of local grocery stores. The Humphrey Company: 20810 Miles Parkway, Warrensville Heights, OH. 216-662-6629. www.humphreycompany.com