Switch to Stainless Steel Popsicle Molds Instead of Plastic
Every summer, moms write to me and ask how I would make popsicles without plastic. Until now, silicone popsicle molds were the only alternative to plastic. But is silicone safe? It is a synthetic polymer made from silicon (sand) which is commonly recognized to be inert. But my concern is not the polymer itself, but (as with plastics) the additives and fillers in the silicone and the question of whether or not they can leach out. What colorants are used to create those bright colors and what chemicals are they made from? I’m not saying that silicone popsicle molds are not safe. I’m saying that I don’t know and would rather err on the side of caution.
Stainless Steel Popsicle Option
Two months ago, Carolyn Cameron from Onyx Productions (whose online store is called Tickle Trunk) contacted me about the new stainless steel popsicle mold she had developed. Finally, a better alternative for Fake Plastic Fish readers. I asked her to send me a set to review, and finally this weekend, the weather was warm enough for me to want to give them a try.
The set comes with several parts:
(Note: Carolyn just let me know that the stand is actually upside down in this picture. Oops. It worked just fine anyway.)
1) A steel rack for holding the molds
2) Stainless steel molds
3) Stainless steel lids
4) Wooden popsicle sticks
5) Removable Silicone rings (to keep the sticks in place)
I made my popsicles from strawberries that are overflowing at the farmers market right now. My recipe: 1-1/2 cups cut strawberries, 1-1/2 cups water, 1/4 cup sugar, and a splash of vanilla. I blended it all up and filled the stainless steel molds. Within a few hours, the popsicles were ready for the test.
I ran one mold under warm water for no more than 1 or 2 seconds, and the popsicle slid out easily, held together well, and tasted great.
Pros and Cons
Obviously, the great thing about stainless steel popsicle molds is that they don’t contain chemicals that can leach into their contents. For parents, that’s a huge plus.
But there are a few aspects to the set that I would prefer were different. First, the steel stand is actually coated with polyethylene plastic. And unfortunately, the coating on the stand that I received was peeling off a bit.
Carolyn apologized and assured me, after checking the rest of her inventory, that the coating on all of the other stands was fine. But of course, this is Fake Plastic Fish, and I’m always concerned about plastics in our environment. Here’s what Carolyn said about the reason for the coating and how it’s made:
The coating is a non toxic polyethylene coating, (what they use in refrigerators and freezers shelves) that has been tested by a CNAS and Ilac – MRA accredited lab. Our coating was tested for lead, mercury and a whole list of other things – it passed with flying colours as per the RoHS Directive 2002/95/EC and subsequent amendments. (its safe)
We tried to have all components of the popsicle mold steel, and by having this protective coating on the stand it allowed us to do so. I’ve lost count of how many prototypes we had made! And as I mentioned, having [the stand] made out of stainless made it much too expensive, and plastic is just not an option. As it is, our mold is not cheap – but it will be the last one you ever have to buy.
Since I don’t have kids clamoring for popsicles, and since I’m not a big popsicle eater anyway, I personally wouldn’t buy a set like this with a plastic-coated stand. But obviously, I do use other durable goods made with plastic (like the keyboard I’m typing on right now) so the point is that we each have to decide what products are important to us and which plastics we are willing to live with.
The only other criticism I have regards the disposable wooden sticks, which the instructions state should not be reused. Personally, I think I would go ahead and wash and reuse them. But Carolyn has found a waste-free way around this dilemma too. She is in the process of manufacturing reuseable bamboo popsicle sticks finished with food safe vegetable oil and wax, but right now she’s not sure when they will be available.
Late post, I know, but I was looking for popsicle mold info for a friend who uses plastic molds when I stumbled upon this blog.
My solution so far has been to use Libby Gibralter juice glasses. Since they have a flat bottom they support themselves. Add a popsicle stick to the middle and freeze. Viola! When you are ready for a treat just pull it out to warm and run a knife around the edges to release. My 5 year old loves them.
Wow what a great idea, I will be looking for a set of these. If am not a lucky winner I will be shopping for sure.
I have one of these, and ADORE it! It lives in my freezer and the molds come out as they’re used and get stored in the silverware drawer until they’re all used. My 4 yo daughter loves helping me concoct recipes for new pops. Mostly I use smoothies and sneak in some soy protein powder to give them a little more punch nutritionally. I highly recommend them.
Can you give me the site of where I can buy the stainless steal popsicle holder on line? Thank you! :)
Hi Nanelle. There’s actually a link to it in the post. But here it is again.
Cheers.
Fresh lemonade from lemons on our neighbor’s tree. (They share willingly!)
