May 27: National Grape Popsicle Day

Ah, summertime.  Hot weather that makes you just not want to move.  Or cook.  Or even go through the effort of calling for food to be delivered.  Times like the hot weather we're having now (and it will only get hotter) are perfect for popsicles.

Now, you can always just buy popsicles.  (OtterPops will always have a special place in my heart, as will any flavor or brand of popsicle that comes in the little plastic tubes you break in half.)  However, making your own is totally easy.  It can also be very cheap, depening on what you put in your popsicle. 

Ideally, you'd have a popsicle mold.  (If not, you can always use hard-sided, freezer-safe food containers and popsicle sticks.)  All you have to do then is pour in some of your favorite juice or fruit puree and freeze until solid.  There are also some super-fancy popsicle makers that will make popsicles in minutes, but they also have a huge price tag, so I'll stick to my $2 popsicle molds.

Since today is National Grape Popsicle Day, I bought some Trader Joe's White Grape Juice to make grape popsicles.  I like both white and purple grape juice, but the white grape juice was $1 cheaper for the same amount, so I went with it.  I mixed 1.5 cups of grape juice with 0.5 cups of water, because I always feel grape juice is a little on the sweet side.  I poured the grape juice/water mixture into the molds and drank what was left over.  The popsicles have been in the freezer for a few hours now and I just had one.  I'll enjoy them one by one over the next day or two and when they're all gone, I'll clean out the popsicle mold and pour in the next flavor.

If you want to try making your own, you can also try adding grapes cut in half or mashing a few grapes into a mush at the bottom of each mold.  Pour grape juice on top, freeze the mold for a few hours, and enjoy your popsicles with real fruit.