Last night a friend and I were talking about the recent explosion of Paleta Pop Culture and, out of concern, asked me if I was ready to hire out help for the kitchen… maybe let someone else take over the culinary aspect and just focus on the business side?  I feel kinda bad because I snapped a defensive ”NO!” at him and forced a change in subject, but of course this is now in the forefront of my mind and I feel the need to (nicely) share why I don’t think I could ever give up control of the kitchen.

My husband would most likely tell you its because I have to have complete control of everything in my life, but this aspect it not because of a default in my personality, but because I really feel that no one will love my paletas the way I do.  I’ve spent the past 6 years learning the ins and outs of paleta making.  The perfect way to prepare each fruit, the chemistry behind a consistent freezing texture and all the other details that go into making each and every paleta special.

Like fate, I was hit with the answer to my dalema while working in the Kytchen last night.  I was making and excessive amount of Nectarine paletas for the markets this week and decided it best to split the batch in half to prevent issues with blender capacity.  I selected half of the Nectarines at random to make the first and then the second batch —Mind you, the fruit was selected from the same bushel, purchased on the same day at the same place.— Two batches, made using the same ingredients within minutes of each other, and yet they still turned out with two unique hues.  

There are a number of factors that could have effected the color change, exact measurement of water or maybe the time spent whirling around in the blender, but it is a common occurrence in small batch and hand made products like mine.

I may make hundreds of paletas at a time, but I sell them one at a time and each one is special for each person buying it.  I take pride in what I do and want that to reflect in every one of my paletas.

Each paleta is unique for a number of reasons: the ingredients, the season, and most importantly, the love put into them.  I know its corny, but it really is a factor in each recipe.  I personally make each batch by hand, taste testing as I go and adjusting each recipe until it is perfect.  As much as you my want to convince me otherwise, no one will ever put the same amount of love, time and care into my paletas as I do.

It was the big hit of last Saturday’s market, made with Glorious Granola’s cranberry granola and honey & blackberries form Garey Farms in Paris, KY.  I came across all of these amazing ingredients while hanging out at the farmer’s markets this summer.  Its given me the opportunity to meet some amazing people and get to know the community from a new perspective.  

A few weeks back Lori, creator of above said Glorious Granola, and her hubby Rich asked me to incorporate their product into one of my paletas, get a little cross promotion going.  I was hesitant at first because I already had a parfait paleta with my own brown sugar granola, but when Rich started talking about honey and Greek yogurt my wheels began turning and ideas churning and with a little trial and error the Honey Parfait was born.  

The first time around I used a honey flavored Greek yogurt to make the parfait, but the flavor was too tart.  Combined with the blackberries there just wasn’t enough sweet to go around.  Second time around I switched to a vanilla yogurt and was able to add my own discretion of honey for the perfect balance of sweet and tart. As much as I like my Fruit & Yogurt Parfait paleta, the Honey Parfait paleta is delicious, too!  I think I’ll just have to keep them both around.

A big thank you goes to John and everyone with the Louisville Farmer’s Market for putting on a great event at Landis Lakes Towne Center today.  I walked away with a few more followers, a full belly of great food and even a few pears.  

I have to give love to the band that played in the 100+ heat, and did it with smiles on their faces.  Live jazz music from Champion Farm.  Be sure to check them out on facebook!  Click here for a link to their page.  Even my son loved them, he couldn’t stop staring.  It was so cute I had to take a picture.  

In addition to the live music and fresh farm produce there was some great food to find at this event.  First, my paletas of course.  I debuted Strawberry Basil and had an awesome response.  Almost sold out of ‘em, but my hubby showed up half way through with reinforcements to replenish my supply.  Although, I did sell out of Sour Plum and my ‘Off the Board’ special: Blackberry.  

In addition to my amazing paletas my hubby and I were able to have a dinner meant for the gods.  We split a brick oven Greek pizza with taziki sauce from Blue Grass Brick Oven, a B&B (bacon and brie) burger from Grind, and a Mango Chili paleta from me!  It was delicious and the perfect way to finish out a great event.

A big thank you to everyone who came out and showed your love today.  And a little thank you to those who thought about it but didn’t end up making it out (I know, it was really hot, but I still love you too).

For more event locations and times for this week click here.  See you soon!

A big thank you to everyone who came out to support me today at the farmer’s market.  I had great support from my friends, old and new, family and a huge welcome from the regulars at The Louisville Farmer’s Market as well as from the other vendors.  Today was a great success and I am so excited to share my love of paletas with you!

If you weren’t willing to brave the heat today or simply couldn’t make it over, that’s okay!  I’ll be at The Louisville Farmer’s Market at Oxmoor Mall again next Saturday from 9:00am to 1:00pm.  Fingers crossed we have better weather, but either way I’ll be there.

One of my favorite parts of selling at the farmer’s market is being able to buy at the farmer’s market.  I was able to snag some amazing peaches from Sunshine Farms and cucumbers, which I plan to use to make next week’s paletas: Peaches n’ Cream and Cucumber Jalapeno!  I guess you’ll just have to come out next week to try all my new flavors.  Yummy!

Don’t forget to like Paleta Pop Culture on facebook and follow me on twitter for more updates as to when and where you can find my amazing paletas!

Fyi, I felt like such a dork while my hubby took this shot.  It was like the first day of kindergarten, getting on the bus while mom tears up with the camera in hand.  But I am so proud of my little spot in the world and the opportunity to do what I love… and I love paletas!  

Also, my sign and table cloths are just too cute, right?