I have seen these on Amazon.com, and I agree with you about the wooden stick part. The one reason I haven’t jumped at these yet is because I would really like the base and handle to be all one piece. Reuse and durability are what I do like about the idea of the stainless steel molds, but I don’t want to have to buy popsicle sticks over and over. A push-out from the top might be handy, too.
Aiee!
I want these babies!
An avocado fudgesicle must be made in them!
I assume the mold has already been given away but I do not see it posted. Just last week I was looking for popsicle molds in our local stores and lamented that it would be nice if there was a stainless steel version available. I converted/ing from plastic to glass over the last year. Anyway, I just did a search for the stainless steel molds and found your site. I will following you through Facebook from now on. I make fruit smoothies (mostly with berries and most mornings) and want to make popsicles with the leftovers for a late day snack. Thanks for listening. Take care. –Dawn
We like homemade ice cream, smoothies, and frozen grapes.
Raspberries from the garden. Doesn’t get any more waste free than that! If I have a sweet tooth, we’ll make homemade frozen yogurt and top with fresh fruit.
Ooh! Are you still accepting entries?
We love the fresh berries from our own garden, but I dream all winter of the peaches at the local u-pick… sweet, tangy, and so very perishable. Nothing like eating them one after another with the juice running down your chin and arm. Oh dear. Still a bit of a wait this year, and I’m already drooling. Urchin came with us to pick last year, but this will be his first summer of solid food and I am so excited to share it all with him (popsicles included)!
Just found your site searching for bpa info- was
saddened to see it reaches into toothpaste tubes.
Do they make stainless ice trays?
Jessica, yes they do make stainless steel ice trays. I have one. Check out the web site.
Alexandra: Ice Cubes: http://myplasticfreelife.com/2009/10/would-you-use-a-stainless-steel-ice-cube-tray/ I believe they are actually made by the same company.
Me, me. I want this! Please, next time, give us a suggestion for ice cubes. I want to toss my plastic trays.
Favorite waste free summer treat- Watermelon!
I follow you on twitter as @bodhi_bear
In prepping for our recent homebirth there were many plastic items we had to have in our home that I did not want. I did get a plastic set of popsicle molds in the end but would have preferred not to. I do agree about the sticks and rack but love that the popsicles are not encased in plastic here.
My fave waste-free summer treat… cool mint tea with mint from the garden.
I already follow you on Twitter and Facebook. :)
I love watermelon! Though I’m not sure you can call something waste-free that comes from who knows how far away… This summer I’m trying to grow watermelon in my garden, though, so that would solve that problem!
Ice cream, but a new rule has been instituted this year! We cant have it at home, it must be a treat we go to (otherwise we eat it too much & it cuts down on waste).
Also a twitter follower :)
Oh this would be great. We have a plastic mold that I don’t like using… But the kids love eating. Great alternative!!
We’ve decided to tough out the summer without AC, so I would love to make some homemade popsicles with this mold! Something we like for a cool treat: put grapes, strawberries & pineapple chunks on bamboo skewers and freeze. Easy & healthy!
would love to win!!
think my daisies icecream wpild taste a lot better in non-plastic popsicle molds ;)!
http://mushandmade.blogspot.com/2009/05/meizoentjes.html
I’m SO in the market for a Popsicle mold right now! I’m refusing to buy a brand new one (especially plastic and I don’t trust the silicon either). I’m currently using one old skinny glass I found at a garage sale and a (gasp) plastic spoon. Okay but the spoon is getting used until it has no more life :) My husband brought it home from a lunch out.
Anyway ~ I’ve been pouring the extra smoothie into it and making my 5 yr old a popsicle, she’s been thrilled. It would be fun to make more than one at a time!
Our favorite summer treat is smoothies. Followed closely by anything I can pull out of the garden and munch on!
Oh, I’d love those. It’s not something I’d buy for myself either, since I don’t have kids yet. But I have a weakness for frozen treats, and I hope to have kids one day, so some long-lasting, reusable, non-plastic popsicle molds would be great!
Right now for a waste-free summer treat, I’m loving adding mint from the backyard to our iced tea.
With all those luscious summer fruits competing as favorite treats, my other favorite is melting ice cubes. You know, when they get to that just so degree of meltedness when you have to chomp on them. Ahh…
I am also a fan of frozen grapes and frozen bananas. I really like how your detailed and fair review held the manufacturer responsible for the polyethylene coating, while also letting her explain that choice in her own words. (I’ve made some significant changes to my consumer behavior since discovering your blog last week.)
My kids like to stick a small glass of OJ into the freezer with a spoon in it. OJ popsicles! Yum! I follow you on FB and Twitter. Spreading the word!
