All That Good From Aloe Vera
Late this past summer I endured a really bad burn on the top of my foot due to an accident with a springform pan and boiling water while baking a blueberry cheesecake that was to be the middle layer of a lemon blueberry cake. That’s all you need to know:) ! Trust me… it was not pretty!
As part of my healing process, I used fresh aloe vera gel from my aloe vera plant. My niece also recently had a burn on her hand and I gave her an aloe vera plant to use for it and it worked wonderfully for her. I also had gotten myself one when I got hers (thankfully) and so it came in handy. I used it A LOT .. As you can see. It has a new sprout coming out so it may make it!
Curious about the plant, I did some research and found articles boasting the great health benefits of it and others saying not so fast, but regardless I wanted to try it. I’ve seen it in the grocery store in the produce section and kind of thought about it, but never bought it to eat. I also had seen it on the shelf as a drink, but again… never did it. BUT NOW with my piqued curiosity, I purchased a bottle of aloe vera drink and tried it for this week’s Taste of the Week.
Reading the ingredients closer when I got home I realized it was only 15% juice and had added grape flavor. On a subsequent trip to the grocery store I noticed there are also other “flavors” available. I really have no idea what unflavored aloe vera juice tastes like and had no idea what this drink I bought would taste like either. So it came time to try it… it smelled like grape juice… my son who tasted it first said it tasted like jelly that is on a peanut and butter jelly sandwich. Grape jelly. My other son noticing it was 22 % sugar, tried it and thought it was really good. I found it to taste and smell like a grape Jolly Rancher or grape jelly, but clear with aloe vera chunks in it, which was kind of weird. It was pretty sweet. So with this being “flavored” I still don’t know what aloe vera juice tastes like and would still like to try it without all the sugar and flavor. SO… stay tuned for that!