Tuesday, April 12, 2016

J is for Jello Worms



Everybody hates me
Nobody likes me
I'm gonna eat some worrrrrrms

Soooo, I found this pin:

http://onelittleproject.com/
how-to-make-jello-worms/


Ewww, right?

Obviously, I couldn't resist trying it. And I'm going to say RIGHT NOW that the author said it would require some effort to make these, and she wasn't kidding.

Other than having to stop at Dollar General and pick up a couple of packages of bendable drinking straws, I even had all the ingredients, and that included the right sized jar for the project.

I put one package of raspberry jello in a large measuring cup, along with three packets of unflavored gelatin, added 3 cups of boiling water, stirred until the gelatin was dissolved, then put the whole thing in the refrigerator to bring the temperature down to lukewarm (hee hee - I just typed "lukeworm" instead of "lukewarm"...). 

While the gelatin mixture was lukewarming, I got to work on the straws. The recipe calls for 150 straws. 150. The writer of this post, however, said she only (ONLY!) used 125. I stretched straws and stretched straws and got 110 of them into the jar and called it good.

That's 110 straws. Trust me.

Once the gelatin mixture was at the correct temperature, I put green food coloring into 3/4 of a cup of whipping cream and stirred it into the gelatin, then s-l-o-w-l-y poured it into the straws.

The color is disgustingly perfect.


This is where the writer and I differed in our experiences. She said each straw need not be filled individually; rather, the mixture would self-level into all the straws once the jar was filled.

It did not. Some of the straws (the ones in the middle) were pretty full. Others around the edges only had a couple of inches of gelatin in them. Many of the straws had air pockets in them as well.


Also, after a few hours, the cream separated and rose to the top of the jar (as cream is wont to do). This little chemistry experiment was not reflected in the pictures with the recipe, so I'm at a loss as to how to prevent it in the future (if there IS a worm-making future for me). 

This was NOT addressed in the recipe.

We both let our mixtures sit in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then the FUN began.

The straws were hard to get ahold of, as the 110 straws stuffed in a jar with solidified gelatin stood firm. Like pulling a tooth, I wiggled one free, rinsed it for a few seconds under hot water per the instructions, and then squeezed the straw at the top and slid my fingers down the length of it, squirting the worm out the end. Yes, it was just as appetizing as it sounds.

Worm-filled straws


First worm squirting out of the straw.

Repeat 109 more times.

Oh, and some of the straws sprung a leak in the bendy part, causing worm entrails to squiggle out. That was delightful.

Disgustingly realistic

45 minutes (yes, you read that correctly, 45 MINUTES) of rinsing, squeezing and squirting, and I had a bowlful of worms.

A little bitty bowlful of worms.

But I'm not going to lie; in spite of the time it took, and the mess I made, they were AWESOME.

Mmmmm....


I feel like a robin, if robins had fingers
and fed themselves worms.

Overall, a Pinterest win.


21 comments:

  1. OHHHHHHH so the bendy squiggles in the straws were the little crinkles on the worms. I geddit.

    Also GROSS!!

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  2. Interesting recipe but I'm not sure exactly what occasion would call for gelatin worms. Maybe a Halloween party? They do look realistic and I bet they were tasty. Congrats on your Pinterest win!

    @WeekendsInMaine
    Weekends In Maine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I do not know what occasion I will have that might need worms, but I'm prepared.

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  3. I bet your PreSchoolers would have a blast making these.

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    Replies
    1. They were REALLY hard to get out of the straws. I don't know if they could do it. The timing of this was off, so I couldn't give them to my kids to taste before the post was due. Wahhhh!!!

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  4. Wow, that was a lot of work; not sure I would have stuck with it, but admire your persistence in doing so :)

    enjoy the rest of the challenge!

    betty
    http://viewsfrombenches.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! I wish I had used fatter straws. I think it would have been easier.

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  5. You are crazy! I say that with affection. So adventurous you are. I love it!

    That really looked like a bowl full of worms...but that sure was a lot of work for all that! But it looked really cool!

    Michele at Angels Bark

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    Replies
    1. It looks disgustingly cool, doesn't it? And they tasted okay, too.

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  6. they look convincing that's for sure. Great effort on your part.
    Im blogging from Fill the cracks and Moondustwriter's Blog. Happy A to Zing!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! The ribbed part of the bendy straws are what make them so realistic. Ick

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  7. Those look disgusting and very real. If I was five, they would be my friends. I bet your school kids will love em! How did they taste?!

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    Replies
    1. You've got to make some! Take them to a game night. My kids want to make them, but I don't know if I'm ready to birth worms from straws again so soon. And they tasted like jello!

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  8. That picture ... strangely turns me on...(just kidding)
    xox jean

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  9. wow they look g̶r̶o̶s̶s̶ i mean so real; I think i saw a few of them squirm lololol :)

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    Replies
    1. If you jiggle the bowl, they look like they're squirming. You should make them for your kids!

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