My favorite summer treat is ice cream in a cone! (No plastic required, yum!)
Cucumbers straight from my tiny square-foot garden, still warm from the sunshine. Sometimes I splash on a little red wine vinegar from the giant jug at the restaurant where I work. I do love making popsicles, too, but my set is plastic. :( Thanks for your informative blog!
my favorite wastless summer snack is raspberries off our own bushes! or any summer fruit!!!:D
And I’m already a fan on facebook!!
I’m following you in twitter. @reneejross
Our favorite summer treat is ripe watermelon. great for snacking and also I make a mean watermelon martini with frozen watermelon. Yum.
Greetings! I’m a fan on Facebook and a follower on Twitter. My favorite waste-free summer treat is melon. :D
Hi Beth,
Our favorite waste free summer treat is watermelon!
I’m a fan of the Fake Plastic Fish Facebook page and am following Fake Plastic Fish on Twitter.
Thanks for the opportunity to win that dreamy popsicle maker!
Sharon
our favorite summer treat is frozen bananas. instead of using popsicle sticks I just stick a small child’s fork into them and dip them in melted chocolate chips.
I’m already a fan on FB. One of my favorite waste-free summer treat is watermelon!! When we’re done eating it, we throw the rinds in the compost pile!!
Those seem brilliant! I’ve been looking for something just like that for a while now! I’d love to win them…and my favorite waste free summer treat has very recently become frozen banana “ice cream!!” You have to try it! ;-)
https://www.thefullhelping.com/banana-soft-serve/
I am also a facebook fan and twitter follower.
I love just about all fruit, but my all-time favorite is watermelon. I also love icecream and popsicles and have been looking for a stainless steel mold for a while. Thanks!
I would love this, unfortunately, I have no waste-free summer snacks. My kids have sensory issues and a large amount of food allergies, and I’m usually buying anything I can to persuade them to eat. This would be such a great way to sneak a healthy snack into their diet without them knowing it.
My favorite would be frozen grapes or strawberries. Buy them at Farmers Market and then pop them in the freezer. They make a great quick sweet treat…and my kids love them too!
Facebook fan and Twitter follower ;)
For me, it would have to be any type of fresh fruit, whatever is seasonal and dripping with natural juices, like watermelon or nectarines. No artificial sweeteners here! I am liking the idea of this popsicle stand/mold set, because while trying to live garbage free, I am trying to give up all those prepackaged ice cream novelties.
I follow you on FB and would love to replace my plastic molds !
I just found this site, and am becoming a fan on facebook. Totally awesome. I’d love to win these!
*Facebook fan here* :)
My favorite no waste treat is picking veggies/fruits right off the plant/tree! Cant get any more waste free! And if theres any little bits we dont eat like stem, we toss it right onto the compost pile :) Nothing like a warm tomato right off the vine!
Oooh, I would LOVE this! I spent *countless* hours last summer trying to find non-plastic popsicle molds – with no success. Very excited to see this.
Along with many others loving fruits, we love the strawberries that grow on our porch – sweetest bits of goodness around! Homemade ice cream rocks, too.
My big thought in reading your post was: Why use wooden sticks at all? Why not use a spoon or stainless steel alternative for the handle? Also, the handle could be formed into a drip-cup so none of the popsicle-goodness will be lost. Just a thought!
I can’t say we’re the best at being waste-free or plastic-free in my house. We are tons better than we used to be, and I continue to “improve” the family’s approach to sustainable living regularly. :)
This stainless steel popsicle mold is ingenious! My boyfriend and I are ridding our lives or as much plastic as possible, as challenging as it may sometimes be! My favorite plastic free summer treat is fresh PEI strawberries! My boyfriend’s family has a strawberry farm on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and every July/August, I get to reap the delicious benefits! Also, the great jams, jellies pies and shortcakes! And the tops can go right in the compost, which gets broken down to feed the vegetable gardens…..no waste at all! I hope I win! :-)
I would love to win a set!! We love popsicles, but I haven’t bought any in quite some time and would love to make them homemade… but don’t want those plastic molds! I follow you on facebook!
Ice cream.
I’ve been following your blog for a couple of years now. Love it! My plastic popsicle maker, from my childhood (so maybe about 20 years old), is still going strong but I lost 2 of the 6 holders. Would love to replace it with this stainless steel popsicle maker! I make all different flavors for my 2 kids – honeydew with mint leaves, berries galore, citrus vanilla like Orange Julius, watermelon with mint leaves… I can go on and on!
Frozen grapes are the absolute best! After freezing the sugars in grapes get so much more potent! Absolutely delish! And with those popsicle molds I could make grape juice popsicles! OH *swoooon*
Favorite summer treat = watermelon!
