Popsicles and horses

Welcome back. At readers’ requests we are answering a few questions, one of which is can horses eat popsicles. Yes they can. First we will discover who invented the popsicle, provide you with another recipe (naturally) for humans which is chockful of spinach (no, you cannot taste it — you will see why in a minute) and show you how to get your horses in the popsicle act (no sticks). It is a cool way to hydrate them during the heat.

Did you know an eleven year old boy invented the popsicle?

FROM MY MODERN MET

“In 1905, 11-year-old Frank Epperson stumbled onto the now-classic summertime staple completely by accident. One afternoon, he had mixed himself a refreshing drink made with powdered soda mix and water. When he headed inside for the night, the young boy inadvertently left his drink sitting out on the porch with the wooden stirring stick still in it. And when he found it the next morning, his sugary drink was frozen solid after an uncharacteristically cold night in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“Epperson removed the concoction from the glass and tasted his newfound treat, using the stirring stick as a handle. Pleased with his serendipitous invention, he later made them for his friends and began to sell them around his neighborhood. When he became an adult, he also made them for his own children.

“In 1923—18 years after his original discovery—Epperson finally decided to file a patent for his frozen goodies. He had originally intended to call his invention Epsicles—a combination of his name and the word icicle. However, his kids had begun to call them Pop’s ‘sicles, and that name stuck. Thus the Popsicle was born.”

Source: https://mymodernmet.com/who-invented-popsicles/ »

Recipe

We posted a yummy popsicle recipe yesterday with related links here on Tuesday’s Horse. How about one more? Yes it’s vegan, but this one this one contains a surprise ingredient. It comes from NoraCooks.com. Nora Cooks has a recipe for a wide range of incredible vegan dishes, such as Vegan Ham Roast with Maple Glaze, Vegan Egg Salad Sandwich, and Vegan Lemon Meringue Pie. Before you dash over there, stay here just a bit longer for her Lime (with Spinach) popsicle. Yes, with spinach!

Lime (with Spinach) popsicles

Nora writes: “Kids won’t question a green popsicle if it’s lime flavored, right? These green popsicles have a ton of spinach, but you can’t taste it. The sweetness from the fruit covers up the spinach taste, and the lime and coconut milk create a sweet, tangy and creamy popsicle that is hard to resist.”

We’re sold!

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups pineapple (fresh or frozen)

1 ripe banana

1-1/2 cups fresh baby spinach

1 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can)

Juice from 2 limes

Directions:

In a blender, blend all ingredients until completely smooth. Pour into popsicle mold and freeze for 3-4 hours, or until completely firm. Makes about 10 popsicles. Green popsicles!

Get these Koji Popsicle Molds at Target. Currently $12.99.

Horses love popsicles

Manhattan Saddlery writes:

“It’s a snap to make horse popsicles, and any help with hot weather hydration is a plus, so why not give it a try. There are myriad recipes online (and some really bad videos on YouTube. . . ) but honestly, it is this simple: Fill a plastic cup or food storage container with some apple and carrot chunks, add a bit of gatorade or unsweetened apple juice diluted with water, freeze, remove cup and serve.

“You are the chef, here, so mix it up as you like — grate the carrots/apples and add some oats, include a dollop of unsweetened applesauce, a couple of peppermints or a spoonful of molasses. Just make sure the ingredients are all horse-safe, and not too sugary. You can put the popsicle in your horse’s feed tub, hand feed (freeze a carrot in the center as a “stick” to hold), or you can freeze bailing twine into the popsicle itself and hang it from the stall bars.

“If your horse doesn’t engage with the popsicle, not much lost. He/she will likely eat all the chilled fruit and veggie chunks after it melts.”