Stumped by what to do tomorrow morning? 

Fear not, my friends!

Just tune in to Rachael Ray’s Daytime Talk Show for her fun-filled, 500th episode. Swell celebrity guests like Barbara Walters, Matthew McConaughey, David Letterman, and Harry Connick, Jr. will be dropping by to help celebrate the occasion. And doncha know? GLEE GUM will be there too! Glee Gum is proud to be a part of the show’s 500 snack giveaway. For a chance to win it, you gotta watch the episode air this Wednesday, April 1. Click here to find showtimes in your area. Hooray for Rachael Ray!

But wait, I’ve got more news-worthy items for you to hear about! (And lots more folks to cheer about!)

Kudos to blogger Ashley at Daily Goods for the great write-up, “Gleeful Giveaway!” ! On her neat site, one lucky reader can even win a Make Your Own Gummies Kit!

plus…

Belated thanks to Leslie at Recycle Your Day for the shot of Glee in action at the Go Green Expo! What a fun show that was.

AND…

Applause is due to the creative folks over at YouTube (tee hee!) for a video that really tickled our funny bones: “Glee Gum.” Where do you guys come up with this stuff? *sigh*

and ANOTHER…

Thanks to blogger Jane4Girls for the Glee Gum Review and Giveaway! For a chance to win coupons, enter her contest before Friday April 3 at noon CST.

not to mention…

Yay for the inaugural issue of the new Glee Gum Newsletter! Check it out right here for all sorts of fun and excitement, including but not limited to: a sneak peek at a new product, a feature on maple syrup, several exclusive specials, and even a Glee Photography Contest!

To sign up to receive the next issue, click here. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to friend me, the Glee Guy, on myspace and Facebook!

Until next time, gum chums!

News of Glee as Far as the Eye Can See!

Hiya, gum chums!

Earlier this week, we introduced you to a certain athlete/ Glee Gum enthusiast in the post Go, Mike Stemple, Go!

In just two days, adventure runner Mike Stemple will embark on the Atacama Crossing, a 155-mile footrace across a desert in Chile. But he took a few minutes from his hectic pre-race schedule to answer some of our burning questions about his sport of choice. Check it out!

Q: How did you get started in adventure running?

A: Last summer (2008) I became very sick and my doctors thought I may have MS. While we are still unsure whether I have it or not, it forced me to examine my life a little more closely. During the time I was sick, I read an article in which the author posed the question, “What would you do if you where not afraid?” For me this was a major, life-changing moment. I realized that I was very afraid of many things and these fears had caused me to live a “safe” life. I vowed then and there to never live with fear again and decided to put my body, mind, and spirit through the hardest ordeals I could find so that others could see that a life without fear is possible. Hence I chose the hardest series of running races possible.

Ah, spring! Here at last. That glorious season in which birds chirp, trees bud, and nearly all New Year’s resolutions (like, say, exercise more) are officially, cheerfully forgotten. 

Unless, of course, you’re Mike Stemple. This Glee Gum-chewer will be celebrating spring with a 155-mile footrace across a desert.

That’s right, gum chews. 155 MILES! Across a DESERT! 

In addition to being an artist, technologist, inventor, entrepreneur, and enthusiastic Glee Gum fan, Mike Stemple is an adventure runner. This Sunday, March 29 he begins the Atacama Crossing, a seven-day race across the Atacama Desert in Chile. 

The Atacama Crossing is considered one of the top endurance competitions in the world and takes place on some of its toughest terrain. For starters, the Atacama Desert is 50 times more arid than California’s Death Valley. Temperatures can exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, then dip dramatically in the evening. Though provided with water and a communal tent for sleeping, competitors like Mike must carry all their own equipment and food. In his case, that includes 3 packs of Glee Gum!

Mike Stemple, raring to go in his race gear!

We first became acquainted with Mike a few months ago, when he emailed us to share a story about Glee Gum and dentistry. One of his molars had broken while biting into trail mix (there was a pebble in it!) When his dentist couldn’t see him right away, he tried to reduce the discomfort with dental wax– but to no avail. Then he thought of Glee Gum! He chewed it up, pulled off a chunk, and molded it into his broken tooth.

Mike claims his quick fix worked like a charm, stayed in for two full days, and even impressed his dentist! “Regular gum does not work, only Glee Gum,” he adds. Since then, Mike buys Glee Gum for both chewing and first aid kits! 

To learn more about Mike, check out his website at IAmNotAfraid.com. You can also see an interactive picture of his race pack here, track his progress once the race starts here, and follow general race news here. 

Stay tuned later this week for an exclusive Q & A with Mike about adventure running. Maybe he’ll inspire you to give it a go!

Port Discovery Children’s Museum is a magical place in Baltimore, MD. Both the young and the young-at-heart always have a ball there!

Of course, as the humble mascot of Glee Gum, I’m also tickled pink to learn that folks at Port Discovery have fun making their own chewing gum! 

