Old fashioned work is a great treat!

With some ingredients from around the house (with the exception of Rock Salt) we were able to churn out a delicious hand-made, much appreciated summer treat, Vanilla Ice Cream!  We used the newly purchased, vintage ice cream maker and took turns at the crank.  Each of us did our part, and while we did, we talked about what it may have been like for our great-grandparents when they were children.  After working in the sun beating heat on the farm, then returning home only to work even more just to get this cool treat.  Our ice cream maker was without instructions but it was real easy to figure out and a simple recipe was on the box of rock salt.  Here’s what we used to our first batch of Vanilla Ice Cream:

4c. whole milk

1p. cream (whipped or heavy will work)

1c. sugar

¼ tsp. vanilla (I used a dash bit more)

dash of table salt

After you put the ingredients in the inner cylinder you than pack the inside of the outer bucket in ice (crushed works better) and rock salt. We used almost half the box of rock salt because we didn't have any directions but I bet between a cup or 2 cups (max) is all you need. The turning of the crack is a little difficult at first, that's why working with the crushed ice would work better...we didn't have that option. But after a few minutes, Gracie was able to turn it on her own. In fact, it was so easy, even little Zack had no problem. The result shocked us all when it really worked and it tasted better than store-bought and in only 20 minutes! If you have been looking into getting an ice cream maker yourself, I highly recommend the White Mountain Ice Cream Freezer Products.  It is made of traditional solid technology using all-metal gears and hand-crank and the outer bucket is made of solid wood.  Like many other great American companies, White Mountain makes their products in China (grrrrrrr!) but they continue to stand by their products offering a 5-year warranty.

Our little cool churning unit is from around the 1970’s, hopefully she will be helping us produce wonderfully delightful treats for years to come. We’re very excited to try the different recipes/flavors found on the White Mountain Ice Cream Recipes website.  If you have any yummy recipes you would like to share, let me know!

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Happy Trails Friends!