Entry #10: Summer In A Bowl

Just about every town has a beloved farm stand that sells all the good things in life - seasonal fruits and veggies.

We're lucky enough to have a few of them that crop up every Spring and early Summer! To our southeast, there's a stand that specializes in blackberries, blueberries, and blueberry ice cream; there are at least three other stands dotted all within a twenty minute drive that set up shop for strawberries, squash, zucchini, and onions (and one that draws into Fall with big 'ol pumpkins and bunches of mums). But our very favorite one is to the north of us - Porter Farms.

Porter Farms specializes in strawberries, both pre-picked and pick-your-own, with an attached ice cream shop!

We pulled in to buy a bucket of berries the other day, and were met with a sales floor of yes, deep-red strawberries, but also strawberry jelly, local honey, and locally made pound cake. It smelled delicious!

Now, I don't know what it is about ice cream that brings out my inner, irrational six year old - I normally eat 'clean', almost vegan - but ice cream is my weakness. So, even the long line, which rivaled a Disney ride, did not deter me nor my daughter. My husband sighed, and ended up going to a different line, picking up our bucket of strawberries and putting them safely in the car for us.

While we were waiting, I read all the different ice cream flavors, different types of milkshakes, and most importantly: sundaes that they offer. The strawberry ice cream was made with local milk and fresh berries picked right from the patch! I figured, well, that's practically health food, right? Two scoops it is!

My daughter ordered a waffle cone with that signature strawberry ice cream, and I got the strawberry pound cake sundae. It's a thick slice of that local pound cake, heated up and topped in vanilla ice cream, crowned with heavy dashes of chopped strawberries and their syrup, which freezes into an almost candy-like chew from the ice cream.

All I can say is: YUM.

My daughter and I kept looking at each other, talking with our eyes because our mouths were too busy! I came up for air, finally, and said: "This is like summer in a bowl." I also decided to ask for the sundae as my birthday cake in November.

We both wandered back to the car, intoxicated on sugar, and found that my husband, the sweet angel he is, also bought us a pound cake!

Needless to say, we've had recreations of that sundae all week at snack time.

Since that day, my daughter and I have been back several times for tastings and taking pictures for this entry. Unknowingly, my husband, who’d been out of town on business the previous week, said this Saturday: “Who wants ice cream?"

I had just finished my tall glass of fresh organic celery juice, but I still threw my arm up in the air and shouted: "ME!" Before running to my seat in the car.

When we pulled up to the stand, my sweet husband said: “You should take some pictures for your journal.” I looked at my daughter and we started laughing.