16-year-old Helena Muffly wrote exactly 100 years ago today:
Thursday, February 15, 1912: I believe I have forgotten what I did today. Nothing unusual any way.
Her middle-aged granddaughter’s comments 100 years later:
Since Grandma didn’t write much today, I’ll give you an old-time candy recipe for Sour Cream Fudge.
Sour Cream Fudge
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
Combine sugar and sour cream. Stir while heating over a low temperature until the sugar is dissolved. Add butter and continue stirring until it is melted. Quit stirring and bring to a slow boil. Continue boiling until candy reaches the soft ball stage (235-240 degrees F.). Remove from heat, beating it while it cools. Add vanilla and nuts. Pour into greased pan.
Sour Cream Fudge has a rich, buttery flavor.
Patience is key to successfully making Sour Cream Fudge. I was surprised how long I needed to cook this candy. It takes a long time to reach the soft ball stage—I think that it took more than an hour.
A Hundred Years Ago 
I was thinking I would make it but an hour is a long time to stir – wait, you don’t have to stir the whole hour I see now. Maybe when my granddaughter comes to visit.
You’re right that you don’t need to stir it once the sugar is dissolved and the butter is melted. I think that too much stirring might cause fudge to become granular. But of course I needed to be nearby to make sure that it wasn’t boiling too rapidly–or not at all; and to check the temperature, etc.
yum, I do love fudge! ight have to give it a try..di you use a thermometer?
I still use the cold water test. That’s how I learned how to make candy when I was a child. Somehow I never quite trust a thermometer–though I realize that’s irrational.