Brothers All Natural Strawberry Crisps

June 6, 2007 | Reviewer: Abi

Brothers All Natural Strawberry Crisps Price: $0.80
Serving: 1 entire bag, .26 oz.
Calories: 30
Fat: 0%, 0g
Cholesterol: 0%, 0mg
Sodium: 0%, 0mg
Protein: 1g
Carbs: 2%, 6g
Fiber: 6%, 1g

Brothers International Food Corporation says: We start with luscious fruit, straight from some of the best growing regions in the world. We then send it directly to our state-of-the-art FREEZE DRIED process that gently removes the water from the fresh fruit, and transforms it into a delicious, delightfully light, and flavorful CRISP. As always, we simply use fruit, nothing artificial, definitely no added sugar…just fruit, THE BEST FRUIT.

Abi says: These berries were one of the many food items I foisted on my colleagues this spring. They were also my first experience with freeze dried food. Somehow, I managed to resist the freeze dried ice cream during my childhood trips to OMSI and the Pacific Science Center. In the gift shop was generally more enamored of the hand boilers.

I considered consuming the entire .26 ounces of fruit myself, but then I would have missed seeing Chad, Kate, and Josh realize that they’d just consumed strawberry-flavored styrofoam. I kid. These are not made of styrofoam, they just taste the way styrofoam would taste if it was made very sour and produced in the color of dried blood. I do not kid about the dried blood part.

Brothers All Natural’s freeze dried fruits aren’t just a flavor explosion, they’re also a textural experience. Each little berry will suck all of the saliva out of your mouth and into the product, thus making it possible for you to experience desert-like thirst and an uncomfortably full mouth at the same time.

Only after exhorting my colleagues to consume these berries did I realize that they were from China. Holy crap, I’m eating freeze-dried strawberries from China? Isn’t that a little ridiculous? I mean, I can see purchasing other things from China, like silk, catfish, and toothpaste, but strawberries? From now on, I’m not willing to go any further than Chile to get my red, sour, styrofoamy fruit.

comments

15 Responses to “Brothers All Natural Strawberry Crisps”

Jenny on June 6th, 2007

The strawberry ones are pretty gross, but the apple and asian pear kinds are quite good.
MaryAnne on June 6th, 2007

How much sugar are in these things? And how do they keep them from shriveling up? This is important info!

A week or so ago, a coworker ordered some dried veggies from the internet. I’m guessing that sentence is enough to warn a person with an average intelligence. Dried internet food doesn’t really strike up images of deliciousness. Nonetheless I tried the dried zucchini and it tasted much like your review, only it was green. My mouth is still upset.
Crow on June 6th, 2007

Only $49.23 per pound. Yum.
Jess on June 6th, 2007

I get the TJ’s kind and stick them in my cereal in the morning to make my own (more filling) version of Special K Red Berries with cereals that I like. Yum. I never eat them w/o milk, though.
Sharyn on June 6th, 2007

I agree with Jenny - the strawberry ones nearly gave me an asthma attack what with all the strawberry dust, but the asian pear ones were really good. I’d definitely get those again & will try the apple too.
Lauren on June 6th, 2007

Freeze dried fruits taste kinda weird on they’re own, but they’re awesome in cereal. Especially oatmeal. I put freeze dried peaches in my oatmeal while it cooks and when its done they are just like fresh!

Catfish are the most disgusting fish in the world. just as a side note.
CM on June 6th, 2007

I third what Jenny said. The apple and asian pear are really good. I think there’s also pineapple but I didn’t try it. Oh the banana one is okay too.
teresa vigil on June 6th, 2007

my chidl loves the freeze dried strawberies, seriously yummy, but they go stale really quick, the ones we buy are no sugar added either.
mississippi don on June 7th, 2007

The most disgusting fish in the world tastes great with some tartar sauce and hushpuppies.
Abi Jones on June 7th, 2007

@Jenny - I haven’t tried the pear or apple, but I’ve picked up (I think) most varieties.

@MaryAnn - There are 4 grams of sugar in each 7.37 gram package.

@Crow - You always step up with the price by volume/weight figures.

@Jess - I didn’t know Trader Joe’s had a version of these. I’ll have to keep an eye out next time I go grocery shopping.

@Sharyn - I failed to mention the strawberry dust, a discouraging, wheeze-inducing component.

@Lauren - I love oatmeal, so I’ll have to try your suggestion of peaches.

@CM- I have mixed feelings about the banana chips. I love them and they sometimes scare me.

@Teresa - Your wedding photos are amazing!

@Mississippi Don - You’re right, catfish is delicious stuff. I love mine blackened or deep fried. Mmmmm.
janet on June 8th, 2007

U.S. catfish is the best tasting fish in the world, anyway you cook it. It is a shame that china is sending their contaminated catfish over here. Why would anyone eat somethong from overseas. It is a fact that they do not care what they use in their
food legal or not. The FDA has no the time or money to check food coming into the USA. It is a fact that they only check 1% of it. So who knows what we are eating 99% of all food coming for overseas is not check to see if it is harmful.
Crow on June 8th, 2007

Hey, the USDA mandates only something on the order of 1% or less of cows slaughtered in the US can be tested for BSE. You try to go to 100% on your own, the government will stop you. You really think government can save you? If so, you’re already dead.
Tiffany on August 12th, 2007

I love the fuji apple and asian pear ones. I haven’t had the chance to try the strawberry, banana, or pineapple ones. But if the strawberry ones taste anything like the kind that come in cereal, then i probably won’t like it.
jaw on September 21st, 2007

I have had the apple & the strawberry/banana. I like all of them. I think the problem most have with the strawberry is they are not sweet and it takes you back when you first taste them.
Carol on November 10th, 2008

I loved the fruit until I read “product of China”. Natural foods and made in China do not go together. I am wondering why freeze dried fruit cannot be packaged in the US - we have plenty of apples and strawberries grown here for this? Or at least from their Ecuador facility? I am sorry to say I must not purchase foods from them anymore….