Sometimes Foodie: Citrus Jelly Fruit Slices - The Fudge Factory: Wildwood, NJ (Photo Heavy)

Jelly Fruit Slices Part 2 - The Fudge Factory: Wildwood, NJ

I may have gone a little overboard when I was buying these jelly fruit slices. (I just had to have them all!) Although these citrus flavors aren't as interesting or exotic as the Chili Mango and Pineapple flavors I've already reviewed, they were still lovely to photograph.

Today I'm going to give a quickie review on the Lemon, Pink Grapefruit and Key Lime flavored slices. Let's kick things off with a slice of pink grapefruit!

This pink grapefruit slice has a yellow rind with the same white confection pith as the slices I've reviewed before, and it's been covered in a generous coating of sanding sugar. If any of you are confused by the term "pith", I found this handy photo guide on Urban Sacred Garden:

Image © Sacred Urban Garden

The "pith" is that slightly spongy tissue that you can find in various plants, fruits and veggies. When it comes to citrus, it's that bitter tasting white stuff that separates the peel from the fruit itself. Personally, I hate the taste of the real thing, but I really like that the confectioner took the time to include this little layer of white detailing.

Okay, back to the candy!

The grapefruit slice has the same soft bite as the Chili and Mango, soft and tender, like a really fresh gumdrop, while the candy rind and pith are a bit crumblier and tougher. (Like partially cured royal icing.) The citrus flavoring is bright, zesty, and tangy. While this is much sweeter than a freshly sliced grapefruit, it still tastes very authentic. I never had grapefruit growing up, so when I reached adulthood I kind of went a little grapefruit crazy, and this suits my grapefruit cravings just fine. I really enjoyed this flavor, and I could easily see myself buying more next summer.

Next up, Lemon!

The lemon slice looks, well, very obviously like a lemon. It's almost the same as the grapefruit, but this time the center portion is a bright translucent yellow color and there is a lot less of the candy pith.

Texturally this has the same soft bite and chew, but I didn't find the citrus flavoring for this one to be as bold and bright as the grapefruit. To me, this tasted a lot like the lemonade gummies I bought this summer in Chinatown. This little fruit slice was very sweet, with a mild lemony flavoring, but after the intensity of the grapefruit flavored candy, this was a bit of a let down for me. While the flavoring was pleasant enough, this is a fruity flavor I won't be repurchasing.

Last, but not least, Key Lime!

Foodie confession time! When I was about 9 years old, my grandma would babysit me and my sister while my mom worked. I was hungry, so she let me try a slice of key lime pie, thinking I would hate the citrus flavor, but I loved it and ate the entire pie. (Full disclosure, she wasn't the healthiest caregiver. She often gave us bowls full of confectioner sugar with a spoon. Long story short, I had a LOT of cavities as a kid. ~~(whoamIkidding?Istillgetthemnow.~~) Key lime will always hold a special place in my heart, so I couldn't pass these little green fruit slices up.

Just like the lemon and grapefruit slices, this flavor as a bit of a candy pith too, although it isn't nearly as thick grapefruit. Now, I didn't mention a scent for the last two slices, because there really wasn't one, but this little slice has a slight lime-zest aroma.

The bite is the same soft jellied candy as the other flavors, but the rind and pith are a lot less crumbly. As far as flavoring goes, this tasted a little on the artificial side to me, more like a lime popsicle than a freshly squeezed key lime, but there was a nice amount of zestiness in the aftertaste to keep me wanting more.

Out of the three, the grapefruit was my absolute favorite, no contest. I will be buying more of those (alone with the chili mango) during my next trip to the shore. The lemon and lime were still enjoyable, but I feel like their flavoring wasn't authentic or interesting enough to make me repurchase them. Still, they were all very pretty to photograph! I have two slices left to review, Pear and Pomegrante, so stay tuned!