Sometimes we end up with an abundance of fruit that we don't know what to do with. Living in the Bay Area means that many of us have been fortunate enough to have this problem, whether it's leftover watermelon from a picnic that just isn't appealing anymore, overripe berries from an overzealous fruit picking adventure, or even a bucket of apricots graciously shared by your neighbor that all ripened at the same time. However you come to this dilemma, the greatest challenge is finding a simple and efficient way to make the most of this precious fruit before it goes bad.
A wonderful co-worker and mother of twins, Jeanine, shared that one of her favorite quick and easy ways to preserve extra fruit in the summertime is to turn it into frozen ice pops. If the fruit naturally has enough juice, such as watermelon, you can simply blend it and pour it directly into moulds (see below).
With fruits with less juice, such as apricots and berries, you can add a bit of fruit juice (which can also add some sweetness in case that's needed), or even yogurt to the blender to make the ice pops creamy. The ice pop pictured at the top of this card is actually a mix of foraged neighborhood blackberry preserve and yogurt.
Feel free to get creative! Any mixture of delicious ripe fruit, cream, yogurt, juice, etc. in frozen form will be a welcomed treat on a hot summer day.
Share your favorite ice pop combinations and tips in the comments below.
