When I was a little kid, my dad traveled door to door delivering milk in glass bottles throughout Antrim and Kalkaska Counties. By the time I was 10, he had a few large trucks with commercial refrigeration and distributed a variety of dairy products—including ice cream—into Charlevoix County as well. The most magical thing (for a kid) that resulted from his expanding business? Damaged boxes. We had a freezer dedicated to unsellable boxes of orange sherbet Push-Ups®, ice cream sandwiches, Neapolitan bars, Fudgesicles®, Creamsicles®, and chocolate- and strawberry-swirled sundae cups. Not surprisingly, access to this bounty spearheaded my lifelong love for ice cream. As we enjoy a scoop or two during National Ice Cream Month, consider learning more about one of our favorite nostalgic treats through the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) eResources.

Celebrations

Ice cream is so endearing to Americans that the National Day Calendar shines a light on 6 different days in July to celebrate the tasty indulgence. This Fresh Peach Ice Cream: Because Who Wants to Cook? recipe from AcreageLife in MasterFILE Complete can get you ready for National Peach Ice Cream Day (July 17). To help you weigh in on which supermarket ice cream you should buy to celebrate National Vanilla Ice Cream Day (July 23), Consumer Reports offers a review of calories, cost, and taste for several varieties of vanilla. Rounding out the month, honor National Hot Fudge Sundae Day (July 25) with help from 6 Ways to Sundae, an article in Food & Wine from Hobbies & Crafts Source.

Kids

Using basic ingredients and sealable freezer bags, this recipe (with images) in Click from Primary Search makes creating ice cream simple for the little ones. Several titles such as The Sweetest Scoop: Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Revolution and Of Sugar and Snow: a History of Ice Cream Making can be found in the eBook Public Library Collection. For a complete overview, including images and video clips, of the composition, production and history of ice cream, Britannica School is an ideal resource.

Remember When?

In History Reference Source take a trip down memory lane with articles such as How the Ice Cream Truck Made Summer Cool in Smithsonian and The Sweet History of Ice Cream from History Magazine. Finally, Poetry & Short Story Reference Source provides dozens of catchy poems like Ice-cream Cones, from a 1956 issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

If you have any MeL eResources questions or issues, contact [email protected] for help.