Apple Pie Popsicles

This past 4th of July we were able to spend time with family at the Byrd family camp. There was fishing, tubing, laughing and apples. There was a ton of Granny Smith apples just begging for us to pick them. So we did pick them and the first thing we did with them when we got home was to develop a recipe for Apple Pie Popsicles.  When Mr. Byrd and I got married 10 years ago I was introduced to what Louisianans (cajuns) like to call the “camp”.  If you would have asked me in my 20’s if I would like to go spend the weekend at the camp I would have thought you were crazy. Camps are where shoddy tents are and you sleep in the dirt and bathe with fish.  There’s nothing good involved in with bathing with the fishes. If you think about it at that point you’re only one step away from sleeping with them. Mobsters must have created camping.  But lucky for me it turns out that what cajuns call camps are really just houses on or by a lake. Whew.  I’ve been going to the Byrd family camp now for 10 years. It’s changed drastically as they knocked down the old house that used to be there and Mr. Byrd’s dad and uncle have actually been building a new home entirely by themselves. In fact I heard a rumor that the next time there will be two working bathrooms instead of just one!  That’s another post for another time.  But there’s two things about the camp that will never change.  1. We have fun. There’s no TV and no cell phone coverage. It’s just you, the family and whatever outdoor activity you can come up with for that trip.  2. The plants and wildlife are amazing.  Mr. Byrd’s grandmother loves to garden. Between the wild plants that have taken over such as the wild Morning Glory vines and the trees and plants she’s carefully raised over the past 30 years, the camp is a horticulturist (or wanna be floral photographer’s) dream come true.  This time though something was different. There was an apple tree full of Granny Smith Apples.  Ten years. Ten years and I have never seen this apple tree that has been there for close to 30 years.  Then I looked to the left and there was an Asian Pear tree. To the right was another variety of pear tree. Behind that there was a peach tree.  I never had a clue which is why I’m calling my optometrist tomorrow.  Apple trees are rare in Texas. It’s too hot and humid for them to produce fruit. Honestly I’ve never seen one before.   It was also my kids first time to see an apple tree. So we did what anyone in our situation would do and we picked apples – a lot of apples.  And then we brought the huge bag of apples home. What do you do when you have apples? Make apple pie.  What do you have when it’s almost 100 degrees outside, too hot to use your oven, and you have a bag full of apples? You make apple pie popsicles.  So that my friends is what we did. We took lemons apples and turned them into lemonade popsicles.  Apple Pie Popsicles straight from the heart of Texas!  If you love popsicles but apple isn’t your flavor of choice – check out this post for more popsicle recipes.  Enjoy!