Nice ice, baby
Summer’s here, says Susan Jane Murray, and so are strawberries, a delicious ingredient for healthy popsicles
Nothing signals the arrival of an Irish summer more than spotting your first car boot full of Wexford strawberries for sale at the roadside.
And with it, the delusion of sun-drenched afternoons on Brittas Bay. Irish summers are indeed drenched, but not habitually by the sun. You'll find a mouthful of super-juicy strawberries can make the poverty of an Irish summer suddenly tolerable. This scarlet berry has the ability to mend our moods and marinate our senses.
Strawberries radiate all by themselves. One of nature's favourite aphrodisiacs, we are at their mercy, and not vice versa. Similar to peaches, strawberries deliver a fair whack of vitamin B3, responsible for improving cardio health and, erm, circulation.
One for the men. Their antioxidant action is fond of all things dermal and duodenal. Ladies will love their vitamin C arsenal, keeping skin sexy and smooth, while delaying signs of ageing.
Tone, texture and elasticity crucially depend on our intake of vitamin C, and not on expensive creams and products, I'm afraid. Good news for Wexford!
STRAWBERRY POPS
Getting kids to eat healthily can sometimes feel like climbing a glass wall. You need to be a superhero to succeed. But a nutritionally balanced child is a luminous, happy child. Here's a helping hand from the mighty Greeks. Records show that Olympians, philosophers and Titans all merrily slurped away on their five-a-day while plotting their next remarkable feat.
Who knows what complex machinations your little darlings could be exploring while sucking on their next salubrious ice pop.
Watermelon is so darn tasty but torture to hike home, so I've made it optional in the recipe. It will work equally as well without. Ditto the banana, although it makes the popsicle creamier and boosts its nutritive content. Given the current baby boom, this recipe will benefit expecting mamas too. Bananas host a wealth of vitamin B6 and potassium, helping to stave off nausea and morning sickness.
A delightful antidote! For the liquid you can either use apple juice or try coconut water, which gives the ice pops isotonic properties for any sports nut out there. Find cartons of coconut water in health food stores, or look out for whole green coconuts in some of the larger supermarkets. With up to 10 times the potassium of a banana, this drink is fast becoming the best hydrant on the market. In fact, green coconut water can boast more electrolytes than many leading sports drinks, minus the bucketload of sugar and flavourings.
Electrolytes are critical for muscle and neuron activation, as well as proper hydration and mineral balance. In other words, the perfect hangover cocktail. Makes 10.
You will need:
2 apples, or 1 cup (250ml) fresh apple juice or coconut water
1 punnet strawberries
1 cup chopped watermelon (optional)
½ banana, mashed (optional)
Good squeeze lemon or lime
Juice your apples, if you are using them. Take the apple juice or coconut water and blend it with the remainder of the ingredients using any kind of high-powered whizzy thing. A soup gun is perfect. Taste, and decide if it needs another blitz to make it silky smooth, or more lemon for a sharper twang. It's really up to you. Pour your melon-berry mix into lolly moulds, and store in your deep-freeze for at least four hours. Sing a song to pass the time, which can be excruciating if you're excessively greedy like me. Mmm.
Summer on a stick.
www.susanjanemurray.com
