Sweet Lil Boos and a recipe

Project Avary ( http://www.projectavary.org) asked us to come to Mendocino and give Pop Lessons to their kids. The kids attending have been affected by the prison system. Either both or one of their parents had served or were serving time in Prison. So, of course we said yes!  Hands down, teaching at Camp Avary was the most  rewarding experience of the summer.  The whole experience was ineffable and not even in some charitable sort of way, which makes one feel good about himself. It was in a way that makes one feel insanely alive and utterly connected to other human beings. 


Before we could even unload the car, we were  greeted with hugs and squeals from children and young adults eager to make pops! And pops we made, as Aland and I  taught 37 kids ( some who have never even  seen fresh fruits and veggies) how to create their own unique treat!  


As we began our lesson, almost all of the kids were surprised to see that we didn't just pour kool-aid or fruit juice into ice trays and call it a day. They seemed to  really enjoy the Farm to Freezer tour, as they picked through a plethora of fresh fruit to create their own masterpieces. The kids were super creative and really involved in each of the four pop making stages. One group came up with a flavor called " Mellow Yellow" and it consisted of cantaloupe, lime, banana and cream. A group of girls were enamored with the idea of re-inventing Strawberry Banana, as they came up with at least, 6 different variations of the flavor:  Strawberry-Banana with a hint of lime, Strawberry Banana with cream, Strawberry Banana sans the cream, and the list goes on and on.  HOWEVER, our favorite flavor of all time was done by a group of 5-9 year old Master Chefs, who wanted us to share their recipe with the world, and so, in their honor: 




The Madrone (named after their Cabin Bunk) Pop: 
Makes 4-6 Pops 


6-8 Red Plums 
6 Limes 
1 cup of Organic Cane Sugar 
1 cup of Water


Cut plums into small pieces and juice limes. Place water and sugar in a pot, and bring to a boil, until mixture thickens. Place all the ingredients in a blender that is safe for making soup, and blend until the mixture is smooth and free of chunks.  Pour in molds and freeze for 6-12 hours.  

...The kids will get to taste their delectable creations tomorrow (Thursday), at their Lake party and we're excited to hear back on how everything turned out, but did I mention that Aland and I had the most rewarding experience of the summer?? Oh, I did? Well, did I mention that on our drive home we saw a Humpback whale breaching? It was almost as cool as seeing sweet Lil Boos find a bit of reprieve from the often harsh and unfair world through a beautifully created pop. 

Pics at Gay Pride...

We've come a long way... 

Aland will push a pop on a queen with glittered lips, SHAMELESS! 

Sho is a hustlin... 

Sweet lil dudes chillin on a Pop! 

Creative Growth

Hello Fine Citizens---

Creative Growth (http://creativegrowth.org/category/news/)will be giving away  our pops at their Art Exhibition on July 14th, 2011.

Here is some info:

Main Event: July 14, 5:00 pm
to 8:00 pm

Members Opening: 11:00 am to 2:00 pm



Creative Growth invites you to experience an exhibition of
inspired text based drawing and painting alongside a quality of
textile production so distinct and spectacular we can't keep it
to ourselves. (http://creativegrowth.org/exhibitions/textiles/)



Join us to collect quilts, rugs, weaving, hand-made garments,
artist upholstered furniture, paintings and drawings. Don't miss
typed works by Dan Miller, hand lettering by William Scott and
an introduction to emerging work by Creative Growth artists.



Including work by: Judith Scott, Dwight Mackintosh, Donald
Mitchell, William Tyler and many more.



And Introducing:

The CREATIVE GROWTH STUDIO SERIES,

a quarterly, limited edition collection of artwork. Summer 2011
edition includes six works by: Francisco Andrade, Allan Lofberg,
Tony Pedemonte, Laura Jo Pierce, Aurie Ramirez and Ying Gee Zhou
.



