Easter Baskets Must Have Jelly Beans

Decorated eggs are part of the Easter tradition, along with baskets, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans. Grass, eggs, flowers—signs of the new season, spring.

And the favorite candy at Easter? In most states, it's Reese’s peanut butter eggs.

But there’s another familiar appearance with 16 billion sold every Easter.

Jelly beans.

Now, I’d never heard of jelly babies until Doctor Who, or jelly bellies until I was grown, so jelly beans had expected, traditional flavors in our Easter baskets—cherry, lemon, lime, grape, pineapple (white), raspberry (pink), orange, and the dreaded licorice, which I gave to Mom who actually liked the anise flavor.

Even learning that the two oldest candies on our planet are ginger and licorice (which was eaten by pharaohs) never changed my mind.

If every jelly bean sold at Easter was lined up, they’d encircle Earth almost three times.

That’s a lot of jelly beans.

Ours came in Easter baskets, hiding in the bright grass, so that a few were the last to find before returning baskets for the next year.

Easter is second only to Halloween for a candy-consumption holiday. Chocolate bunnies—90 million. Marshmallow Peeps—700 million.

In 1861 Boston, William Schrafft suggested sending jelly beans to soldiers in the Union Army, and by the 1930’s the candy joined the Easter Parade. They take one to two weeks to produce by panning, a process that creates the outer shell and gummy interior.

This was first done in 17th century France to make Jordan Almonds for royalty, where almonds were shaken in a pan of sugar and syrup until coated. Castle servants have been replaced by rotating drums, but confectioners still oversee the process for the perfect jelly bean shell.

Jelly beans became a favorite penny candy in general stores, sold by weight, carried home in paper bags.

Sugar, corn syrup, pectin or starch, with a variety of other ingredients for flavor and texture make up the tiny candy.

We didn’t care how they were made, or what went into the recipe. We all had our favorite colors and flavors. I ate purple, pink, and white first, red, orange, and yellow next, and green last. Black? Never.

Easter baskets, a tradition from the 14th century (for carrying Easter dinner to church for blessings), are not complete without jelly beans hiding in the grass.

Of course, Easter is far greater than baskets, bunnies, candy, and jelly beans, and the true celebration is more momentous, so have a glorious, blessed, and happy Easter.

And by the way, in case you missed these holidays, national jelly beans days are April 22nd and July 24th.