Nurturing my inner... heat buster

Hello again!  No, I haven't been lost.  But I did do some more traveling.  At first, I thought about separating each of these into different blog entries, but that would be a terrible tease once you saw the first scoop, so I'm giving them all to you in one fantastic, html-coded episode!  The ice cream adventure of 2011!  (Southwestern Connecticut edition.)

Stop one: Dr. Mike's.  Bethel.  Mom read about this in a local paper.  He only makes eight flavors at a time.  No nonsense kind of guy.  He figures you should focus, keep it minimal and do what you do really well.  (With eight flavors at a time, I would think you'd perfect it pretty darn well.)

Stand alone house.

Assessment of ice cream: Very good.  A-.  I got strawberry.  That was a small.  Creamy and fresh fruit flavor.

Ate out on the back porch. Facing the
parking lot.

Stop two: Sweet Claude's. Cheshire.  Another place my mom had suggested.  Fairly certain we have been to this place some years ago.

Another stand alone house.

Assessment of ice cream: Very good. A-.  I got toasted almond. That was a kiddie cup. Creamy, rich with crunchy bits of toasted things.

Ate out on the back porch. (I sense a theme.)
This one along busy street.

Stop three: Rich's Farm. Oxford.  Tried to take pic of sign while driving by.  We frequent Rich's because it's not far from my mom's.

Buy ice cream or buy hay, what the hey!
(Makes sense to find both as hay turns into
ice cream once processed through a cow.)

Fresh from the farm.  Nothing beats it.  (I'm sure the ice cream comes right out of freshly-chilled cows directly into the cones.)  Multiple windows for ordering.  It can get SO busy!

Mom's top of head made the cut. She often doesn't
get out of the way of my pics and I decided
I wouldn't crop her out this time. (Hi mom!)

Assessment of ice cream: Excellent. A+.  I got pistachio. That was a small sugar cone. Outrageously creamy and incredibly tasty.  I'd climb mountains for this ice cream.  Swim across seas.  Even drive miles and miles!  (Oh wait, I did that last one.)

I always get pistachio here because that is
my very favorite flavor. I'm not home (at
mom's) enough to try more, unfortunately.

We sat at the picnic tables under umbrellas, which give you a good view of the silos.  Very farmy.  Adds to the small town ambiance.

The wide open spaces of the farm.

Stop four: Wells Hollow Farm. Shelton.  I think farms are my favorite place to get ice cream.  Talk about knowing where your food comes from, the cows are nearby.  (Moo back atcha, girls!)



Do you think it's easy taking pics of the main
signs while in motion? What I won't do
for you all.


This sign was at the entrance.  Yea USA!  I love seeing an American flag rippling in the breeze.  Especially on a hot summer day.

I love patriotism. Yes, I will buy your ice cream
that is definitely made in America!

Much like the other farm, several windows for ordering.  Depending on the time of day/year you come, it can be packed!  Several people came and went, but I tried to get a pic in between patrons.  (Your uninterrupted view below.)

Seating at tables in the sunshine.

This place has the awesome "Flavor Board."  Each flavor has been specifically depicted with accurate colors and images of the ingredients.  They put a lot of attention into the details.  (Making great ice cream is a true form of art!)

You could stand there and enjoy the art for
minutes at a time. But hungry people behind
you would get angry. (Trust me on this.)

Assessment of ice cream: Crazy Good. A. I got Maine Black Bear. That was a small cone. Super creamy and tons of interesting flavors.

Even a patriotic cone wrapper.

Seeing as this flavor choice was more obscure and a local original, let me explain what Maine Black Bear actually was.  Vanilla ice cream, raspberry swirl and teeny tiny, raspberry-filled, dark chocolate truffle cups.

That's what the chocolate thing is. Not
just a plain old chip. Much more
interesting than you thought!

I did some chalkboard reading as I enjoyed my cone.  (Hot day, had to read fast.)  A little history lesson of the farm.  Goes back to the 1850s!  Owned by five generations!  How about that.

Makes me happy to support local families.

The only sad part about getting ice cream...  coming down to the final bite.

My very last baby raspberry chocolate 
cup. Waahhh!

New England is a fantastic place to discover family-owned, one off, unique ice cream places.  (I just can't find anything like this at all in Northern Virginia.  Boo!)  It's no wonder to me why more ice cream is consumed in New England than anywhere in the United States.  It doesn't have to do with outdoor temperature, that's for sure.  (Ever been to New Hampshire in the winter?  Beyond brrrr.)  But with all the incredible small enterprises, hidden gems and family farms up there, you can find the most outrageously fabulous frozen moo juice around.  What makes this indulgence so out of this world at these establishments?  The owner's personal passion for the production of this cool and creamy treat.  You can taste the love.  (And love, btw, is delicious!)

I haven't even begun to log all the wonderful places there are to get ice cream in the North, but four is a great start!