We have been incredibly busy around the Rose Household, painting, ripping up carpet, installing new flooring, hanging curtains, and replacing towel racks. The list seems to never get shorter, however, and so we carry on. As a result, I have been lax in posting, and I hate that about the busy times, but it makes the days I find a moment to write all that much sweeter, especially when it includes such tasty goodness as this!
I made fruit juice gummies today! I tried this recipe, found over at epicurious. I didn't have the cute little molds, but I went ahead and made them anyway, pouring them into an 8x8 pan sprayed with cooking spray just before pouring, and then cutting them into small cubes after 2 hours of setting time.
The texture is a bit different from your traditional gummy but it is still very tasty, and a WONDERFUL way to get fruits into your little ones in place of artificially flavored, dyed, and sugar-packed gummies you'll find at the store.
There are only two ingredients in these gummies: juice and gelatin. To get the most punch per gummy in vitamins I chose to use V-8 V-Fusion juice. There are vegetables in these gummies, and even better, my children will eat them!
The general review by children is that Abbi thinks they are the best thing since pickles (which, if you know Abbi, you can certainly understand what a big deal this is. We go through a gallon of pickles every 2 weeks). Anna seems to think they are just okay. Probably a little splenda or added sugar would go a long way in making these more appealing to kids who have tried and/or are used to the flavor in the sugar packed gummies available at the supermarket.
One thing I would like to experiment with, is using fruit juice concentrate in place of "regular" juice. I think that would give the expected flavor punch that storebought gummies have, but without compromising fruit as the main ingredient (aside from gelatin). As it is, the flavor is there, but subtle. Concentrate would also add to the sweet factor without having to add in extra sugars. If you give this a try, let me know what you think.
Since we are doing so much packing and preparing, we have been sure to include the fridge and pantry in this effort as well. As a result we are creating some unique concoctions, trying to find ways to use up what we have on hand before the move.
The above photo is of an experiment we did tonight altering this recipe to make something we hoped would be similar but wound up as a dense, ooey gooey loaf of deliciousness instead.
Darn. ;)
Essentially we cut out adding sugar and fresh fruit to the batter, and instead supplimented 1 1/2 cups of homemade blackberry freezer jam. Its not what we expected, but the best things rarely are.
It isn't something delicate or pretty to serve to company, but if you are up for a night snuggled with the family on the back porch, watching the fireflies dance around your children as dusk settles.... well, there isn't much that can top this, I think.
I love the gummies! I am going to try this, I just need to find out if gelatin is Gluten and Casein Free!
Posted by: Shannon O. | August 25, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Ooh, I love the gummy idea. I should totally try that. THose are ingredients I'm capable of acquiring!
Posted by: Robyn | August 25, 2008 at 02:18 PM
The gummies look like fun! I bet you could use some candy molds for them, you'd just have to let the mixture cool a little before you poured it in.
Posted by: linda | August 26, 2008 at 05:54 AM
Hey Rose! I tried out the gummies with white grape juice concentrate. They turned out well, but I'd suggest a different juice or to water this one down a little- -waaaay too strong!
Posted by: Munch | September 12, 2008 at 09:36 AM