Our favorite no waste summer treats are heirloom tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and fresh berries. The popsicle maker would be great for my children who love them.
I’m following you on Twitter now!
My favorite waste-free treat is homemade frozen yogurt! I throw in frozen raspberries, vanilla, homemade yogurt, chia seeds and sugar into the food processer and a few seconds later I have some mouth watering frozen yogurt!
Definitely fruit salad with all our local produce.. can’t wait for berry season!
FB + twitter follower too :)
My favorite treat is fruit and almost any kind!!! I’m about to havea peach, strawberries and an apricot from the farmer’s market for breakfast!
Watermelon! The only waste is the rind but you can compost that!
We do have Popsicle eaters in our house so this would be perfect.
I’m a fan on FB!! My favorite treat is “ice cream” I make in the Cuisinart with frozen bananas, a milk beverage of some sort and either frozen berries or peanut butter. It’s instant soft serve with no added sugar and the kids love it! I might even be able to freeze it into popsicles!!
The best fresh, no-waste treat for summer would definitely have to be fresh berries (I like to do this with blueberries). Get them straight from the garden or farmers’ market and pop them in the freezer. They’re so good to eat on a hot day and you can also garnish drinks or even just a glass of water with them.
love it! with a new little in the house this would be perfect this summer, and for many to come. summer treat….hmm…..i guess it would have to be banana ice cream! so simple with just one ingredient and a blender! Thank you!
I’ve been looking for something like this for a while!
My favorite summer treat when I was a child was frozen banana slices. Mom and I would cut up bananas that were almost too ripe to eat and freeze them on cookie sheets. After a few hours in the freezer, they almost melted in your mouth!
I also follow Fake Plastic Fish on Facebook, but don’t twitter yet.
You have helped us find plastic free solutions to several items that we’d had trouble figuring out on our own – hats off to you!
We’d always been environmentally aware, but with the birth of our first son, we really started looking at our lives with a critical eye. When our son was three, he was diagnosed with severe, life threatening food, drug, and environmental allergies. Four years have passed since that day and, while we do spend a considerable amount of our energy keeping our home safe for our son, I can honestly say that our whole family is healthier now. We don’t take a single plastic cup, food preservative, or anything else for granted.
We’d love the chance to try this popsicle mold out with our three sons. Buying treats is rarely an option, so we have to be creative and develop new recipes as the summer goes on. Popsicles would jump start their creativity!
These are great! I stopped using our plastic popsicle molds two years ago (but didn’t throw away! they went into our beach toy bucket and we use them for molding sandcastles!) and we dearly miss our homemade popsicle treats. I used to make them with whatever fresh fruit was around, a little juice, and yogurt. I like to keep them on hand in the winter months, too, in case the kid runs a fever and loses her appetite, a yogurt and fruit popsicle is tempting and nutritious.
Anyway, my favorite no-waste summer treat is to go blackberry picking on my dad’s property and eat as we go. We often try to save what we pick, but they are so delicious and juicy when ripe that we just gorge on them and come home looking bloodied.
I’m off to fan you on facebook.
Thanks for the entry!
My favourite summer treat is strawberries. We compost the tops and recycle the containers they come in (they are cardboard).
If this contest is open to Canadian residents I’d love to enter. I am ADDICTED to popsicles!
I like fruit smoothies — I freeze (on metal trays) cut up pieces of fresh fruit, then combine them in a blender with milk or soy/almond milk (ideally purchased in glass bottles) and nothing else — yum!
I’m a fan on FB
I follow you on twitter @easyecotogo
My youngest has been asking to make popsicles constantly, these would be so great! My fave waste free summer snack is any fruit I can find at the farmers market; no plastic bags, no extra transportation, just perfect.
First, I just discovered your site a few months ago and I’m slowly making changes! We love fresh fruit off of our trees during the summer. No waste there!
Oh! Me please! I would love to win this mold. I have coveted it, but have not felt yet we can afford it. I have 2 kids who just LOVE popsicles and this would be great.
My favourite waste-free treat is dripless fruit popsicles we make at home (using a 2nd hand plastic mold which I don’t like but would rather that than buying the plastic-infested popsicles). These are awesome: dissolve 1tbsp of agar flakes or 1/2 tsp of gelatin in 1 cup of water, then bring to a boil. Add 1/4 cup of honey (or your favourite sweetener). Then add this and 3 cups of fruit to blender, and blend until smooth. Put in molds. These work great with any berries, blueberry-spinach, pineapple but not with banana because the banana and the gelling agent get really gooey as the popsicle thaws out and texture is a bit icky.
