A Review of New Things I've Tried #7 (Spreads Edition)

What would quarantine and getting groceries from new-to-me places be without new things to try? I've seen some of these things before, but hadn't ever bought them because there were other things I already knew about that I would tend to pick up instead. But now that I get what I can get, it was time. As with all of these, this is absolutely not sponsored, so my opinions aren't colored by obligations to anyone.

1. Sidehill Farm Gingered Rhubarb Jam

I had this jam in my cupboard from what feels like a pretty long-ago trip to Vermont, and for some reason I had not yet broken into it. This is probably because I bought so much jam in Vermont that it took me a long while to get through. (Vermont is all about jam, all things maple, and cheese. Obviously I no longer get the cheese. But jam...so much jam. If I am in Vermont, I am spending too much money on jam.) You don't actually have to go to Vermont to get it, though; if I get an overwhelming urge to have more special jam, they do have an online store. I like this--it's not quite as sweet as most fruity jams, and the ginger is subtle but adds a lot. I think I preferred their other jams, but this one is a good change of pace. (I'm fighting for changes of pace around here.)

2. Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise

This was the only Vegenaise available to me. I was concerned about what it might taste like, but I need not have worried. It's Vegenaise. It's perfect no matter what they make it out of. I prefer the reduced fat kind for a few reasons. I am a mayo fiend, and tend to eat a lot of it, so I probably shouldn't take in so many of my calories in the form of mayo. Also, the reduced fat kind has flax oil in it, which is supposedly a really good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. (I am not, as I said before, that kind of doctor. See your own for nutritional advice suited to you.) Grapeseed oil should be eaten in moderation, so they say, because of the ratio of types of fatty acids to one another, so I'll try to both restrain myself from eating too much mayo and continue to try to get a different kind of Vegenaise. But in the end, it's mayo. And it's darn good mayo. This is, in terms of taste, the most mayo-like of the vegan mayonnaise versions I've tried yet. I swear it tasted vaguely eggy, but that may be because I no longer have any sense of what eggs taste like.

3. Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil

This label took some studying. It's dairy free and kosher (which means, obviously, no milk or milk derivatives), but it had "79% plant-based oil spread" written in the corner. After a lot of study, it seems that refers to how much oil is in the spread, not how much of the spread is plant-based. It has olive oil in it, but that isn't it's main ingredient by any stretch of the imagination. This is different than my old mainstay, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Vegan, in many different ways. Most significantly, this spread has about the same amount of calories as butter would, rather than the 60 or so per serving in I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. It's slightly firmer, but still spreadable straight from the fridge. I didn't get much of an olive oil taste, but it did have a somewhat salty flavor I really liked, even with jam on my English muffin. I'm glad I can still get some kind of spreadable butter, though I miss my old standby.