Real fruit ice blocks

 Real fruit ice blocks

Summer time is ice block time. Homemade ice blocks were something my mum used to make for us when we were little, and now I’m doing the same!  It’s low cost, easy to do and more environmentally friendly as there’s no plastic wrappers to throw out.

Mums ice blocks were just frozen fruit juice she’d make and let us have after school.  My grown up version (which are still popular with the kiddies) are packed full of fresh fruit and are a refreshing way to cool off on a hot day.

Here’s what you’ll need:

* Sparking water or fruit juice, or a mix of them both
* Fruit.
I used the following:

Strawberries
Grapes
Blackberries and blueberries
Nectarines
Lemon, orange and grapefruit

Here’s how:

Chop your fruit up into small cubes.  Pack it into ice block moulds.  Fill to almost the top with the sparkling water or juice, leaving a gap as the water expands as it freezes.

For the citrus flavoured blocks, add a squeeze of lemon juice.     Add the popsicle sticks into the iceblock mix and pop in the freezer.

After 5-6 hours the real fruit ice blocks will be ready to enjoy!