Most of the Little Journey Organics baby food pouches have been up the either love it or hate it variety. And for the most part I’ve been in the former category. Here we have one of the rare ones that might just go straight down the middle…even after downing half a pouch, I’m really not sure what to think of it.

Like the descriptive title alludes to, this one features a wide variety of different fruits, in the form of purees: pear puree, strawberry puree, blueberry puree, raspberry puree, lemon juice concentrate and ground flaxseed. Keep in mind each of these ingredients are also organic. (The only non-organic ingredient, which is consistent across the entire line, is added vitamin C.)

Initial thoughts: There’s a very gritty texture which I’m assuming is from the flax seed. It’s really kind of not good. Is it really necessary to even include it at all? I mean, I know it supposedly has health benefits, like added potassium, but we’re talking about young kids here: Do they really need those vitamins at such a young age? And if they do, the flax only contributes a total of 3% potassium per entire 4 oz. pouch. That doesn’t really seem necessary to me, especially if it’s going to contribute to such an “off” texture.

But texture is only part of the equation; the smallest part, as it turns out. Can the flavor help offset that? 

I must confess that I didn’t have high hopes given the inclusion of pear and beet puree. I can handle pears once in a while, if I’m in the mood, but they aren’t the most flavorful fruit out there. Meanwhile, beets…well I can remember trying them once at a buffet when I was six or seven years old, and that told me all I needed to know. I love virtually all vegetables, but beets are that rare exception. I like my vegetables to taste like vegetables, and not the dirt they’re grown in.

It’s surprisingly…palatable. Like a lot of offerings in the Little Journey Organics line, it hits the sweet spot moreso than the savory side, so the beet takes a backseat to everything else. It also helps to have not one, not two, but three different types of berries helping to counterattack the weird vegetable.

You know how you get that pleasant feeling in your tastebuds when something hits them the right way? Like, when something is the perfect combination of sweet, or savory, that it sends a feeling of satisfaction throughout your entire body? This comes close to hitting that, but falls just a tad bit short. If there was just a little extra touch of something – either sugary or even tart – that would probably be enough to push this over the edge into something I could strongly recommend. Instead, it’s something that I would recommend with slight caution.

I mentioned in a previous review that these pouches have gone up ten cents since the last time I purchased them: from $.79 to $.89. That price still falls in line with the price of other brands’ non-organic offerings, making it an excellent value. It’s rare that I come across an organic product that I don’t mind paying for, but virtually everything in this line qualifies.

Overall: 6/10. It doesn’t quite hit the tastebuds the way I was hoping for, but this is still better than it sounds like it should be. Even though the beet can be tasted, it rightfully takes a backseat to everything else, resulting in a (thankfully) sweet combination that’s easily digestible. The flaxseed does contribute a weird, unnecessary texture, and the whole thing tastes somewhat diluted, like it’s holding greatness back. But the $.89 price tag and organic status certainly help to offset that. If you’re as curious as I was, grab it. And if you’re as nervous as I was, grab it. It’s yet another above-average entry in the Little Journey Organics line, and one that should pleasantly surprise more than it disappoints.