Well, the title of this product is clearly a reference to the famous Beatles song. Strawberry fields forever, indeed. Do these gummy candies taste like a field of strawberries? Sorta.
You get a nice whiff of sweet strawberry upon tearing open the plastic bag. It's not overwhelming, but it is distinctly strawberry-ish. You'll note that the ingredients list makes no mention of "strawberries" or "strawberry puree" or anything like that. The closest we'll get is "natural flavors." Shoot. That could be just about anything. I think they need to pass a law that forces companies to list said "natural flavors." I mean bugs could be considered "natural flavors," right? I'm not saying that's what they used here, but I mean...who really knows?
Flavor-wise, they're similar to the way they smell. They taste like a sugary strawberry candy. Both Sonia and I want them to taste more like actual strawberry. I guess we wanted something that was made with strawberry puree or something like that. I mean, the Strawberry Doodle Cookies had strawberry puree in them, and we loved those...
There are two distinct shapes/sizes of the candy. They both taste more or less the same, but I feel like the larger pieces are a tad softer and squishier than their tiny counterparts. The texture on these candies is well above par, particularly those big strawberries.
Sonia is always pining for good sour candy. She wishes there were a truly sour version of these gummies. I mean, there is a faint tartness in them in the same way real strawberries can be somewhat tart, but by and large, these are simply sweet and sugary.
$2.29 for the non-resealable 7.05 oz bag. Product of France. Summer seasonal product. They're not bad, but we probably wouldn't buy again if they come back next year. Seven out of ten stars from both Sonia and me for Trader Joe's Strawberry Fields Gummy Candy.
Remember that Red Tart Cherry Juice? Didn't you ever wanna just dunk your toast in that stuff to give it that sweet-tart cherry flavor? I know I did. But then I'd reconsider after contemplating how soggy my toast would get.
Now I can have that sweet-tart cherry flavor on my toast without the wet mess with Trader Joe's Organic Tart Cherry Fruit Spread. Dang this stuff is good. It's sweet and tart and very thick.
It's not chunky, however. There aren't any cherry pieces in the spread. It's quite smooth. It works that way. It coats everything you spread it on with a dense layer of sour cherry goodness.
We tried it on those Liège waffles we reviewed earlier in the week, and it was scrumptious. We got the whole thing on camera and you can watch us try it for the first time. Since then, we've had it on regular toast and it's superb that way, too. Sonia likes to have it on bread alongside sunflower butter almost like peanut butter and jelly. I was skeptical at first, but I must admit, it's a weirdly good combo.
The ingredients list is nice and short. We're talking top-shelf in terms of quality. Add this one to the long list of winning condiments and sauces we've found at TJ's over the last 15 years.
$4.29 for the 15 oz jar. Certified organic. Would definitely buy again. I'll give Trader Joe's Organic Tart Cherry Fruit Spread eight and a half out of ten stars. Sonia will go with nine out of ten stars.
These waffles are individually wrapped in cellophane. I didn't see that coming. I figured they'd all be sitting in a plastic tray. They're fairly soft and moist and I guess the individual wrapping is meant to keep them that way.
You can eat them straight from the wrapper in the manner of a cookie, or you can remove them from their packaging, toss them into the toaster, add a bit of syrup or what have you, and eat them like miniature waffles. We've tried them both ways and both are pretty tasty.
Of course the convenience factor is a little higher when you're just snacking on them out of the little baggie, but the indulgence factor is higher when you heat them and add some fixins. We're eager to try them with some vanilla ice cream on top.
They're a tad sticky. I guess it's the "pearl sugar" on them. They're also a bit oily and buttery, too, even before adding any toppings—they do indeed contain both egg and butter. They're nice and sweet, dense and slightly chewy.
The waffles are shelf stable for a couple months. They do come with a "best by" sticker despite being individually wrapped. They'd probably just get a little stale if you let them hang around too long, but for most of you, that won't be a problem.
$3.99 for six waffles, imported from Belgium. Pretty good value. Would probably buy again. Sonia will go with eight out of ten stars for Trader Joe's Brioche Style Liège Waffles with Pearl Sugar. I'll throw out seven and a half stars.
