Archer Farms Organic Wild Berry Fruit Strips

Old people might call this "fruit leather." But let's face it, that sounds about as appetizing as eating the belt around your pants. My generation might use the catch-all term "Fruit Roll-up," even though they're a different brand and they're not even wrapped or rolled up at all.

Archer Farms calls them "fruit strips," which is probably as accurate a name for these things as you'll ever see. This berry flavor is really good, if you're into berries and things. I am, fortunately, and I was really pleased with the taste. Definitely on the sweet side, but that's just fine by me.

Texture-wise, they're thicker than a fruit roll-up. They're soft and slightly chewy, and they stay nice and moist since each one is individually wrapped in its own plastic sleeve. It's a lot of packaging and probably isn't terribly eco-friendly, but I can't think of any other way they could have packaged them without a significant risk of having them dry out or by losing a great deal of convenience.

They're organic, they have fiber, they're low in calories and fat. Pretty darn healthy snacks. And reasonably priced, as well. This is the first Archer Farms product I've tried with the "Simply Balanced" name at the top. I guess that's a line of health-conscious products offered at Target. My first impressions are very good. I'll be looking for these "Simply Balanced" dealies on my next grocery trip. I might start heading back in the direction of a healthier diet, and I suppose these little guys would be more in the right direction than, say, the Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream.

That's not to say I won't be indulging here and there, but I could stand to lose a few pounds, and having delicious, healthy snacks like this around will certainly help with the cause.


I give this product 8 out of 10 stars.

Archer Farms Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream

It sure ain't Ben & Jerry's, but it's not the worst ice cream I've ever had either. Then again, it's pretty hard to put peanut butter and chocolate together and make something that isn't tasty.

The peanut butter itself tastes great. It...well...tastes like peanut butter, but frozen. There are ribbons of it throughout the chocolate ice cream, and there's plenty of it. Its consistency is a little stiff. Its a little plastic-ish. But not to the point that you'll want to stop eating it.

The chocolate ice cream tastes a little cheap to me. Like regular store brand chocolate. I've never been one for the plain chocolate or plain vanilla. They're both boring, and they need other ingredients to reach their full potential. I'm not sure that even with the ribbons of peanut butter that this so-called "fudge" reaches its full potential either.

For $4, with copious quantities of saturated fat and calories, I would certainly consider investing in more of a gourmet brand of ice cream if I were going to indulge in a chocolate peanut butter dessert. It might cost a buck or two more, but if you're gonna go off your diet, go off your diet.

Although it was no difficult task for my wife and I to polish off this half gallon of dessert, I don't think this flavor will find its way into our basket at Target again any time soon—and ice cream is one of my biggest weaknesses.

But if you're a peanut butter fudge kind of guy (or gal) this flavor might be right up your alley. It wasn't a product I would recommend, but I also wouldn't warn someone against it either.

I give this ice cream 6 out of 10 stars.