Celebrating June Dairy Month with Homemade Ice Cream
June is National Dairy Month, so I wanted to celebrate by sharing a perfect-for-summer, family fun recipe. Before I get to the recipe, however, I want to first thank all of America’s dairy producers for everything they do to supply our families with wholesome dairy products.
Now, on to the delicious part of the post …
I’m a leader for my daughter’s Brownie Girl Scout troop, which recently completed a Dairy Delights badge by making a few dairy treats. One of the girls’ favorites was home-made ice cream, so that’s why I wanted to share it with you. In fact, it was such a hit that my daughter mentioned it in the Mother’s Day card she made me. She wrote, “My mom is special because she helps me make ice cream.” There’s nothing quite like making childhood memories!
This week I picked strawberries from our garden and plan to make them into ice cream topping (recipe below). Of course, that means I’ll need to make this ice cream recipe with my kids again this weekend. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! Please note that you’ll want to let the strawberry topping stand for a day before it’s ready to eat.
If you have children who will be helping you make the ice cream, here are a few fun facts and activities you can share with them in celebration of June Dairy Month. May you and your family have fun “making memories” this weekend!
Fun Facts
- A cow drinks 25-50 gallons of water – or about a bathtub full – each day!
- One cow produces 90 glasses of milk each day.
- A cow has four stomachs.
- Cows can live up to 25 years.
- A cow can smell up to about 5 miles away.
- No two cows have the same pattern or spots.
- A cow can see almost 360-degree panoramic vision.
Kids Activities
- Crossword puzzle (please note the answers to the crossword puzzle are on page 2)
- More fun facts plus a video clip on making butter
- Cow dot-to-dot puzzle
Ice Cream in a Bag
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 T. sugar
- ½ c. Half & Half
- ¼ tsp. vanilla
- 6 T. rock salt
- 1 pint-size Ziploc plastic freezer bag
- 1 gallon-size Ziploc plastic freezer bag
Directions
- Fill the large bag half full of ice and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
- Put Half &Half, vanilla and sugar into the small bag and seal it.
- Place the small bag inside of the large one and seal again carefully.
- Shake or squeeze until mixture is ice cream, about 5 minutes. The trick is to keep the mixture moving so it becomes ice cream.
- Wipe off top of the small bag, then open carefully and enjoy!
Instructions
Strawberry Ice Cream Topping
Ingredients
- 4 c. whole strawberries
- 5 c. sugar (split two ways – 3 cups and 2 cups)
- 1 T lemon juice
- Jars for freezing
Directions
- Combine 4 c. whole strawberries with 3 c. sugar. Boil 5 minutes.
- Add 2 more cups of sugar and boil for 3 more minutes. Then add 1 T lemon juice.
- Stir and let set on your counter for a day. The next day, put in jars and freeze.