EXHIBITION OPENS THURSDAY, JULY 14



MEMBERS PREVIEW: 11AM - 2PM

MAIN EVENT: 5PM - 8PM

BASTILLE DAY TREATS,  CRANKY BOOTS COLD CONFECTIONS
[http://crankybootspops.blogspot.com/] AND LIVE PERFORMANCE BY
THE BAYONETTES [https://www.facebook.com/Bayonettes]

THE NEW DEAL

 If you have a pool party or want some pops for 4th of July, think of us.  If you order 25 or more from us , we'll give you a mixed variety of pops ( both push-up and regular) for 1.50 per pop. Normally, we charge 3-4.00 per pop, so that's a pretty decent discount, folks.


Shoot us an email at cranky.boots.confections@gmail.com, if you're interested. 

Google and Gay Pride

Forgive us for not updating you after Doof. We've been trying to get a couple of Z's in before all madness breaks loose. 

.... Google has asked us to do a private event with them in 2 weeks. Of course, we're totally big headed and honored. In fact, we have had several people ask about us to do summer parties, Art Exhibitions, Pool Parties, Weddings ( instead of cake or in addition to) and that brings me to my next point: We never thought of going the route of private events, BUT  We are happy to do an event for you and yours. We can even come up with your own signature flavor, if you'd like. So, if you have an idea or you'd like for us to do our thang at your event, shoot us over an email. 

If private eventing isn't really your thang, you should stop by our cart at Gay Pride Parade on June 24th and 25th and get a pop. We'll be serving up 6 out of our twelve flavors in our regular 3 oz pop format.

We'll post some pics from both events very soon!

First event of the Season...

    Cranky Boots will be starting its season at Doof-a-Palooza (www.foodbackwards.com), on  Sunday May 22nd.  "What is Doof-a-palooza," you ask.  Well, it's a family oriented festival for kids of all ages, and the admission is free.  Doof-a-palooza was created as an aid in helping families to facilitate a  "source-to-table" way of thinking and life within their family.

Remember when it was embarrassing to open up your lunch box and see a wheat bread sandwich in your pail just staring at you, waiting to be eaten? At least I do, and I remember feeling kind of " stuck," as I knew no kid was going to trade me a healthy sandwich for their bag of chips---at least no sane kid. I remember never being allowed to have soda or sweet cereal and thinking my parents were the devil because of it. To be honest, I remember healthy eating being kind of a bore---but the tides are changing. Kids these days happily drink their Kombucha tea and tote their wheat bread sandwiches in their eco- friendly lunch boxes.  It's only right for us to be at Doof-a-palooza, selling our delicious pops, where this sort of thing is not only admonished but fostered; it's only right for you to be there too!

We will be helping 100 lucky kids make Whattup pops (read: Push-up Pops) in either their choice of Frutti Tutti Pop Xplosion, which is our hibiscus pineapple limeade with Cranky's own version of  Pop Rocks or Chocolate Puddin'. Both pops are vegan and made with organic fruit and minimal sugar. Don't worry, in addition to the 100 pops we'll be giving away, we'll  also accord you the pleasure of trying Strawberry-Basil, Banana with burnt Caramel and Sea-Salt, and Chocolate Puddin' Cabernet ( The grown-up version of " Chocolate Puddin"), for an affordable price. 

Check out what Doof Kids are up to and we'll see you on May 22nd! 

We're hiring...

Cranky Boots Cold Confections is looking for a skilled, on-call part-time prep cook to help us in the busy month of June.

We are looking for someone who/is:

-Understands and adheres to food safety requirements.

-Classically trained at a recognized Culinary School or has a three year minimum background in the food industry at a respectable place.

-Passionate about Food Justice, Community, Slow Foods and Food in general.

-Knows or wants to know more about the food truck/ cart business that is happening in The Bay Area.

-Committed to organic, local, and sustainable living and eating.

-Professional and responsible with both grand and small tasks (shows up on time, reliable, doesn't cut corners, passionate about your work, etc).

-Has a good sense of humor/ personable.

If interested please reply with a cover letter, professional resume and references. ( References should be from the following: 1 personal non-family related, 1 community oriented, and 1 employer reference).

Women and People of Color are encouraged to apply!

15 an hour+ possible bonus.