As for my experience, this summer of '14 is the hottest summer here in the Philippines. Beach and summer getaway aside, it could be really uncomfortable: the laziness-inducing humidity in the air, the itchy feeling of sweat, the unbearable moodiness one can feel as temperature gets high, the scorching heat while enduring traffic... the list of aggravating things of the hot summer goes on and on and on and on.
But hey! We should not get defeated by this so called heat! It could be expensive going to the beach everyday... but there are very cheap, fun alternatives that you could do at home to beat the summer heat. I know you know this, you just need a little push down to your childhood memory lane. Yes, your are right! ICE CANDIES!!!
Melon Milk Ice Candies!
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One weekend, my brother and I decided to search for Halo-halo within our village. Sadly, we did not find one. Instead, we found a house selling buko pandan and ice candies. They sell their ice candies for 7pesos with attracting flavors like banana, mango and buko. My expectations, however, is not met because I didn't find their ice candies that delicious. It is too sweet, and it feels like it was refrigerated for a long time already.
With this, I then thought why not makeice candies on our own and sell some? I have few pesos to spare and I found a sudden penchant in preparing food... so why not?
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It could be cheap. If you want to experiment and try selling ice candies this summer, all you need is around 150 pesos and you could already start.
For 50pcs Mango flavored ice candies here is the rough ingredients :
100 pcs pack of ice candy plastic - 8 pesos
Half a kilo of Mango (3 pcs) - 50 pesos
Cheap Alaska Evaporada (Evaporated creamer) 410 ml- 25 pesos
1/8 sugar - 8 pesos
Water - free, or it depends. Let us say 10 pesos for 2 litres
3-5 spoons of cornstarch - 4 pesos (holds the mixture compact when it solidifies)
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105 pesos!!!!
So, if you sell it for p5.00 each, you'll get p250.00! You'll gain p145.00!
Alaska Evaporada
(Picture not mine, from http://www.anas.sakura.ne.jp/shop/index.php?main_page=products_all)
The Cheap Alaska Evaporada is a surprise. I used the original one at first for 45 pesos, but we discovered the cheap Alaska Evaporada. The original tastes better, but using the cheaper one in making ice candies is also as good as long as you put healthy fruits on it. Here is a link for blog articles I found that might be helpful for you in deciding with what type of Alaska milk to use. http://www.reviewstream.com/reviews/?p=108108
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Anyways, it is not enough to just stop from one flavor. You can try other variations. I did attempt making Avocado ice candy but due to lack of knowledge, I discovered I bought unripe ones. It is not a waste though. I would wait for it to ripe then I'll make Avocado ice candies.
The unripe Avocadoes. Now I know how to choose ripe Avocadoes!
Banana Lakatan! Half a kilo is 30 pesos with 3 pcs. So, 10 pesos a piece!
The bad thing about mashing a banana: it turns dark in color fast. So make it sure that you'll do it fast!
So I experimented with Banana flavored ice candies and Melon milk flavored ice candies. The melon milk is really expensive, but if I don't use it, I'll just drink it on my own anyways and I am not really fond of the melon taste. The Alaska Melon milk powder box had been stored in the ref for a week or two now and no one's using it. So I decided to just use it for my ice candy experiment.
Alaska milk Evaporada with water! Half a litre.
Melon milk! Expensive, not recommended for ice candy business. But superb for family!
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Making ice candy is easy. You need a little bit of patience though as it takes focus to fill the ice candy plastics with your ice candy mix. It would be really recommended for you to have a funnel so that it wouldn't be messy.
You can do whatever procedure you want, but as for me, what I did first is scraping off the mango into a separate bowl. Then I put half the Alaska Evaporada on a pitcher then fill it with water. You then put sugar until sweet enough, then add the mango strips from the bowl. You should make sure to stir all the ingredients well. After so, you'll do the painstaking transferring of mixture to the plastic then knotting it up. Lastly, putting it on the freezer up to the next day to make the liquid solidify into ice candy!
Ice candy inside refrigerator!
Just a short commercial! While I walk from the kitchen towards the dining room, I saw this cute dog of mine! Hihi.
Do not forget to make a signboard outside your house!
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And so, it was a fun experience. It is like hitting two birds in one stone: beating the summer heat and earning a little bit of money. If you have kids, have them try this while they are on summer vacation as this is very productive. But for single, young adults like me, it doesn't hurt to do this as well! Ice candies are definitely for everyone, no age limits, no age requirements!
In conclusion, I beat the heat and had fun making ice candies! What I love the most on this whole on-going experience are the priceless smiles from the kids and adults who buys my delicious ice candies! :) The best way to beat the irritating hotness is by being cool! Summer in the Philippines is truly awesome, even though you're not in the beach, you have colorful healthy ice candies to keep you cool!
:) Until next time!
In conclusion, I beat the heat and had fun making ice candies! What I love the most on this whole on-going experience are the priceless smiles from the kids and adults who buys my delicious ice candies! :) The best way to beat the irritating hotness is by being cool! Summer in the Philippines is truly awesome, even though you're not in the beach, you have colorful healthy ice candies to keep you cool!
:) Until next time!
