Foodie trends for the frugal gleaner

It all comes together in blackberry zinfandel icepops.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/foodanddrink/sns-fdcook2-wk1,0,3149603.story

I felt a little foolish last summer when I bought a set of molds to make my own frozen treats. The idea was to make cool snacks instead of buying ice cream - and avoid the temptation to construe whatever size container I brought home as a portion. The whole operation was kind of a throwback to childhood, too, as my grandmother used to make homemade popsicles when I was a child - usually improvised from koolaid and whatever juice was around, and frozen in ice cube trays with little sticks or in dixie cups. So last summer and this I have been experimenting with different combinations - and not always being the good scientist and recording my experiments, so that every batch is different. The coffee yogurt - chocolate almond milk combo needed something to ramp it up, but was still edible, and the best have been smoothy mixtures with mangoes and peaches and plain yogurt.

Now I read that I am right with a trend here. Good for me, and an excuse not to participate in the cup cake trend. One trend at a time, I think. Frozen nursery food in adult flavors somehow seems a more wholesome idea than nursery food with gloppy frosting, whether in adult flavors or not.

The other aspect of this story is that I do enjoy gleaning, and particularly I enjoy harvesting nature's bounty. From a later period in my childhood/youth - later than the koolaid popsicles - comes a love of making preserves out of wild fruits. This year I've decided to ramp it up and try a hybrid blackberry-wine jelly.

And now I read that blackberry wine is a flavor to try for a grown-up ice pop. But not too much wine, as it does have anti-freeze properties. What a way to celebrate life's freebies on a warm summer afternoon!