Raise your hand if you’re obsessed with the dried fruit from Trader Joe’s. (Same, friend.) If this is you, TJ’s is about to make your summer with its newest offering: watermelon jerky.
I’ve heard of fruit leather before. But watermelon…jerky? In the era of the ‘Impossible Burger’ and smoked watermelon ‘ham,’ I wasn’t surprised, but I was definitely intrigued. So during my most recent trip to TJ’s, I tossed a bag of watermelon jerky in my shopping cart. (Hey, why not? It only set me back $3.70.)
This week, instead of scavenging the office for junk food, my co-workers and I tore into the package of jerky, which contained 38 grams of sugar and 39 grams of carbs. The unanimous verdict? It was good. Addictively good. The texture was evocative of real jerky. Dry, chewy and a bit leathery, it made us feel like we’d eaten something more substantial than fruit. It was sweet and a bit tarter than fresh watermelon, but still pretty mellow. Best of all, the vegan treat left us feeling completely satisfied (but happy we hadn’t just wrecked our diets on gummy bears).
Official prediction: This will be the Summer of Watermelon Jerky—grab a bag at your local TJ’s before it sells out.