Frozen grapes!
I have two kiddos (4 and 3 years old) who havent has popsicles yet because we cant find afforable stainless steel ones. Sure would love to have these. thanks for the opportunity.
What’s wrong w. dixie cups and wooden spoons?
Hi Lola. The idea is to avoid the waste from single-use disposable products. Dixie cups are disposable. And most Dixie cups are lined with plastic.
Oh…choose me….we love ice cream and I want to try some strawberry sorbet.
My favorite summer treat has been watermelon coolers. Blend watermelon, lime juice, lime zest, simple syrup and ice. Enjoy!
Using my kitchenaid ice cream maker – all the ingredients can be purchased plastic free!
Hello! Ice cubes and juice frozen in a ice cube tray are awesome. I also love to eat fresh fruit frozen!
I wonder if the mouth of the Popsicle mold would be big enough to just put a regular spoon or ice tea spoon in the mold before freezing? Then you wouldn’t have to throw anything away and you could just wash the spoon off when done.
Love them! With 69 comments and counting, you’ve obviously hit a nerve.
Great product and post. We’d love to win and see these baby’s filled with strawberry puree in our freezer soon.
Thanks Beth for all of your work.
ok, my first through on “favorite summer treat” was going swimming at the local pool, or gardening until 9PM because the sun is still up, or riding my bicycle down really long hills feeling the wind and sun on my skin. I totally didn’t think about food until I read the comments, and now I’m floored at my own mental process – I promise that my response would have been different just last year!
Or it could just be that it’s been too long since I’ve been to farmer’s market for local fruits :P I’m headed there this weekend.
I did have a thought to how you could do it without the stand… well, you’d need to make it out of a single piece of metal. Then you could dip each individual popsicle pocket in a glass of warm water for a few seconds as you wanted to use it. Or create a wooden or bamboo rack. Ever the engineer – I don’t even eat popsicles, I’m solving a problem I don’t have!
Watermelon! Its my daughter’s and my favorite summer treat.
Oh my goodness! That is exactly what I have been looking for. We go through green popsicles (think frozen green smoothie) like crazy! I hate the plastic mold I have but couldn’t find a better alternative.
We have a bpa free set and that’s been working great but when I found out there are stainless steel popsicle molds that just seems one step better!
Waste free summer treat…
Put soymilk in freezing part of fridge accidentally.
Forget about it.
Spoon out vanilla or chocolate ice the next time the kids ask for soymilk.
Also we have 5 kinds of berries in our living room sized yard, and I freeze them daily.
I really would like the popsickle mold!!!!
My favorite waste-free summer treat is raspberries fresh off of the bushes in our backyard. We are really into edible landscaping so my second favorite would have to be the abundance of dwarf northstar cherries I just finished picking last night. I’d love these popsicle molds so I can make cherry popsicles! Just found your blog today so I hope I have first-timer’s luck!
Pick me! I make popsicles out of an old Tupperware set because I’m so disgusted by the ingredients in regular popsicles. This way I can control what the boys eat (pure juice, pureed fruit, yogurt) but to do it without plastic–even better!
We’re not big popsicle eaters, but I could imagine my granddaughter enjoying one on a hot Texas day.
Seems like EVERYWHERE there’s a sacrifice to puirsm involved. Either we sacrifice the ingredients (full of chemicals) or sacrifice the casing.
We love grapes, strawberries, and other in season fruit on skewers and placed in the freezer. My kids call them “fruitsicles”.
I don’t have any clever waste-free treats — just fresh fruit and composting the stems and seeds!
My favorite waste-free summer treat are strawberries right out of my garden!
one of my fave summer treats, is homemade cookies, and whipped cream, i made “ice” cream sandwiches out of them…. you could also use graham crackers, but i don’t like those…
also blending any fruit up, adding yogurt, or w/e seems to appeal to me right then
Already a follower on twitter and a fan on fb.
Our favorite summer treats are fruit! And, when we’re feeling naughty, we’ll mix up some homemade granitas (basically delicious fruity-icey slush). The naughtiness comes from the generous splashes of rum we throw into the finished product!
What a great giveaway — I’m a popsicle addict and a waste-free treat-creator would make my life. It’s hard to resist the lure of frozen AND convenient sweets in the summer.
Frozen grapes…and homemade organic ice cream (I like the super easy, and super cheap Cuisinart Ice-20).
