Plain Old Fruit Never Tasted So Good

• Posted by Alisa Fleming
• May 6, 2008

To be honest, I had quite the pessimistic attitude when I first came upon these little pouches of fruit by Peeled Snacks. Packaged dried fruit, so what is new? It is just dried fruit, so simple, no wow factor … but to my complete surprise so [counter] revolutionary.

I used to be an avid dried fruit snacker, but with all of the added sugars and sulfur dioxide, I reasoned that fresh fruit was probably the only way to go. But Peeled Snacks has taken a step back in time, serving up dried fruit without the preservatives and sugar. That’s right, just fruit. As I unfortunately discovered in a prior Peeled Snacks taste test, this means a shorter shelf-life. But as long as you don’t hold onto these babies for several months, they are still pretty shelf-stable.

Go-Mango-man-go ~ I loved (and quickly devoured) these mini mango strips and their true-to-fruit flavor. The mango was surprisingly sweet on its own and left me wondering why on earth so many manufacturers feel the need to add sugar to dried fruit. A truly addictive little healthy snack!

Pine-4-Pineapple ~ No sulfur, no sugar, just dehyrdrated pineapple. Sad to say, but this is one food I had never experienced before! Yes, I fell victim to image … choosing the bright yellow looker coated in copious amounts of sugar over the browned “natural” pineapple. But now that I have seen the light … or should I say tasted the fruit, I may never go back! Sweet, sour, and tangy all at once, this was an infusion of pineapple that tasted far fresher than it looked.

Banan-a-peel ~ While the name is catchy, I would be tempted to call this Banana Burst instead. I opened the package and the most intense banana scent practically exploded from this unique snack. Yes, unique. I have seen many bags of banana chips, but never before had I seen dried banana. Like the pineapple, this one wasn’t a looker, but the great chew texture and pure banana taste once again proved that its what’s on the inside that counts. For one serving, I was impressed with the generous number of banana slices. Guilt free snacking, my favorite!

Cherry-go-round ~ Who knew dried cherries could be so insanely plump? Barely dehydrated, I felt almost as if I was indulging in fresh cherries … almost, but not quite. I was truly surprised at how prune-like they tasted, but they were definitely sweet cherries at heart. It would be a shame to waste such perfect dried fruit on baking, so I can see why they opted to turn these into a stand-alone snack.

The only thing that would keep me from loading up on these fruit gems is the very thing that many people would find so appealing, the packaging. Plastic pouches housing single serving snacks seems just a bit too wasteful, especially for this work at home foodie. I would rather see larger resealable packages that I can enjoy at home or take in the car, rather than worrying about fitting little snacks into a purse or lunch box. Perhaps they will come out with some larger packages in the future. In the meantime, if you are looking for a fun, creative, and healthy way to infuse some fruit into your family’s diet, Peeled Fruit Snacks are an excellent option.

http://fitfare.net/2008/05/06/plain-old-fruit-never-tasted-so-good/