Snack Review: Stretch Island Fruit Co. Raspberry Fruit Leather

Oh, and I have a confession: I was a fruit leather virgin before last night.

Sure, I’d messed around with fruit rolls before, but the closest I’d ever gotten to fruit leather were the myths and legends about the stuff from a friend who grew up with hippie parents. Truth is, I’d never actually indulged. Boy was I missing out.

It’s so simple: take fresh fruit, remove the seeds and stems (this review is sounding more and more suspect by the minute), puree it, pour it out onto a tray, let it dry naturally or run it through a dehydrator, cut it into cellphone-sized slabs, and wrap it up for future enjoyment!

Fruit leather has been rolling out of Stretch Island Fruit Co. since 1976 when Ron and Mary Sagerson moved to Stretch Island, WA, and began making the fruity treats in their laundry room. (Thankfully, for everyone involved, they’ve long since moved the operation to much larger digs.)

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Snack Review: Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Fruit & Nut Bars

I’m usually not a big fan of anything with fruits and nuts in it, but I thought I’d give these Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Fruit & Nut bars a try since I don’t seem to be that healthy of an eater.

These come in two different flavors - Berry & Almond and Cranberry, Raisin & Peanut.

At first, I thought this bar would be hard and probably crack one of my teeth when I bit into it. But that was not the case because it is a soft, flexible bar. I say flexible because I always have fun bending the bars back and forth while they are still in their package.

I first tried the Berry & Almond bar because it looked slightly more appealing to me than the other. (Remember, I dislike fruit and nuts.) When I opened it, the bar was so soft it started bending on its own and almost fell apart. The bar is actually fun to look at: it’s covered in what look like cranberries, oats, crispy rice, bran cereal and almonds.

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Snack Review: Durian Cream Roll Soft Cake

So there I was, treasure-hunting in the Vietnamese Market, seeking more little-known snacks to introduce to the world. Okay, so I’ll admit an ulterior motive: ever since Alissa found the guts to try Van Holton’s uber-sickening Pickle-in-a-bag, I’ve harbored a secret yen to try something equally disgusting - or more so! I’ve chosen to undertake this mission with full knowledge that it’s likely to prove, in the best case, fruitless, and at worst, life-threatening.

I found plenty of “different” and “uniquely Southeast Asian” snacks at the market - coconut cookies and such - but nothing to rival the puke-inviting loveliness of a single cucumber mummified for god-knows-how-long in brine and plastic. Resigned to a life of snack experiences running the too-narrow gamut from “really good” to “pretty bad,” I took my place in line. But, lo and behold - amid a mess of pastries and sticky rice balls from local Asian bakeries rested my potential salvation. Standing there like a golden, oozing shrine to the Saint of Stench was a simple roll cake starring the durian.

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New Snack Review: Newtons Fruit Crisps

I’ve always been a Fig Newton fan. If I’m on a road trip or lazing around on the beach, my backpack will inevitably contain several sleeves of gooey Newtons. They’re such a solid snack, you know? Depending on your hunger level, they can either act as a quick bite (serving size: 2 Newtons) or as a meal replacement (serving size: 8 Newtons).

However, after manufacturing the same product of over a century, I can understand why Nabisco wanted to diversify. These cookies are great, but with the advent of Gogurt and Cheeseburger in a Can, the Newton Big Wigs (or should I say Big Figs? Oh, snap!) needed to shake things up. Staying relevant in the snack industry is a blood and guts business, and if you’re not ready to step it up a notch, you can expect to go the sad, forgotten way of Hostess’ Pudding Pies.

So how do these snacks shake down? Well, although it seems odd to attach the Newton name to a food that doesn’t stick to your teeth, these Crisps aren’t half bad. Imagine someone ironed a normal Fig Newton until it was flattened and crunchy, and you’ve pretty much got a Fruit Crisp. There’s a hard outer shell - which fractures like Tectonic Plates when you bite down on it – followed by a thin layer of succulent apple filling.

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Snack Review: Smooze! Fruit Ice

I was a sucker for the romance of these when I saw them at my nemesis, Whole Foods. Made of little else besides coconut milk and fruit juice, they are “freshly packed at our farm located on the Equator in East Sumatra, Indonesia,” says the box. And so politically correct: “Our focus on environmental and ethical best practices ensures self sufficiency and sustainability.”

All that, and a delicious snack too? Is it possible? They say that they have “a constant supply of fresh, ripe fruits packed in optimal conditions within hours of picking.” It can’t get better than that, right? And only fifty calories each!

Anyway, they had me at “coconut milk.” It’s one of my weaknesses. There was no way I could avoid trying these.

I couldn’t decide what flavor, though. Hello, snack-makers! Please note: a variety pack is ALWAYS a good idea. Unfortunately, one was not offered in this case, so I had to make a choice. I am a huge fan of mango, as I often mention. But because, as a result, I am very opinionated about mango, I thought maybe that would be an unfair trial. Maybe passion fruit would be a better idea.

Good try. I bought the passion fruit flavor. But then I had to go back to the store and get mango also. The things I do for you, dear readers. I hope you appreciate it.

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