Photo credit: Bethany Joy S.
There’s nothing quite like the taste of a fresh, naturally sweet cherry right off the tree – so why not turn them into a frozen cherry treat for the super hot summer days to come?!! To me, cherries bring back all the best memories of summer into one bite.
Fresh-from-the-freezer treats are the name of the game this summer. This cherry popsicle will keep your sweet tooth at bay (without the processed sugar) and cool you down the entire season. Your family can stay on the healthy side without skimping on flavor.
So you don’t have sweet cherry trees? The next best thing I know is to find a reliable organic source like Azure Standard.
Bethany Joy Stelzer of Azure Standard writes:
“Cherry harvest is just the beginning of our harvests in our family orchard. My husband and his brother planted our 40 acre orchard when they were just teenagers. It is so rewarding to walk through the rows and rows of beautiful fruit trees and reap the fruit of their labors. We grow a lot more than just cherries.
Plums, apricots, peaches, nectarines, apples, and pears all fill our orchard. Not only is it a family orchard, it is raised organically. We want our food to nourish us and the people we share it with. As I walk through the cherry tree rows on a warm summer evening, my heart is filled with gratitude for this place. The children run through the orchard with cherry stained cheeks and fingers and I know we are blessed to call it home.
This popsicle recipe is one that has stained many a shirt and been present at many a family gathering. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!”
Azure Standard, in Oregon, sends healthy food and products to individuals, buying clubs, stores, restaurants, and manufacturers in all the States except the far Northeast.
These raw cherries, with 7 impressive health benefits, can simply be popped into your mouth as a healthy snack or used in fruit salads, jello, or pies. And are you itching to make your cherry jam?
Here’s your chance to make summertime cooler with these delicious Bing sweet red cherries. (Or make them with peaches or nectarines).
Cheery Cherry Popsicle Recipe:
Ingredients to make 6-8 popsicles
- just over 1 pound or 4 cups fresh pitted cherries (Azure Standard also has great prices on organic frozen cherries for when summer is over!)
- 2 TBSP honey (preferably raw honey for healthy enzymes and micronutrients)
- juice of 1 lemon
- optional: add a splash of coconut water or coconut milk and/or a pinch of sea salt to the recipe for the electrolytes
Note on sweetening:
- If you desire a sweeter pop with “no additional sugar”, add approximately half of a 1/32 tsp (or equivalent) of your favorite stevia and work up from there.
- I use these tiny measuring spoons when working with very small amounts. Tad = 1/4 tsp, dash = 1/8 tsp, pinch = 1/16 tsp, smidgen = 1/32 tsp, drop = 1/64 of a tsp.
- Or add your favorite sugar-substitute to taste. I am learning how to use monk fruit right now.
Directions
- Put all ingredients in a vitamix and blend until smooth.
- Put in molds and freeze overnight.
- Enjoy!
Azure Standard, in Oregon, sends healthy food and products to individuals, buying clubs, stores, restaurants, and manufacturers in all the States except the far Northeast.
See Azure Standard‘s wide array of products:
- food items and produce
- health and beauty
- household and family
- nutritional supplements
- outdoor and garden
Dried Cherries – Directions To Dehydrate
- Lay them in a single layer in a food dehydrator or on a cookie sheet.
- If you are using an oven, place the cookie sheet with cherries in the oven at 135 for 6 hours.
- If you are using a food dehydrator, the same setting and the same amount of time (or slightly less) will work.
- The cherries are done when they look like large raisins.
They’ll be tart and sweet and perfect for a no-sugar-added snack. They would also be great to add to a trail mix or a homemade granola.
Photo credit: Bethany Joy S.
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