A lovely lady named Lauren Bishop, Visual Arts Specialist in the Education & Community Enrichment department, has been kind enough to share information and pictures from one of the museum’s recent gum-making activities.

Just this past fall, Port Discovery used gum base purchased by the pound from Verve, inc., makers of Glee Gum. It was part of the ”How to Wow” program, which Lauren says “focuses on exactly that, how something is made and where it is from. Guests then make a sample of their own!”

In this case, the something was gum. Yum!

“We had used the activity before in a community event. It was so popular that we chose the bring it back as a full-blown program!” Lauren recalls. “The program took place in our Studio Workshop, or art studio. For three months, guests from two to a hundred and two shared in a guided lesson from a program associate. Each guest participated in making gum of their own following the instruction.”

Okay, gum chums, I know what you’re thinking. But don’t worry! The process didn’t take three months. That’s just how long the programming was presented!

As Lauren explains, “A Program Associate led groups of thirty guests for thirty-minute sessions. A book was read about the how chicle is collected, where it is found, who collects it, how it becomes the gum we know today, and so on. Following a question-and-answer session, guests were guided through the steps to make their own gum!”

Remember, sharing is caring!

Sounds great! But since gum can create a sticky situation, I had to ask: any problems??

“It was a pretty messy program, but the kiddos loved it!” Lauren reports. “As with any food product, one has to be careful of allergies or certain diets. One obstacle we faced was serving our guests with Kosher diets. We took every step to provide Kosher gelatin and sugar products, however were not able to obtain Kosher certification for the chicle. We made guests aware of our efforts and they were very understanding.”

And the results?

Well, Lauren says that main question program participants asked afterwards was where to get more!

Looks fun, huh?

If YOU are interested in making your own gum, check out our handy dandy Gum Kit! If you prefer to supply the other ingredients yourself – and maybe even try an experiment or two (Science Fair Project, anyone?) – you might like the super duper Refill Kit, which contains just the chicle gum base. OR, if you’re keen to follow Port Discovery’s example and buy gum base by the pound, just shoot an email over to info@gleegum.com! 

Thanks to Lauren and the entire staff of Port Discovery Children’s Museum. You guys are the cat’s pajamas!

Hiya, gum chums!

Did you know that I’m just wild about non-timber forest products? It’s true.

What the heck are non-timber forest products, you say? I thought you’d never ask!

When you think about forests, you think of trees, right? Furniture, lumber, etc. But there are lots of non-timber forest products (or NTFPs for short) that don’t depend on cutting down the trees for people to make a living.  Harvesting berries, mushrooms, and other plants provides a means of long-term income for folks. On the other hand, chopping down the trees can destroy eco-systems and, ultimately, communities.

So NTFPs are loosely defined as all non-timber forest vegetation with the potential for commercial value. NTFPs can help to preserve fragile eco-systems, restore biodiversity in damaged forests, and foster greater economic stability in neighboring communities. Pretty swell stuff!

My beloved Glee Gum is made with a NTFP from the rainforest region of Mexico: chicle! Other nifty NTFPs can be found closer to home. Presenting (drum roll, please)… marvelous, magnificent maple syrup!

Nothing tastes sweeter than maple syrup poured on pancakes or drizzled over French toast. And while you probably know that maple syrup comes from the sap of the maple tree, the actual process from tree to table is pretty neat!

Over a six week period between March and April, seasonal shifts in temperature alternately freeze and thaw the maple tree, causing its sap to flow. Once flowing, the sap can be harvested. The process of making maple syrup is known as “sugaring” with maple producers called “sugarmakers” and a grove of tapped trees referred to as a “sugarbush.” Sounds Willy-Wonka-wonderful, doesn’t it?

It takes forty years for a maple tree to grow large enough to tap for sap. To collect the sap, a small hole is drilled into the trunk of the tree. (Fear not, tree huggers! Careful guidelines are followed so the tree is not harmed.) It takes approximately forty gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. That’s a lot of sap!

Vermont is the largest producer of maple syrup in the U.S., with an estimated two thousand sugarmakers in the state producing a third of the country’s crop — about four hundred and sixty thousand gallons of maple syrup! Vermont maple syrup is produced by boiling the water off the sap to achieve a density of 66.7% sugar. The resultant syrup is essentially organic, with a natural sweetness that needs nothing added!

Sap from the maple tree is used in more than syrup. It can also be made into granulated maple sugar, maple cream, maple fudge, maple sugar cakes, and hard maple sugar. Now that’s one seriously sweet NTFP! Agree?  

For a special promotional offer from a super syrup vendor called Pieces of Vermont, you gotta check out the new Glee Newsletter! The bi-monthly bulletin debuts this month, so you can get the latest scoop on upcoming events, take a sneak peek at forthcoming products, find exclusive discounts on all things Glee, and even enter a unique contest to test your green artistry!  Sign up today!

And if you’re interested in learning more about NTFPs in general, click here. 

See ya later, chums!