Summer Melon

Cantaloupe responds well to hot summer heat and is currently in high season across much of the US. Generally, this time of year we keep cantaloupe freshly cut and cubed in a container in the fridge. Cantaloupe is one of those fruits that is always found in the prepared foods case in the produce department — but it’s so often dull and pretty boring. However, in the heat of mid-August ripe cantaloupe is luscious with tangy juices. If we’re not eating it fresh, I will pop it into the blender to make a smoothie. I’ll often add yogurt, maybe a bit of mint and a handful of blueberries or so. The other day as I was making our breakfast smoothie it occurred to me that it would make a fantastic popsicle.

Grassfed Cow’s Milk Yogurt

We’ve been experimenting with the variety of different yogurts. Our go-to is Greek 2% or Icelandic 0%, but I also wanted to try some of the local, grassfed yogurts, as well. One regional yogurt was buttery and flavorful, but more like a sippable drink. I’ve found the Stonyfield Grassfed plain yogurt to be rich, thick, and full of flavor. I combined the cantaloupe puree with the zest of an orange to bring out the familiar creamsicle flavor then added a cup of yogurt, a bit of honey, scraped vanilla bean, and a pinch of salt.

Popsicles and Pop

I’ve got a stash of popsicle molds for summer, but you could always simply use ice cube trays with toothpicks. We’ve been drinking a great deal of mocktails (non-alcoholic specialty beverages) so I also wanted to try the cubes as a base for a sparkling Italian cream soda.

Pure Puree

Simply puree the fruit, pour it in the molds, and pop the mixture into the freezer until they are frozen. Homemade pureed fruit mixtures are so much better — and way cheaper — than buying pre-made frozen pops filled with sugar and artificial colors and sweeteners. If you don’t have any molds you can generally find them at a dollar store. Better yet — in  a few weeks they will all be marked down for the end of summer sale. You can stock up for next year!

Cantaloupe Creamsicle Italian Soda

The Cantaloupe Creamsicle with sparkling Italian soda is bright and refreshing with just a hint of sweetness. One caveat — when the cubes start to melt the yogurt looks a bit funny, so give the soda a stir. Once it’s stirred together, you’re good to go. So head on out to your “bella veranda” and buon appetito, y’all.

Bon Appetit, Y’all!

Virginia Willis

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Cantaloupe Creamsicle

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, Snack, treat

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: 8

Calories:

Author: Virginia Willis

Ingredients

• 1 cantaloupe peeled and cubed
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 cup grassfed yogurt
• 1/2 vanilla bean seeds scraped
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• 1 orange zested

Instructions

• Place cantaloupe cubes, honey, yogurt, vanilla, salt, and orange zest in the jar of a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into molds or ice trays. Freeze until firm. Serve ice cold. Enjoy! 

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