Lemon Sorbet made in my vitamix. My older kids can make it themselves since it is only lemon, sugar and ice. The frozen pops would be a big hit in my house. I may try the mason jar idea.
my favorite waste free summer treat? condoms. no kids=less carbon footprint :)
Watermelons and mangoes!!! But, oh popsicles, I ate a lot of those as a kid. This summer I’ve been perfecting my homemade yogurt, which I am then making into yummy frozen yogurt. Would love to make some into pops!
I was watching this ad about a child makng frozen yogurt popsicles and was researching on sensible alternatives….great beth….ur post came in at the right time…however, i was not sure if the non toxic polymer coating is any way better…its polymer anyday…and one more thing…as much as we scout for earth friendly alternatives….people start to clammer for them as well and it invariably leads to overproduction. wastage and dumping ….a cycle which isnt too earth friendly.
I have opted out of buying ice cream this summer…i dont have kids so that works…:)…wanted to avoid the plastic coming in ..even in the cardboard cartons…
Berries from my garden, hands-down. They’re totally local, totally waste-free and delicious. Plus, they’re super-easy to grow. :)
My girls would LOVE this. I’ve stopped making popsicles b/c I wasn’t sure how safe the plastic containers were (they were super cheap from Target). And I don’t buy popsicles for my girls b/c I’d rather know exactly what ingredients go into them.
Any ways, their favorite waste-free summer treat, are the strawberries & blueberries growing in our yard. We planted several of each, and yes, we did buy plastic containers & organic dirt in plastic bags at the time several years ago, but that was before I realized how much plastic we actually use/waste. But since that was years ago, this summer (and future summers), the plants are waste free.
FPF is one of my favorite websites for information and inspiration. I give community talks on green cleaning and other ways to home heathier, and really appreciate the passion relayed here on ways to deplasticize life, love all the news on trends and products, and share FPF with others for ideas on alternatives to plastics. For a refreshing yummy summer treat, mix organic pineapple juice with organic coconut milk in a large, glass measuring cup, and then pour the juice mix into ice cube trays. Stick wooden tooth picks into them once they start to freeze, if you like. Pop a few cubes to cool off on a hot, humid day, especially after working in the garden!
This is too exciting – like many others who’ve already commented, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about making my own popsicles for my house full of kids, but didn’t want to go out and buy a plastic mold! Not when I’m trying to hard to reduce what plastic we already have, even if we would use it regularly…
But one of our favorite summer treats is rhubarb ade. Recipe taken from that great farmer’s market cookbook, “From Asparagus to Zucchini”. Puree 2 cups of chopped fresh rhubarb in a food processor or blender, then strain out the juices (pulp can be composted – or probably added to a bread batter, ala banana or zucchini bread). Mix sugar with the rhubarb juice (we mix to taste, because we prefer our rhubarb ade a bit tart; not too sweet). Mix one cup of rhubarb juice with 3 or 4 cups of water (again, we do ours to taste, because we like it tart and a bit watered down) and there you go! The kids love it!
Just became a fan on facebook!
These are awesome, I was looking for some a few months ago and just gave up. I have been wanting to freeze our “excess” smoothie for popsicles, but without a safe plastic-free option I have just been suffering through and drinking the excess myself (tough life I tell ya). Waste-free summer treat, humm, smoothies, through my mouth is watering right now thinking of fresh heirloom tomatoes from my garden, eaten with a little S&P, homemade ricotta, and garden fresh basil, yummm.
i would love them . i tried to make plasticfree ice in glasses, but its difficult
I almost forgot – I became a fan on Facebook too!
Fruit is our go-to summer treat. I would LOVE the molds for my kids!!!
As an alternative to the stand, why not just make them self supporting and use a tray? Then you could buy them individually and make them as needed and it would require less space in the freezer too :)
As for the sticks – whats wrong with using stainless steel teaspoons?
And yes I could definitely use these :)
viv in nz
Just yesterday I was thinking of how I would like to make my own popsicles but would not want to buy those plastic molds…how timely!
My all-time favorite frozen summer treat is pretty typical, but still soooo good and satisfying – frozen grapes! Of course, you can always pick the bunches you want and put them in your own cloth bag for transport out of the store. We also do frozen banana slices, which if put through the (sadly mostly plastic) juicer makes a great sorbet.
(I’m already a Facebook fan. :-))
Fresh fruit- especially the black raspberries we pick along the railroad tracks.
Hey hey hey!! There is no better waste-free summer treat than a locally grown watermelon. I buy our melons from the farmers down the road and then after devouring the watermelon(s) we compost the rinds. YAY!! :)
I would LOVE to win that popsicle mold!! We make our own popsicles using old school (plastic :( boo!!) molds that I was handed down years ago. http://itstartswithme-danielle.blogspot.com/2010/02/we-make-it-popsicles.html
When I was a kid growing up in Michigan we only had fresh berries in the summer, when I moved to California I went nuts when I could get berries year round and cheap! For some reason, this thread has me thinking about being a kid and picking raspberries in our back yard and my brothers and I sticking them on the ends of each of our fingers and biting them off. I just got a mad deal on them at the Farmer’s Market 3 boxes for $5! So I bought 6 boxes and I’m going to eat them till I make myself ill!
