Jelly Beans

Mmmm….fresh jelly beans (as compared to the stale ones that I inevitably found in the bottom of my Easter basket as a kid, a couple of weeks after Easter)....nothing else quite signals the beginning of spring! (Yes, I know it’s February 16th. But hey, I bought my first round of Valentine’s candy before New Year’s. Don’t judge me. I like sugar.)

My favorite jelly beans are the “tiny jelly bird eggs.” I find the “classic” eggs, while reminiscent of my childhood, a little too robust. They’re larger than the “tiny” eggs, and thus it’s harder to eat multiple beans at a time.

Multiple beans at a time? Yes, I like certain combinations of beans, in particular red + orange + yellow. And white goes with most anything. But I always eat the black ones by themselves. So don’t ask me what my favorite flavor is, or – with the exception of black – what flavor is red (cherry? strawberry? pomegranate?). I don’t know. It doesn't matter. I just like jelly beans.

I also like the “spiced” jelly beans, again as long as they’re of the “tiny” variety. They’re great to add a little kick to my jelly bean flight mid-season. Just don’t buy me any “Sweet Tarts” jelly beans, or any of those “new age” flavors. If I wanted Sweet Tarts, I would buy Sweet Tarts. Sweet Tarts are not jelly beans. And “Jelly Belly” brand beans are OK, just not during the Easter season.

I take my jelly beans pretty seriously. But there are less than two months between Valentine’s Day and Easter this year, so I don’t have time for folly.