Improv in the Kitchen: Summer Popsicles from Litehouse Foods

A couple of months ago, a wonderful representative from Litehouse Foods contacted me about some luscious-looking fruit and herb popsicles and offering me a sample of their products. In the heat of summer, popsicles sounded perfect!

I received this beautiful package (samples?!?!) with nine super-useful freeze-dried herbs. There was one problem: they arrived in the midst of three of the busiest weeks I had all summer!

Finally, this past weekend, I made a list of the few ingredients I needed to try a couple of the pops. At my first grocery stop…completely forgot about the list. Luckily, there was another grocery store in my travels that day, so I stopped there, list in hand. I’m not sure if I wasn’t looking in the right place, but I couldn’t find mango or pineapple juice (I would think it would be in the aisle labeled “juice”?).

That’s when you improvise: I found mango-pineapple juice blend!

To try the pops, I halved the recipe Litehouse Foods provided and created Mango-Pineapple-Strawberry Lemon Pops (this made two 3-oz. popsicles):

• 1/6 cup water
• 1 teaspoon Litehouse Instantly Fresh Lemon Grass
• 3/4 Tablespoon blue agave nectar
• 1 cup mango-pineapple juice blend (Ocean Spray Wave)
• A few strawberry chunks

Mix water and lemon grass in a small saucepan; add agave nectar and simmer. Let the mixture reduce for 2-3 minutes, then set aside until it returns to room temperature.

Pour mango-pineapple juice into a cup with a pour spout, then add syrup mixture and stir. Pour juice mixture into popsicle molds, leaving approximately 1/2-inch of space at top. Add fruit, then insert popsicle sticks or lids. Freeze for two to four hours or until frozen.

all photos: paulathompsonfreelance.com

Litehouse Food Instantly Fresh Herbs are unique – they’re freeze-dried, and you can use them just as you would fresh herbs. Among the samples I received: Lemon Grass, Ginger, Basil, Chives and Thyme. The only problem with them that I’ve come across so far: I haven’t been able to find them in any Amherst stores! The website does have a list of stores where you can find them in other states, and they are available on Amazon.com.

I found a few other recipes I’m eager to try on their website – look for those soon, now that my crazy summer is winding down!

Thank you Litehouse Foods for the recipes and the sample products – this recipe was inspired by a Litehouse Foods recipe.