Love this concept…..what a great start to ditching the ol’ plastic Popsicle molds. We make a lot of our own treats at home since we have food allergies in our family. We are always looking for new ideas – so thank you everyone for some great ones. Our fav waste free summer treat is grilled fruit Kabobs-take any fruit, cut into pieces, place on a bamboo skewers which have been soaked in water to prevent burning and grill a few minutes each side. Voila!!
anything from the garden I’m always munching on stuff as I harvest. Frozen berries and smoothies. I make my own popsicles too but would love a plastic free way to do so. I’m a fan on facebook and I follow your blog If I had a twitter I’d be a fan there too
Watermelon definitely!! Do u ship to New Zealand?
I forgot to mention my favorite waste-free summer treat. I love to freeze leftover coffee into ice cube trays. Coffee ice cubes are great in iced coffee; they keep your drink cold without diluting it. You can also make ice cubes with lemon or strawberries to use in lemonade.
My favorite waste free summer treat is large grapes (seeded) frozen in the freezer. I don’t even take them off the vines. I put the whole bunch in there, let them freeze, and the kids can eat them when they want something cold and sweet!
Those popsicle molds would be excellent for us, as my daughter can’t eat popsicles cause I can’t chance leaching plastic into the liquids. Her intolerance is too sensitive. :)
PS – I’m already a fan of your FB page.
I had no idea you even had a facebook! I’m new to the site and I am just learning all about the blogging world. I love it so far!
On to my favorite no-waste summer treat…..balsamic strawberries!
oh, frozen bananas. peel and pop in the freezer then dump the skins in my compost bin. I’ll use the bananas in smoothies or will drizzle chocolate over them and serve them as desert. Delicious!
I follow you on FB.
I think the stainless steel popsicle molds are fabulous-although it is too bad about the coating. As for the popsicle sticks–how is it different from wooden cooking utensils? I just wash them in the sink and then scald them sterile by pouring boiling water over them.
My daughter LOVES watermelon. We enjoy it when it is in season-and I actually planted 2 plants this year, hopefully we’l get some fruit!
We always have a stash of raspberries and blueberries in freezer for quick summer snacks. Poor a little milk over the frozen berries and it’s like a slushie. We also make popsicles from pure fruit juices but I hate usubg the plastic mold.
Ooo, a cherry tomato seconds after picking. Mmm!
Ok, and mulberries. And watermelon. And key lime pie.
I love popsicles, hate the plastic they always contain. I love the idea, and I have a little girl who loves them too. I already follow on Twitter, and am a fan of you on Facebook. I would love to win this set, so consider this my entry! My favourite summer time waste free treat is definitely smoothies. I love how variable they are, and how easy they are to change for each persons taste.
Fresh fruit and ice water are always fantastic staples too!
Bananas come in their own containers… and make good compost with coffee grounds!
Popsicles are almost a must her in arizona! I don’t have kids yet, but I have kids over most of the summer, and they are in constant need of something to keep them cool. (and sunscreen!)
Summer treats always consist of popsicles for the kidlets, in plastic molds… until recently I started using small mason jars with a slice in the lid for the popsicle stick, effective…but I’m always afraid the glass will break during the freezing process.
Fresh fruit is always a hit too!
Summer treats always consist of popsicles for the kidlets, in plastic or until recently I started using small mason jars with a slice in the lid for the popsicle stick, effective…but I’m always afraid the glass will break during the freeaing process.
Fresh fruit is always a hit too!
Oh oh pick me! :) With three kids needing cool treats all summer long, we could use these on a daily basis and really save money and create less waste! Right now I make them “shakes†in the blender from yogurt and whatever fruit we have on hand. Popsicles would be a nice change.
I personally like homemade ice cream, anytime of the year but especiall yin the summertime (:
I would love to try these to make pudding pops, yum remember those?
and at least the throw away sticks are wood, they can be burned or composted.
babeigotanidea.com
Beth,
I follow you on twitter, facebook and of course your blog. And I feel as though you’re a long distance friend with all sorts of wonderful information to bestow upon me. We do a couple of “waste free summer time treats” at our house. We save our morning coffee and turn it into cold coffee beverages like iced coffee (if we are lazy that day) just add ice, we do crushed iced mochaccinos (we have a hand held ice crusher that has an arm that turns to crush the ice, pure man power and very 1950’s ha he) and then pour in some milk or yogurt, shake and you’re good to go. Of course there’s the smoothie, which can be drank right away OR we put it in the freezer and turn into a yummy ice cream sorbet thing.
