Saskatoon Berry Rosewater Popsicles

By  Ratna

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The  faint  smell  of  roses  by  the  roadside  hit  me  only  after  I  had  walked  away  a  bit.  Like  an  afterthought.  These  are  Wildroses,  growing  abundantly  in  the  bushes  in  the  Prairies.  Differing from  their  uptown  cousin  Damask  roses  in  both    looks  and  fragrance. The  single  layer  of  petals  and  the  faint  fragrance  may  indicate  how  humble  they  are.  Far  from  contrary.  Below  their  plain  looks  they  are  extremely  resilient.  Surviving  the  minus  forty  Prairie  winters,  they  come  back  year  after  year.

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Our  little  Prairie  town  turned  one  hundred  this  year.  This  rural  town  doesn’t  boast  of  a   skyline  with  skyscrapers.  We  have  the  grain  silo  as  the  backdrop  instead.  Lakes  fed  with  natural  spring  water  dot  the  landscape.  The  Trumpeter  Swans  nest  in  them  year  after  year.  They  bring  up  the  Cygnets  and  migrate  to  the  warmer  south  in    winter.

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In  the  early  days  people  migrated  here  from  the  east  as  well  as  Europe.  With  limited  resources,  little  bit  of  trepidation  and  a  lot  of  determination  they  started  farming.  They  toiled  the  earth.  The  growing  season  is  short  but  the  longer  daylight  hours  rewarded  them  with  bountiful  crops.The  winters  were  harsh.  They  did  not  give  up  though.  Just  like  the  wild roses,  they  were  resilient.

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Berries  grow  in  the  wild  here.  Blueberries,  strawberries,  Saskatoon  berries  to  name  a  few.  This  summer  has  been  very  hot.  The  fruits  did  very  well  too.  Sweet  and  juicy  you  can’t  have  enough  of  those.  We  went  to  U-pick  farms  and  Farmer’s  market  to  get  the  freshest,  juiciest  berries.

Rosewater  is  a  very  common  flavour  in  desserts  in  India. I  used  Rosewater  flavour  for  these  popsicles  which  I  made  from  locally  grown  Saskatoon  Berries.

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Recipe:

Ingredients:

Saskatoon  berries                                                               One  cup

Greek  yoghurt                                                                      One  Tbsp

Honey                                                                                    One  Tbsp

Walnut  chopped                                                                   One  Tbsp

Lemon  juice                                                                          One  tsp

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Method;

Wash  the  berries.  Blend  them  with  the  yoghurt  and  honey  in  a  blender.  Add  bit  of  water  if  needed.  Strain  the  mixture  to  get  a  smooth  residue.  Throw  in  the  walnut  pieces.  Add  the  lemon  juice  and  Rosewater  and  stir  well.

Fill  up  the  popsicle  molds  with  this  solution  using  a  funnel.  Put  them  in  the  freezer  for  24  hours.  To  remove  the  popsicles  from  the  mold,  let  it  sit  in  warm  water.  It  separates  from  the  popsicle.

Inside  Scoop:

Rosewater  is  available  in  Indian  grocery  stores.

All  measurements  can  be  tweaked  to  your  taste.

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