No more Jelly Bean trail, this was probably our first year in 30 years we did not experience our traditional jelly bean trail that the Easter Bunny would very cleverly construct each year from the foot our children’s bed to guide them to their hand woven Easter baskets I had made them, back in my basket weaving days. Many times we have been away from home on Easter, no matter where we were, Spain, Mexico, Vegas, the Easter Bunny always managed to make his way to the foot of our children’s bed.
As our third child, Lauren is about to graduate from college and beginning on this next path in life she opted to not come home for Easter this year, about to graduate with a degree in Architecture and Interior Design, has got her all consumed with wrapping things up these final few weeks. So we spent out weekend in Missoula knee deep in moving boxes helping our son Michael and family move into a new home.
The special treat was all four of our grandchildren where there, and we did have the traditional Easter egg hunt in the basement of their new home…so fun as these kids are getting older and wiser to “Candy”. Being good parents, for every one brightly colored plastic egg with Jelly Beans was one with coins or bite size crackers. So fun to watch these little hunters as they opened the coin egg or cracker egg…these would be tossed aside to find the true favorite Easter Eggs with the Jelly beans inside and ALL jelly beans would find their way to their little mouths, as Mom and Dad are reminding them, “Only one at a time!”
As I did some research on Jelly Beans I found out that as you Read this column on Saturday, April 22, it is ‘NATIONAL JELLY BEAN DAY’, I never knew this before, “Did you?”
A few years back we had an opportunity to have a “Behind the Scenes” Jelly Belly University tour that was part of auction package we had purchased for a trip to Napa Valley. The Jelly Belly Factory is located just out of Napa in Fairfax, and I strongly suggest stopping in for a visit. Besides the tour they have the Jelly Belly Candy Store, or dine at the Jelly Belly Café, or there is the Jelly Belly Chocolate Shoppe and fudge Counter, and you must sample your way to the Chocolate & Wine Experience, this is Wine Country. A very well ran customer Service orientated experience for the Adult or child.
The family that owns Jelly Belly have a place on Flathead Lake, and also very generously donated their home in Fairfax as well…a beautiful retreat with a pomegranate tree orchard, away from all the hustle and bustle of Napa traffic.
As our daughter is about to finish this first leg of her college experience, she will begins her Masters in Architecture in the Fall, we are planning a small party to celebrate in Bozeman on May 6. So I called my go to business for flowers that I have done business for years, and was sharing some of my ideas…and all I kept getting was resistance, “Well, we do not really have anything like that, or you that would probably cost you$___ for each one of those,” and so on. When I hung up the phone I felt depleted.
Since reading a book called “Mindset,” by Carol Dweck, basically the book is about you have either a ‘Growth’ mindset, or a ‘Fixed’ mindset. So now when I come into a conversation like the one above, I avoid it…so as I hung up the phone, I said to myself, “I will not be doing business with here again.” And then thought of a friend of our daughter who is starting up a floral business here in the Valley, called “Blumen Haus”. When I contacted her, she was all excited!!
And then as I was wanting to put together a “Fun” little dessert table and remembered a conversation I had with Ariel from Desota Grill at a catering event she was hosting, and she shared she also loves to do pastries. I called up Shawna the owner, and met with her, Ariel and Susie, they were all so pleasant to work with and immediately started share some ideas that will make this very special like a Lemon Lavender cake and so on…I know they will make it very special.
At Central we spend a lot of time working with our Team and the importance of being helpful, excited and respond with a sense of urgency to take care of your needs. As time has become a very precious commodity, when we arrive at your home, we are about finding the correct solution the first time.
Whether you are in Kalispell, Whitefish, Bigfork, Columbia Falls or anywhere else in the Flathead Valley. . .As always, your Comfort is our Central concern, call 756-6656, for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and drain cleaning needs.
Fun Jelly Bean Facts:
- There are 8 flavors in a standard Jelly Bean bag, Jelly Belly has 50 official flavors, and over 100 and counting
- To create the outer hard core, this process is called ‘panning’
- Panning is a process where the candy is placed in a big slightly oval rotating drums, Master Confectioners apply their true art by monitoring just the right amount ingredients to create just the right shell
- This process takes 7-14 days for every bean
- A Belly Flop is anything that comes out of the drum not in the shape of perfect Jelly Bean
- In the 1930’s the Jelly Bean became associated with Easter due to it’s shape of an egg.
- For President Reagan’s inauguration in 1981, 3 ½ tons of Jelly Belly Beans were brought in and a new flavor, Blueberry, was created
