Happy National Jelly Bean Day!

Oops, just about missed this very important event.  Any excuse to eat
handfuls of the greatest candy ever invented…

National Jelly Bean Day is celebrated each year on Aril 22 and while the candy was, at one time, associated with Easter they’re now loved by Jews and Gentiles alike.
According to “The Century in Food: America’s Fad and Favorites”, on July 5, 1905,  jelly beans were advertised in the Chicago Daily News as being sold for 9 cents per pound.
With that I give you 9 facts about the colorful and delicious confection, enjoy and tell me, what’s your favorite jelly bean flavor?
1. It takes 7 to 21 days to make a single Jelly Belly jelly bean.
2. Very Cherry flavored jelly beans have been the most popular flavor since 2003. Before that Buttered Popcorn was the top spot since 1998.
3. Enough jelly beans were eaten in the last year to circle the earth more than five times…how appropriate as it’s also Earth Day.

4. The first jelly bean was created by an unknown American candy maker in the 1800s.
5. The original eight flavors of Jelly Belly beans were Very Cherry, Root Beer, Cream Soda, Tangerine, Green Apple, Lemon, Licorice and Grape…I hate the root beer and licorice flavors and I don’t hate much.
6. Blueberry flavored beans were made for Ronald Reagan’s presidential inauguration. Jelly Beans were Ronald Reagan’s favorite treat.

7. During the Civil War, advertisements were made recommending people send soldiers jelly beans.
8. Jelly Belly beans were the first jelly beans in space when they were sent on the space shuttle Challenger in 1983.
9. 288,000 Jelly Belly beans of 47 different flavors were donated to make “In Your Arms” by Kina Grannis, the first jelly bean stop-motion animation music video. The video was released in November 2011.

There are 50 official Jelly Belly flavors, what are your favorites?

With the exception of root beer and licorice, I love them all made even better with this Jelly Bean Martini…

Cheers!

Alya