Juan Facundo was missing his favourite sweet, cold treat from his childhood in Colombia during this hot and humid August.
He remembers eating an ice cold Colombian popsicle, called a paleta, made from fresh fruit such as papaya, mora (often compared to a blackberry, but Facundo insists the flavour is very different), and passionfruit.
Photo by Juan Facundo. Photo by Juan Facundo.
So he took it upon himself to bring paletas to Sackville, with the help of six popsicle molds and a mini freezer.
“I was missing Colombia a lot…The fruit in Colombia is so amazing, that’s what reminds me of being there. I remember getting paletas when I was a kid, and, and they were so amazing. It tasted so good, and there’s nothing like that here. You go to the grocery store, and they’re full of sugar. It’s not the same.”
Paletas have already been a hit with the locals. Facundo sold out on his first Sackville Farmers Market morning, and even had people fill up their coolers to enjoy them later. The response to his flavours, cucumber lime and raspberry lemonade, were popular with market-goers of all ages.
The ingredients for paletas are just fruit, water, and a bit of sugar to coax out the juice. They are much less sweet than a blue raspberry popsicle, since they use the natural sweetness of fresh fruit.
Instead of papayas and moras, Facundo is using local fruits such as strawberries from Nicnat Farm, raspberries from Trueman’s, and blueberries foraged from Wood Point.
Las Paletas de Juan are now being sold at the Sackville Farmers Market, as well as Goya’s Pizza and the occasional Struts summer BBQ. He anticipates he will make them as long as the weather is warm, and may stock the Goya’s stash year-round.
Facundo will take a brief hiatus from paletas-making at the end of August to visit Colombia, where he will hopefully get a chance to enjoy a mora-flavoured paletas again.
