Old Fashioned Meals – Remembering Homemade Ice Cream On The Front Porch
Posted on Saturday, August 6th, 2011
Homemade Ice Cream is about more than having freshly made ice cream. It’s about making memories.
Since my friend Susanne Myers of HillbillyHousewife.com has written her ebook Homemade Ice Cream and Other Frozen Desserts, I’ve been thinking a lot – okay, I’ve been spending a lot of time daydreaming – about ice cream. Not just ice cream, the kind you can pick up at the grocery store or even get in an ice cream shop, but the kind that you have to work for.
Is it just me or is there something magical, lyrical, or even spiritual about creating ice cream? Maybe it’s the simple ingredients, or maybe it’s the simple process that is so appealing.
Well, it could have something to do with the end result, but really… you can buy the same thing and enjoy the same tastes.
So, what is it about throwing some cream and sugar and stuff in a tub, and putting it over ice and cranking away for a long, long, long, time that is so dang appealing and nostalgic?
Maybe it’s not the ice cream at all. Maybe it’s the place. Maybe it’s the people.
I remember Mom coming home one day with an ice cream churn. It was a hand-cranked model that looked very old fashioned. It had the wooden bucket to hold the ice and a metal bucket that the paddle fit inside. There were probably electric models made at that time, but my Mom apparently liked the idea of the process. It didn’t take me long to realize why.
Sitting out on our front steps, we took turns cranking. Mom would grab whoever walked by and tell him or her that it was their turn to crank. {{moan moan moan}} But, no matter how much each of us moaned about having to do “all that work” just for ice cream, once we started cranking, it was mesmerizing, addictive… fun.
The kid that came out on top was the kid that came late. He or she was the one that got to see the ice cream actually form. It seemed like the cranking went on for hours, but since I was a kid, that may be exaggerated in my memory. What I remember well is that Mom came and went, supervising, making sure we didn’t quit cranking, and that the ice cream did almost nothing, hardly changed at all, until it neared the finish line. Then the magic happened!
Was that the smoothest, creamiest ice cream I’ve ever tasted in my life? Probably not. I’m sure our process (kids coming and going and quite likely missing the beat a few times) and the ingredients were not the best.
Was that the best ice cream I remember? Yes. It’s Mom and my siblings taking turns cranking and watching over the production of the ice cream that I remember. It’s sitting on the front steps with my Mom, knowing she had a gazillion other things she should be doing that I remember.
My Mom took time out of her busy day to sit and crank, and crank, and crank, along with us. She took time to scoop out a little bowl for each of us, at least the ones who worked on it – reference Little Red Hen.
Yes, making ice cream can be a tedious process. But, if making memories is part of what the process of cooking is all about, then making ice cream is right up there on the top of the list. Make some memories with your kids and grandkids. Go make some ice cream.
p.s. As I mentioned, my friend Susanne Myers of HillbillyHousewife.com has compiled a great collection of recipes and put them in her ebook Homemade Ice Cream And Other Frozen Treats. Along with the recipes, you’ll also find information for choosing an ice cream machine if you decide to buy one.
However, you don’t really need a machine. In the book, Susanne also includes instructions to make ice cream without a machine – right in the freezer.
This is a great place to get started making ice cream with your family.
Now, all you need is a shady porch, patio, or just a spot under a tree to create great ice cream… and even greater memories!
(Thank you to The Graphics Fairy for the vintage ice cream maker graphic.)
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I just left you a message on a different page, because that’s where the u-verse took me when I clicked on your avatar on my blog. I am so happy that I continued to nose around on your website and found that you ARE still blogging. What good news.
I, too, have fond memories of the hand-churned ice cream makers. My younger daughter recently bought one of the new electric ones, and I thought about buying one too (wrong decision when starting a new diet, so I didn’t buyh one). But the real reason I didn’t buy one was that I wanted to churn it. I did a little research, and there is one available that is small enough to pass around the table and have people take turns (just as you described) and obviously will not make so much that I will have to worry about gaining weight. It’s by Donvier, and here is the link to a description: Donvier 1 Quart Ice Cream Maker
I may splurge and buy this. Thanks for the reminder!
Old Gal
Oh my goodness, Old Gal! I just rescued you from Spamalot! Thank heavens and thank YOU for the link to the hand cranked ice cream maker. The price is right, too, so again… thanks! And you’re welcome for the reminder. Isn’t it strange that as we get older we need more and more reminders? Of course, once I get started daydreaming it’s hard to stop. You too???
I remember making fresh peach ice cream in the summertime when the peaches were so sweet they almost tasted like candy. Why don’t peaches taste like that anymore?
Oh, yes… peaches. {{sigh}} Yup. When we moved to the South we expected to find sweet, juicy peaches around every corner. Instead what we found were dry, flavorless things. We looked and looked for good peaches, only to be disappointed time and time again. We gave up. I mean COME ON! Our state license plate has a frickin’ peach on it! And we couldn’t find a good peach??? Okay, excuse the tone, but geez!
Well, the good news is it must have just been a growing spell because after about a 7 year search, we have finally stumbled upon good peaches being sold at our local fish market. My Hubby has been making peach cobbler and I’m buying the ingredients this weekend to make ice cream. I’ll let you know.
I do, however, concur… even though the peaches are good, they aren’t sweet and don’t taste like candy. Again {{sigh}}.
Thanks again, Michele, for sharing your thoughts. And, hey, readers. If you can appreciate a snarky/colorful/honest sense of humor (and I KNOW that you can) be sure to click on the link for BodaciousBoomer.com – It’s good stuff and Michele is good people.
And don’t forget to leave a comment here, as well as there!
My favorite food: ice cream! And I do remember my Uncle Bill making it, but I liked to go to Mannings instead. I could get it quicker! But the real truth is, I like it all.
And I think it is way better for you than all the processed novelty items that are in our grocery stores today. Too many funny sounding words in the ingredient list. Can’t pronounce half of them.
Give me the real deal any day.
Hi Gretchen!
I hear ya! Yeah, it might be faster to run to the Ice Cream Parlor or grocery store but… it’s so fun to crank that stuff out yourself! And I agree – the ingredients sometimes scare me, too. Thanks for stopping by and keeping me company here in the Blogosphere!
I associate homemade ice cream with parties. One of my high school friends had a hand-churned ice cream maker. I always looked forward to going over there on evenings when she planned to make ice cream. I can remember that we’d take turns cranking. Just as you described, it always took a long time for the ice cream to form.
Thanks again, Sheryl, for stopping by. Yes, it took a long time, but SO worth it! (If you’re reading this, BE SURE to click on Sheryl’s link in her comment – http://www.ahundredyearsago.com VERY COOL! 😀