Redwall Candied Walnuts

Dear Lissy,
It's almost Valentine's Day, and I usually make your dad a box of candies as a gift.  These candied nuts were a recipe my step-grandmother, Martha Cline Mundy, shared with me.  Daddy is especially fond of these, and I plan to fill a drawstring ditty bag of them for his 40th birthday winter camping trip next month.  They probably won't last that long, but the recipe is so simple a refill is no problem!

"From a small bag slung about his neck he selected a candied nut; not one of the big, smooth ones, but a small wrinkled nut that had lots of sugar in the cracks.  Chibb liked them better that way."

Mossflower, p. 105

Candied Walnuts
1 cup sugar
1 tsp grated orange rind (I use McCormick's, but fresh works, too)
1/4 tsp salt
6 Tbsp. milk
1 lb walnut halves
1 tsp vanilla

Combine sugar, salt, orange rind, and milk in a heavy medium saucepan.  Cook, stirring frequently, until candy thermometer registers soft ball stage (234 degrees F) or until a teaspoon full of glaze dripped in a saucer of cold water forms a taffy-consistency ball when rolled.
Remove from heat and add vanilla and walnuts.  Stir until grainy, and then turn out all at once onto waxed paper.
Dad especially likes the nuts that clump together, so I don't spread them out too much.

Nuts about you!
Mom