Literally, yes, we have been taste testing. I thought it was only right to try out the chocolate caramel from Northwoods Gourmet Girl!! So it occurred to me, it would be good business practice to try each item we sell, just in case someone asks how it tastes.

My 15 year old grandson had been eyeing the Moose Bee trail mix since I picked one up to photograph. When I gave the go ahead, he was happy to let me know it tasted as good as it looked. Then I released Northwoods Gourmet’s Girl’s Sweet & Spicy Walnuts from the photography studio, and I did get a taste before they were whisked away by him. I think those walnuts would be incredible on ice cream with maple syrup, or on pancakes too. But we’ll have to open another jar to taste test that idea.

So back to the caramel, trust me, it is soooo good! I gave a jar to a friend and she told me since she’s on a diet, she would dip her veggies and fruit in it. I suggested she just eat it by the spoonful, I’m pretty sure that’s what she did.

Next, Tyler and I tried the Moose Bee granola. He thought I was weird, eating it in a bowl with milk, he ate his by the handful. Again, delicious, and a breakfast that fueled us for hours.

Another day, a visit from my sister, and we decided to try the Katahdin Cookie Works pancake mix. She’s an expert at pancake mixes, since she feeds about 1,000 people at her Maple Sunday breakfast each spring. We were both a little surprised it called for three cups of milk, but followed the recipe (not my usual style). The batter came out perfect, and the pancakes were tasty. The one pound bag made a dozen big pancakes, so make sure you have a crowd to feed with the two pound bag, or only use half. We haven’t tried the blueberry pancake mix yet, that’s next weekend.

The maple syrup that my sister makes, we’ve been using for years, Slattery’s from West Minot. We do not use anything else, and you may not either once you try it. She and her husband and friends make many, many gallons, so we won’t have to worry about running out of pure, grade A, Maine maple syrup.

Next to show up was my oldest son, Chad, who is a better cook than his mother. We tasted Northwoods Gourmet Girl’s cranberry relish, and decided it would be great with pork and poultry. We thought about it some more, and decided it would be good as an add in to plain yogurt too. As would the granola from Moose Bee Granola.

No question about the jams, great on toast or muffins. I put some of Moose Bee’s strawberry rhubarb on vanilla bean ice cream, winner! Moose Bee also has wild Maine blueberry, strawberry and raspberry. So far we only have Northwoods Gourmet Girl's Wildwoman jam, but will pick up others as we go along. When tasting the Wildwoman jam, we decided that it would also be a perfect addition to yogurt.

The last taste test of the week: I needed to cook something for the high school potluck sports banquet, so I grabbed Katahdin Cookie Work’s Blueberry Brunch Cake mix. The cake had a cinnamon topping and it made my kitchen smell so good! I didn’t get to taste it, but judging from the empty pan, I’d say it was a hit.

What’s next? Chad took home a jar of Northwoods Gourmet Girl’s Balsamic Onions, he’ll let me know what he did with those. The Blonde Caramel needs a taste. Pickled beets, gourmet ketchups, and granola bars will be worked into the menu next week. Just doing my job!