Snack Find: Uncle Mikey’s Dried Fruit

Last time, I wrote about how I’ve been eating local. Since then, though, I’ve continued to order from many of the vendors listed. However, in a recent order from Lydgate Farms, they tossed me a bag of dried fruit with cacao nibs. And, man, the buggah is MEAN. In fact, I ended up finishing off the whole bag the day that it arrived. So, I decided to get myself more.

Hawaiian Medley

While I love supporting Lydgate Farms, I wanted to see if I could get a bigger bag of their dried fruit. It turns out that Uncle Mikey’s supplies the dried fruit for Lydgate’s mix. So, I headed over to their website to see what they offer.

When it comes to dried fruit, Uncle Mikey’s has three choices, the Hawaiian Medley (same thing as Lydgate’s blend minus the nibs), Dried Pineapple, and Dried Apple Bananas. I chose the Hawaiian Medley, which is a blend of fruits that always contains dried coconut, pineapple, banana, and papaya. However, when available, they toss in guava leather, dried starfruit, and dried mango too. But, even then, the types of banana and pineapple used in the mix can vary too, depending on availability. And, right now, that means Moloa’a White Pineapple in place of regular pineapple.

My Favorites

While everything in the bag is good, depending on what kind of fruits you like, I have to say that my two favorite items are the Moloa’a Pineapple and the guava leather. The pineapple is sublime. It tastes just as good as it would fresh, meaning it has an incredible, sweet, tart, almost creamy flavor to it along with a wonderfully toothsome and chewy texture. As for the guava leather, you know how whole, fresh guava tastes? It tastes like that, only more intense and complex. In fact, I’d say it has an almost savory flavor with floral and fruity notes. Crazy, right?

You know what’s even more crazy? I typically don’t like dried fruit. Sure, I like chamois dried mango from the Beef Jerky Store in Vegas. But, the standard dried bananas, mangoes, etc. you find that the grocery store? No thanks. That’s why I was so skeptical when I got my sample from Lydgate and why I was even more surprised when I couldn’t put the bag down!

Don’t Under Estimate the Coconut Candy

When I placed my order with Uncle Mikey’s, I noticed they had coconut candy on their site. I didn’t order it, though. I thought it’d be too sweet. But, they tossed a bag into my box, so I gave it a try. And, you know what? Half the bag vanished in no time as my wife and I became addicted to that stuff too. In my opinion, it tastes a bit like kulolo minus the taro. It’s addictive.

Where to Find

The easiest way to get yourself some fruity goodness is to order direct from Uncle Mikey’s website. It’s also the best way to get his latest blends. But, ordering direct for those of us not on Kauai also means paying for shipping. And, so far, for me, that means paying anywhere between $7 and $14, depending on the size of your order. Luckily, there are other options. If you’re on Oahu, you can find Uncle Mikey’s at:

• Foodland Ala Moana
• Whole Foods Kahala and Kailua
• Whaler’s General (Waikiki)

On Maui, you can find Uncle Mikey’s at:

• Whole Foods Kahului
• Kula Marketplace

And, on Kauai:

• Foodland Princeville
• ABC Store Kapaa
• Aloha Juice Bar Hanalei
• The Healthy Nut Kilauea

Kauaians can also DM them on Instagram if you want to try to do an in-person pick-up.

Price

Now, before people get all nutz, let me tell you guys about the price. Yes, Uncle Mikey’s isn’t cheap, since a one-pound bag of his dried fruit cost $35, while the half-pound bag comes in at $20. That coconut candy? Comes in a quarter-pound bag and will set you back $8. So, yeah. If you buy a pound of dried fruit, that’s $42 after shipping. But, you know what? As an occasional, healthy treat, it’s totally worth it. Again, I normally don’t like this kind of stuff. Yet, I already ate half of my one pound bag two days after receiving it. And I’m really trying to limit myself!