Have I told y’all about my garden? It is doing pretty well if I do say so myself it is doing pretty well this year. Much better than last year at least. So far my biggest battle was an early heat spell. My garden didn’t care for the 100 degree temps, even the hot peppers. My pepper plants were always the first plants to wilt. I think the only thing that went unfazed by the high temps were my watermelon’s. Heck, my watermelons have pretty much taken over the front half of my garden. They are looking beautiful and we have about 10 watermelons growing at the moment and they are getting big!
With 10 watermelon’s coming I am left wondering, what we are going to do with all of that watermelon? There is always Watermelon Sorbet and Watermelon Margaritas, but i’ve wondered what else I could make. That is when I remembered a recipe I made last summer that my kiddos loved, Watermelon Strawberry Popsicles.
I made them again with a watermelon I picked up at the store and they were still winners among my kids. Even my strawberry hating oldest son wanted more. Just don’t tell him they have strawberries in them…shhhh! He loves strawberry flavor but is adamantly against the sight of real strawberries, go figure!
Want another plus with these popsicles? You know exactly what is in them and you can pronounce everything! These have 4 super simple ingredients, watermelon, strawberries lemon juice and sugar. Yes, it is easy to buy real fruit juice pops at the grocery store but they have added ingredients you don’t need like, carob bean gum, guar gum, citric acid, artificial or natural colorings and flavorings and ascorbic acid. I really don’t get the added coloring because I know my pops turned out a beautiful color without any extra help. I guess that can go in the pile of things that make you go hmmm.
My melons need to get growing because I can’t wait to make these popsicles again with the melons from my garden! I can only imagine how much better they will taste. They will make this perfect summertime treat even better.
How will you be eating watermelon this summer?
- 2½ cups cubed seeded watermelon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup white sugar
- ½ cup fresh strawberries
- Place the watermelon, lemon juice, sugar, and strawberries into a blender or food processor, and blend on High speed until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds, and insert sticks or handles. Freeze until firm, several hours or overnight.
Adapted from Allrecipes.com
