Can kids learn the power of fruits and vegetables through... popsicles?

That's the mission of Arealles Ortiz, the Montpelier-based owner, vendor, marketer and culinary artist behind Curly Girl Pops. The one-woman business serves up organic, plant-based popsicles at farmers markets, village stores and shops throughout Vermont.

Ortiz founded Curly Girl Pops about six years ago, after graduating from the nutrition and food sciences program at the University of Vermont.

"I have a big passion to educate people in subtle ways about nutrition, and nourishing the body with colorful fruit and vegetables," Ortiz said.

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Smoothie mixtures of organic strawberries, mango, spinach, avocado, and more comprise the base of Ortiz's popsicle creations. Complementary ingredients range from Vermont maple syrup, to coconut milk, to rhubarb plucked straight from Ortiz's home garden.

The hibiscus-tea-infused "Radical Razz," vegetable-packed "Green Machine," and the chocolatey "Fudgesicle" are some of Ortiz's most popular creations. One of Ortiz's favorite flavors is a limited-edition mango passionfruit popsicle she crafted for Café Mamajuana, a Dominican fusion restaurant in Burlington.

"I got some passion fruit from my grandmother in Puerto Rico," Ortiz said. "Passion fruit has a strong flavor and it's like a little tart. So it adds this tartness to the sweetness of the mango."

Ortiz cites her grandparents as a major inspiration behind her culinary art.

"I spend about three months in Puerto Rico with my grandparents cooking traditional Puerto Rican foods," Ortiz said. "It's always kind of been one of my goals to bring that to Vermont."

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Curly Girl Pops can be found at the Burlington Farmers Market, as well as at select local retailers, including the Little Gordo Creemee Stand in Burlington, Marshfield Village Store in Marshfield, and Fox Market & Bar in East Montpelier. A full list of locations can be found on the Curly Girl Pops website: https://www.curlygirlpops.com/pop-locations

Contact April Fisher at amfisher@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @AMFisherMedia