Stretch Island Fruit Leather

Key West divided over widening channel for cruise ships

KEY WEST — The Southernmost City’s main tourist drag of Duval Street was downright peaceful on a recent morning. Then suddenly, the shops, restaurants, bars, historic attractions and water adventures were buzzing with activity.

Bombarding the tiny island around 10:30 a.m. were the Terrazzino clan from Buffalo and Boston, empty nesters from Michigan, teenagers from Argentina and a newly engaged Atlanta couple in search of diamonds — all passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas. By happy hour, the 2,000-plus cruisers were gone.

Cruise ships have been controversial in Key West since the first one, called Sunward, arrived in 1969. Supporters say they are a vital economic engine. Opponents say they harm the environment and degrade quality of life of residents, overnight guests and snowbirds.

Now, the City Commission has a big decision to make about the floating hotels’ future in Key West. Should the city pursue widening the main 34-foot deep shipping channel into Key West Harbor — which runs through the federally protected Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary — to accommodate the cruise industry’s transition to bigger ships?

“Anytime you mess with the reef and ocean, you’ve got problems,” Key West Director of Port Operations Jim Fitton said. “But you have to weigh that against the economic viability of Key West. Somebody way above me will decide if it’s more important to take a little, itty bitty piece of land to keep the city alive.”

A recent $100,000 reconnaissance study completed by the Army Corps of Engineers concluded that a “significant federal interest in national water policy and economic development exists for navigation improvements to the Key West Harbor.” The study put the widening price tag at about $36 million.

The improvements call for widening Cut B, a 1.13-mile stretch of the five-mile shipping channel to 450 feet, from its current 300. Under ideal weather conditions, the longer ships of more than 1,000 feet could travel the channel as is. But because of strong winds and currents, captains often must angle their ships along that portion of the channel, requiring a wider opening.

Mike Ronan, Royal Caribbean’s vice president of government affairs in the Caribbean, said in an email to Fitton: “With the opening [in 2014] of the newer, larger locks in the Panama Canal, our ship designs for the foreseeable future will be of a size that will not be able to call Key West if the channel is not modified.

Stretch Island Original Fruit Leather, Orchard Cherry, 0.5-Ounce ...

I discovered Stretch Island Fruit Leather in the grocery store while looking for an alternative to artificially flavored fruit rolls and was pleasantly surprised. They were sold individually, so I purchased one of each flavor available (strawberry, cherry, and raspberry) to sample. Raspberry and cherry turned out to be my two favorites.

The strips are thick (think a thin strip of beef jerky) and if they’ve been sitting out in high temps, a thin sticky film will develop on them–I learned that the hard way–but if kept in the fridge or cool location, this can be avoided. There is some texture to the strips; I like to suck on them rather than bite and chew because it feels like a little tongue massage, but they are chewy. As for the flavor, it’s tangy with a hint of sweetness.

It reminds me of the fruit strips I used to make in my dehydrator, except with a bit more thickness and moisture. Basically, if you’re searching for something ultra sweet or don’t have a fondness for tangy/sour flavors, then this fruit leather may not be for you.

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