Eat + Drink

The Summer Peachsicle

June 30, 2021 by CAP Crew Photography by john von pamer

If you've been here awhile, you know that we believe deeply in the transformative effect food has on not only the physical body but also our emotional and spiritual bodies. It's the practice we turn to to feed all aspects of ourselves, and the one we find the most pleasurable and powerful. And with temperatures rising, we're opening up our rolodex and leaning hard on our friends, and their recipes, to provide relief and joy. Today, we're sharing holistic nutritionist Vilda Saskia Gonzalez's take on the popsicle, one that marries farmstand peaches with The Coconut Butter and The Light Ray for a nuanced and deeply hydrating addition to your summer repertoire. Vilda believes that food should be delicious, flavorful and indulgent, but also profoundly nourishing, regenerative and inherently healthful. Our sentiments exactly; read on to discover your newest summer crush.

PEACH AND COCONUT POPSICLES

Sun kissed days filled with the buzzing energy of Summer have returned at long last. With the shifting season comes a fiery lust for life and love, but also a constant need to cool down and replenish. As with everything in this life, balance is essential, and this applies especially to the heat and excitement of summer time. In order to not deplete our body’s precious reserves, it’s essential to nourish and restore after a long day sunbathing with cooling, hydrating and antioxidant rich foods. Enter this irresistibly peachy popsicle: a gentle, supportive and delicious sun care solution. Coconut milk adds a soothing and luxuriously silky richness to the sweetness of perfectly ripe summer peaches. Fresh lemon verbena, lemon zest, ginger, bay and cardamom are key to the balancing act; they bring bright, zesty, tangy and savory nuances.

This recipe is an invitation for you to summon your most luminous summer self. Eat a popsicle, lather up, hug the sun and repeat!

- Vilda Saskia Gonzalez

INGREDIENTS

(makes 6-8 popsicles, depending on your molds)

3 ripe, juicy peaches, pitted and roughly chopped

1 can full fat coconut milk

2 T honey (or more according to taste and the sweetness of your peaches)

1 T The CAP Coconut Butter

12 cardamom pods, gently crushed

1 vanilla bean

1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated

1 sprig fresh lemon verbena*

2 bay leaves

2 dropperfuls The Light Ray

DIRECTIONS

Add coconut milk, vanilla bean, cardamom pods and bay leaves to a small pot. Bring to a bare simmer on medium-low heat, then lower to the lowest possible heat, cover with a lid, and let the ingredients mingle for 15 minutes. Take off the heat, add the fresh lemon verbena, cover, and let infuse for another 10 minutes.

Add the peaches, The Coconut Butter, The Light Ray, honey and grated ginger to a blender. Strain the coconut mixture into the blender, and blend on high till smooth.

Pour in your favorite popsicle mold, and freeze till solid.

Enjoy before, after or during a day spent in the sun. With reckless abandon!

While the synergy of all of the listed ingredients is a true delight, please don’t fret if you don’t have access to some of the harder to come by ingredients like fresh lemon verbena. The popsicles are still deeply hydrating, refreshing and satisfying without.