Crunchies

“Did you know it takes 8-10 lbs of fresh fruit or veggies to make 1 lb of Crunchies?”  Don’t you just love the cool facts on some packages?

I recently received some samples from the good people at Crunchies (and then some more from a friend of mine.  Woot!).

I love freeze-dried fruits.  I love the crunch and the way they sort of dissolve as you chew them.

The Mixed Fruit is a wonderful treat.  I buy a lot of fresh fruit, and I don’t know about you, but I am constantly depressed by the lack of flavor in some of the fruit.  I’ve completely quit buying peaches lately, because they are all so depressingly devoid of taste.  But not the Crunchies!  My first bite was a peach and it tasted so good.  There was none of that “guessing” at which fruit I was eating.  Even with a little powder from the strawberries and raspberries dusting the outside, it was still obviously a peach.  Delectable.

Buttered Sweet Corn?  Don’t mind if I do.  It’s like eating a crunchy version of buttered corn on the cob fresh-picked from the garden.  My dad, whenever he’s harvesting corn from his garden, will boil the water before he even goes out to pick the corn.  I don’t know, but I think the people at Crunchies may have a similar dedication.

Have you ever had your veggies accidentally scoot into your barbecue sauce and thought that might just be a grand idea?  You can get your veggies with that fire-roasted and barbecue flavor but with the great crunch and portability of the free-dried snack.

Crunchies use non-GMO fruits and vegetables.  They are also certified gluten-free.

From their website:

• Fresh fruits and veggies are harvested and frozen within 24 hours, and then through a refrigerated, cooling process, are freeze dried at the packing facilities.
• 97% of the moisture is removed, while maintaining 94% of the nutrient and enzyme level of the whole fruit. Only about 44% of the water is removed from dried fruit, and the heat process destroys the nutrients and enzymes.
• Pineapples and Mangoes are grown in South America, all other fruits and vegetables are grown in United States.
• Everything is processed and packed in the U.S.
• Crunchies have a 24 month shelf life + re-sealable bags (which is very important, as air will re-hydrate and soften the fruit)

You can get them online or in a variety of stores (they are even available in the mall nearest me – go figure).