I scream, you scream, we all scream…
It’s officially ice cream season!!!! Michelle, our bookseller and window designer extraordinaire, has us drooling on a daily basis with her visual reminders of our favorite summer treat. I imagine that I am not the only one whose ice cream intake increases exponentially during the summer month!
Did you know that the phrase “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream” is actually lyrics from “Ice Cream”, a late 1920s novelty song written and composed by Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, and Robert A. King? I didn’t!
Local Favorites
We are fortunate to have many outstanding ice cream options on the Lower Cape (although my doctor has pointed out that this isn’t necessarily a good thing!). We often get asked for recommendations and there is nearly unanimous agreement that The Ice Cream Cafe in Orleans has the best hard ice scream around. It is the one place - out of many high quality options - where I am willing to wait in a long line for a cone. They make their own, in small batches, right there on the premises. I’m a big fan of their Coffee Heath Bar, which has mountain-sized chunks of heath bar surrounded by creamy coffee ice cream. And their Black Raspberry… to die for! Less traditional offerings include Dirtbomb (made with Cottage Street Bakery’s famous pastry), Ginger, Avocado, Chocolate Chili Pepper, plus they have vegan and soft serve options and ice cream cakes.
When we need a quick workday pick-me-up, we duck next door to Snowy Owl Coffee Roasters and grab a Local Scoop “Cape Cod Pop”. They make their ice cream pops locally and their mission is to use Cape Cod ingredients when building their flavors. The combinations are unique and you really can’t go wrong with any of their options. My current favorite is the Vineyard is a Cranberry ice cream with Truro Vineyard’s cranberry wine, chocolate dipped in Wellfleet Sea Salt and sprinkled with Hole in One’s Midnight Granola.
Make Your Own
Making ice cream can be a fun rainy day option. After all, who doesn't want to avoid the crowds and traffic, (discreetly) teach their kids or grandkids some science, and end up with something delicious?! “Ice Cream in a Bag” is easy, quick, and requires few ingredients. Best of all, you don’t need an ice cream maker! All you need is half and half, sugar, vanilla, ice, and two ziplock bags - plus 10 minutes of shaking and viola - ice cream. The project is ripe with opportunities for experimentation; add ingredients and try different flavors!!
How about a deep dive in ice cream making? Considered classics by Food & Wine, Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream and Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook provide great tips for making smooth, flavorful ice cream. We are happy to sample your creations, should you care to share!
Ice Cream Related Book Recommendations
And… some more book recommendations. Clearly, we can’t get enough ice cream!
For young adults, Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch is a wildly popular romance set in Italy. The narrator heads reluctantly to Italy to meet her father for the first time, fulfilling her mother’s dying wish. Once there, she discovers love and a secret that changes everything she ever knew about her family.
Your middle schoolers will love The Ice Cream Machine by Adam Rubin (of Dragons Love Tacos fame). Be prepared to be transported around the world and into worlds unknown to most humans - and be prepared to laugh. A lot. Needless to say, ice cream features in each of the six stories. From an evil ice cream truck driver to an ice cream stand run by a penguin (really!!), Rubin’s zany creations, coupled with illustrations by six different artists, will grab even the most reluctant reader.
Coming out later this month, Julia Sarcone-Roach’s picture book The Ice Cream Vanishes combines woodland animals and ice cream plus some magic and creates a whole lot of fun. This is another one that is sure to generate giggles among the elementary crowd (and their family members)!
If you made it to the end of this post, consider yourself an ice cream fan! National Ice Cream Month (July) is your month. You can celebrate all month long or just on National Ice Cream Day (July 19th)... better yet, enjoy your ice cream all year long!
P.S. How many gallons of ice cream does the average person eat in a year? Put your guess into the comment section and we will put your name into a raffle for - you guessed it - an ice cream gift certificate.
P.P.S. Sugar or waffle cone? (I vote sugar cone. All. The. Way.)