I think Watermelon is the perfect summer treat. Or rather scratch that… Homemade Ice cream is the perfect summer treat. Well either one… There is no waste to either one. I don’t pickle rind. I compost it.
My daughter has been a big fan of popsicles ever since we started giving her ice cubes in a mesh holder to help with teething. She’s two now and in need of an upgrade to her ice pop eating experience.
If we win the stainless steel mold, we plan to share our popsicles with our friends in the neighborhood. I will also plan on creating some healthy popsicle recipes for the cookbook I’m writing. Thanks!
I mentioned buying Popsicle molds this summer while we were grocery shopping. He commented on buying fruit juice and chunk popsicles but we passed given the high waste factor and that we had to replace a lot of food we lost during a 2 1/2 day blackout.
My favorite summer treat is locally made ice cream on a waffle cone – because they have to make them at the store and not buy them in a plastic sleeve like cake or sugar cones. My dog’s favorite summer treat is ice cubes. He didn’t understand why he didn’t get any after his walks during the blackout.
I love honeydew popsicles!
I’ve been a fan on facebook for a while now.
I’ve been a fan of you on Twitter for a while now.
For summer with kids you can’t beat a watermelon, and the rind can be composted!
Happy summer!
multiplemama.com
I was JUST looking for a popcicle mold so I can freeze my green smoothies in the hopes I’ll be able to get my 3yo to eat them. Like you, I didn’t want to use silicone. This is great!
I do, however, hope that as they make bamboo sticks, they will be sure any adhesives they use are totally non-toxic, as many bamboo products do not.
Frozen blueberries (my son has to eat them fast because he doesn’t like them “juicy,” but that’s not usually a problem).
Sun tea, made in the glass pitcher with loose leaf black tea in a tea ball, served with lots of sugar and lots of ice.
I just made some chocolate pudding pops for the first time, and boy are they good! But my makeshift popsicle molds (too-big metal cups + chopsticks) leave somethign to be desired. Pick me, pick me!
We love smoothies and frozen bananas. I am a fan on facebook. Would love to have the stainless steel popsicle mold.
I’m a facebook fan!
We would LOVE to win this! Our favorites are frozen grapes, home made popsicles, and frozen smoothies!
WATERMELON! you can eat it straight as is, juice it, freeze it for cold treat, and then pickle the rind!
I’m a loyal follower on all three,(blog, twitter, facebook) and I’d love to win the set of popsicle molds. My grandchildren would love them and I’d feel better about not feeding them store popsicles with all their fake ingredients. :)
We love smoothie pops! home made yogurt, honey, & summer berries. Yummo!
I already follow you on Facebook and just followed you on Twitter. Two of our favorite summer treats are: smoothies made from berries we have picked ourselves (into our own containers) using milk or yogurt that we get directly from the farm in reusable glass jars and popsicles made from a lemon balm tisane (grown in my garden) and sugar or maple syrup. But…we only have a plastic set of popsicle molds so I don’t make those very often.
Hello and thanks for all you do and share – our waste free summer treat is frozen sliced melons – even our dog enjoys them on a hot day / We also add them to our ice tea glasses to keep it cold, when there defrosted we eat them for an added treat
Thanks !
We make popsicles for summer treats mostly, but using plastic molds I have had for a couple years. I put fruit and spinach in them, no sweetener other than the fruit, and then I can pass up the store bought Popsicles with their paper or plastic wrappers that end up all over the yard. Plus if you mix up smoothies in varying colors you can make striped pops for an extra special treat.
For me, it would have to be any type of fresh fruit, whatever is seasonal and dripping with natural juices, like watermelon or nectarines. No artificial sweeteners here! I am liking the idea of this popsicle stand/mold set, because while trying to live garbage free, I’ve had to give up all those prepackaged ice cream novelties.
Of course im a fan of yours on Facebook and your blog. Tips on waste free summer treats are the following
Ice cube tray-pour your favorite juice in it and put craft sticks in them to stick out. Freeze overnight and you have small freezer treats anytime.
My kids just love to suck on ice cubes…cheap for me and no waste!
Frozen berries from when we U picked at our local favorite farm, just put some in a bowl and snack on those.
homemade ice cream-do I really need to go on about it? YUMMY!
Thats about it. Thanks Beth, hope I win this. I have 4 kids and this would be very useful to me!