Organic Echo Fudge Review

(Reprinted from Busy Mommy Media 4/23/10 - Enter contest to win 2lb. fudge box on their site.)

Fudge is probably the most common of the homemade candies but really doesn’t seem to get made at home very often anymore. It’s relegated to being a treat for when you’re at the beach or when visiting relatives who do make it which means that no one gets as much fudge in their lives as they deserve. The problem with buying fudge is that you very rarely find it outside of specialty shops and probably have about a 50/50 chance of finding out what’s in it. Even if you do find out what ingredients were used, many commercial types use a lot of ingredients that you might not be so thrilled with if you’re trying to stick to an organic diet. Enter Organic Echo, an online purveyor of all manner of organic goods, edible and otherwise. Amid the myriad products they stock is this lovely gift box of organic fudge.

Most organic chocolate products I’ve tasted have honestly not always been that wonderful. Organic Echo fudge, fortunately, does not fall into that category. While it may not be the best fudge ever (that title belongs to my Aunt Teri’s), it is a very solid offering that really has a lot going for it. The texture is more of a firm/semi-crystalline fudge rather than a creamy one, but it does soften and melt nicely on the tongue. I was sent a box of “Rich Rainforest Dark Assorted” which consisted of a half pound of plain fudge and a half pound of fudge with walnuts. I tend to favor plain fudge over that with nuts or other crunchy bits, but the walnuts used here were of good quality and lend a satisfyingly bitter/rich note that contrasts the deep cocoa flavors of the fudge quite nicely. I noted the addition of marshmallow creme in the ingredients list, and I generally see that as a major plus given that most of the recipes that I favor also contain it. The ingredients also include things like minimally processed sugars and the addition of “Love and Gratitude” at the end of the list.

One thing I was somewhat surprised to see included in the ingredients list was palm oil listed in the “natural oil blend” given how controversial that can be and how carefully the rest of the ingredients have been selected. The only other concern I had was that every square contains 120 calories and 7 grams of fat, but that’s really more of a problem with fudge in general and not terribly specific to this type.

All in all, this would make a great gift for the organically-inclined types in your life. It comes in an attractive package that makes it easy to save or share and is a good excuse to go browse through the Organic Echo site.

  Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Earth’s Sweet Pleasures Fudge Review and Giveaway

One thing I really wanted to bring you all this week was a tasty organic treat. I am a chocoholic, I could eat it all day every day. But I’ve found it difficult to find organic chocolates locally. So I turned to the Internet and found Earth’s Sweet Pleasures.

Earth’s Sweet Pleasures endeavors to make the highest quality organic gourmet fudge in the world while supporting sustainability of the planet and it’s inhabitants. Our fudge is made the old-fashioned way, using an original family recipe that is 25% less sweet than conventional fudge, enhancing the intense flavor of the award winning rich, dark chocolate. Every ingredient in our fudge is all natural certified organic and the delicious dark chocolate is grown by fair trade farmers in Central and South America. By purchasing our fudge you help sustain the rainforest where cacao trees are grown in the shade of the canopy. A portion of our proceeds go to environmental and humanitarian organizations that promote economic fairness for cacao farmers and their families.

At Earth’s Sweet Pleasures you will find Rich Rainforest Dark Fudge, both plain and with walnuts. The fudge with walnuts is their bestseller. All of their fudge is made with organic, fair trade chocolate. They were kind enough to send me a sample of the Rich Rainforest Dark Fudge with Walnuts to taste. I actually received it just the other day and let me tell you, it took a great amount of willpower to not eat the entire piece all at once because it is so delicious. Very rich and creamy and literally melts in your mouth. Not only does it taste great, but its comforting to know that there are no artificial yucky ingredients. The ingredient list on my sample fudge bar reads as follows:

Ingredients (All Organic): Evaporated Cane Juice, Fair-Trade Chocloate - 65% Bittersweet, Marshmallow Creme, Walnuts, contains Dairy (Half & Half), Natural Oil Blend, Vanilla Extract, Love & Gratitude.

Of course the best ingredients are the love and gratitude. There are no substitutes for that!

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Green Mama’s Pad readers can get 15% off orders when using code GMP001 at checkout.

Win
Earth’s Sweet Pleasures kindly sent me a 1/2 box of Rich Rainforest Dark with Walnuts to send to one lucky winner. Allergy notice: please note that this fudge contains walnuts. Mandatory Entry
Visit the Earth’s Sweet Pleasures site, take a look around at all the pages and come back and tell me something I did not mention above. You must complete this entry before you can submit any extra entries.Extra Entries (please leave a separate comment for each)
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This giveaway is open to US Residents 18+ only and will end on Tuesday, April 27th at 11:59pm EST. One winner will be chosen at random using Random.org. Winner has 48 hours to claim their prize otherwise a new winner will be picked. You must leave your e-mail address in your comment(s) so I can contact you. I will not share your e-mail address with anyone, it will strictly be used to notify you if you win. Good luck!

Earth’s Sweet Pleasures Gourmet Fudge Bar voted in the Top 5 by Mother Earth News online magazine! 

Chocolate! The Best of the Best Organic, Fair Trade Chocolates Find out why organic and fair trade certification really matter when it comes to chocolate, and how our editors ranked the best of these treats.                             Feb. 26, 2009  By Katherine Loeck and Aubrey Vaughn    Not only is organic, fair trade chocolate better for everyone - from planting the cacao trees to popping a morsel into your mouth - the flavor trumps that of conventional chocolate every time.         Sweet, bitter, spicy, smooth — these are just a few of the dozens of ways to describe chocolate.But if you want really great chocolate, chocolate that makes you feel as good about buying it as it makes your tastebuds feel about meeting it, there are more decisions involved than simply what flavor makes your mouth water. To make the best decisions (and discover the best quality), consider a few questions such as: Where is it grown, how it is grown, and by whom? Does the farmer earn a living wage? Are pesticides used on the cacao trees?These are tough, but important questions. The good news is we’ve made answering them easier for you.     To read more follow this link to the article: www.­motherearthnews.­com/­Real-­Food/­Chocolate-­Organic-­Fair-­Trade.­aspx

www.JennSays.com Reviews Rich Rainforest Dark (no nuts) Organic Fudge

Not previously having any kind of organic food shipped via mail, I had no idea what to expect when I received the Rich Rainforest Dark fudge from Earth’s Sweet Pleasures. I was imagining that something like fudge would arrive on the soft side given the summer heat. Much to my surprise, it arrived in perfect condition - no melting; no stickiness. As a matter of fact, there was a “dry” element to it that a lot of fudge lacks. I mean that in a good way. Dry to the touch, but it could practically melt in your mouth - now that’s what fudge is supposed to be like if you ask me. In addition to being new to organic fudge at all, I’m also not a big chocolate lover. It’s rare that I actually want to eat chocolate, but I found that once I tasted this, I was loving it (and sharing it - it was equally loved all around). The fudge was so rich that it was ideal - it could satisfy any chocolate craving, but you wouldn’t find yourself mindlessly devouring it (something that rich has to be savored; not inhaled). In addition to loving the organic fudge itself, the way it’s packaged was wonderful (probably even moreso for the chocoholic types) - it’s broken down into individual one ounce cubes, so you always know exactly what you’re eating - something anyone counting calories would love. I don’t know what exactly makes this fudge so outstanding. All I know is that I fully intend to order more.

Jennifer Mattern

http://www.jennsays.com/