We all scream for ice cream during June Dairy Month

Ice cream, who doesn’t love ice cream? The average American consumes approximately 23 pounds of ice cream and related frozen desserts per year. Regular ice cream is also considered to be the most popular category of frozen desserts. Locally there are many places to go for such a delicious treat.

Strama’s Cenex Beep’s Ice Cream that sits inside a Cenex gas station, serves soft serve ice cream. Their most popular flavors are Blue Goo, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Raspberry Cheesecake. They get their ice cream from Lamers Dairy in Appleton.

Previously they tried out 6 different brands of ice cream, until they decided that Lamers Dairy was the best one. They also have a Doggie Dish, where treats are placed within ice cream for your dog.

Moosie’s Ice Cream Parlor serves both ice cream and fire baked pizza. Their most popular flavors are Superman and Caramel Collision. Moosie’s ice cream comes from Cedar Crest Ice Cream. Moosie’s has a total of 36 flavors of ice cream to choose from.

Culver’s serves custard ice cream along with their other food items. They slow-turn their frozen custard in small batches all day long. Culver’s has over 30 flavors and around 30 toppings. Culver’s also has this unique trait called Flavor of the Day. Where there is a unique flavor of frozen custard at each restaurant you visit, with a different flavor featured every day.

A few facts about ice cream are that most ice cream is made from March through July. July is the busiest production month for ice cream makers. Also the majority of U.S. ice cream and frozen dessert manufacturers have been in business for more than 50 years and many are still family-owned businesses.

Perhaps you have wondered when and where ice cream comes from. The origins of ice cream are believed to be from the emperors of the Tang Dynasty. Being the first to eat a frozen milk-like confection. This version was made with cow, goat, or buffalo milk that was heated with flour. Camphor, an aromatic substance, was added to enhance the texture and flavor. This mixture was then placed into metal tubes and lowered into an ice pool until frozen.

How ice cream is typically made today, is with milk, cream, milk solids, sugars, modifying agents, and flavorings that are blended together in stainless steel vats. The mix is homogenized to create a consistent texture. Then the mix is pasteurized by heating between 179°F and 185°F for 15 seconds then cooled to destroy bacteria. The mix is left alone for 2-24 hours so fat drops solidify and thickness increases. Flavors or colorings are then added. The mix is then frozen at about 19°F and beaten. This adds air to the mix. The ice cream is then molded, packaged and frozen at around -13°F to allow it to harden.

Ice cream is a well known treat and everyone has their favorite type. With summer soon arriving, locations that serve ice cream are sure to be packed. So make sure to celebrate this Dairy Month with an ice cream.