HAPPY NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH! It’s officially here. That means this is the first entry of the month, which will be followed be a new entry every day, so be sure to check back often (either by signing up on the right to have entries e-mailed to you or by bookmarking this page). The following subject was initally discussed back in March, but we thought we bring it back for a second scoop because of all the great comments about homemade ice cream we received on our “Old School Ice Cream” post earlier this week. Enjoy!
The art of making ice cream didn’t start in big factories — it started at home. Many people still enjoy homemade ice cream, which is why there’s no shortage of machines designed to help you whip up your very own batch of Super Dooper Chocolate Fudge Chunk.
Some are expensive and some aren’t, but the Ice Cream Ball from L.L. Bean has been getting a lot of buzz lately, mainly for its unique and easy-to-use design. You can also find them on Amazon.com in a variety of colors and sizes.
We love this thing for several reasons, but mostly because it’s fun, which is a feature a lot of at-home ice cream machines lack. Like the website says, all you need to do is “fill the bottom of this durable, lightweight Lexan plastic ball with ice and rock salt, add ice cream ingredients to the top and just shake, pass or roll the ball around your campsite.” Twenty minutes later, you’ve got ice cream!
If anyone has ever used the ice cream ball, let us know how everything came out.
Just imagine, making and enjoying ice cream while camping. This could be the greatest thing to happen to fireside desserts since the mountain pie maker!
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If you’ve got a technical question about the ice cream making process or some other inquiry about the nuances of America’s favorite treat, chances are Ernie has the answer. He might not be able to answer all questions, but he’ll try his best and some may be featured on the Ice Cream Journal.
I got one of these for camping and so far it’s been great. My kids like it and anything that keeps the kids occupied during a campout is fine by me. Not to mention it makes pretty good ice cream!
I’ll have to look into this. It sounds like a lot of fum. This could even make an unusual birthday gift for a child! I am always wondering what to get my nieces or nephews. This with a gift basket of ingredients would make a great gift or even house warming!
My icecream maker makes 1 gallon. How much icecream does this product make? I’m just wondering if it would be large enough for my family!
No thanks, I’ll just let you guys keep making good old Turkey Hill for me
This looks like a really fun gadget…especially for the kids.I know they would love to try one of these out and make their own ice cream. But I like the ease of going to the store and picking up a container of good old Turkey Hill ice cream. It is my favorite brand and I love to see the monthly special flavors. Thank you and keep up the good work.
This is a great idea. I’d love to take it on my next camp
that looks like so much fun but darn I do love Turkey Hill!!!
Never tried the ball but when my daughter was in elementery school she made ice cream we called spoon ice cream. Why? When we got to the bottom of the tub she made we found the spoon she used to make it.
We will stay with your ice cream since you have better quality control.
It looks like fun and homemade ice cream is great.However…. I discovered Turkey Hill in June when my grocer started carrying it. This is the closet to homemade you can get.When I need a ice cream fix I want it now! Turkey Hill is my choice. We don’t go camping anymore so I would only buy this ball as a gift.
Sounds like a great gift for my granddaughter, but I’ll get mine at the store… of course it’s Turkey Hill!
That sounds awesome! We’re going to try our own version today… to start the month off right
We have an older electric version. Hopefully with a couple new tips this batch will turn out great 
No thank you. Why make ice cream when you can buy it? Nothing tops Turkey Hill Dutch Chocolate.
I actually heard that product is difficult to use. Anyone know the validity to that? Something about it HAS to be in constant motion…I’m not sure, haven’t tried it myself. I’m a big fan of just grabbing a thing of Turkey Hill and eating it all…I swear, I’m going to start the “Ice Cream” diet…be like Jared from Subway, but use Turkey Hill instead!
We don’t camp, but we do have backyard bonfires. This might make a great game/conversation piece and ice cream to boot!
They look pretty cool.
I second the notion of letting Turkey Hill make it for me hehe
When I go hiking or camping I have so much to carry and this looks like a hard thing to pack and carry. I look forward to coming home from a long hike, pick up a container of Turkey Hill and just enjoy.
This is awesome it’s like a portable ice cream machine! I should try it out someday. ‘Cause ice cream rules!!
TIt kinda cute too.
This looks like a fun and easy item to use by kids also kid orinatated with the colors. Thank You for the new idea. Your ice cream is awesome
Don’t think so. I’ll just keep buying my favorite ice cream.
I’ve never used this but it might be fun.
The ice cream ball looks cool, but would not make enough ice cream for my family. My family loves ice cream(especially Turkey Hill)we are lucky if a container of your ice cream last 1 day.
The ice cream ball sound great. Wouldn’t be enough for me though, I can sit down and eat 1/2 of your half gallon container all by myself. I love Turkey Hill ice cream, especially the Peanut Butter Cup.
This ice cream maker sounds like a great activity to complete a daiy products unit in the classroom. As a teacher, I am always looking for new ways to conclude a unit of study. We have made butter, pudding, and ice cream in plastic bags, but passing a ball back and forth sounds like more fun. I can imagine the students adding to a story or reviewing a lesson – when the ball is passed to them, they would add the next line in the story or answer the review question. At the end of the year, we have a class ice cream sundae party and Turkey Hill ice cream is always served by this teacher and dairy farmer’s daughter. Thanks Turkey Hill and L.L. Bean.
I saw this ball on the Food Channel. It looked like it would be easy to use. Why bother, though as long as Turkey Hill is available.
One thing, maybe you could put your favorite Turkey hill flavor in it and keep chilled with ice and salt. When you get to your party, you’d have it fresh and ready to eat – with the best tasting ice cream at the party.
Would like to try this contraption but wouldn’t pass the Turkey Hill section of the ice cream aisle to find an old fav or a new fav in the case.
Making ice cream may be fun, but for my family of seven there is nothing better than buying Turkey Hill and digging in!
The whole family loves Turkey Hill Dairy ice cream…….kitty too!
I don’t camp but I bet this ice cream maker would be fun to have at a party! Not only would it be a game but also a conversation piece and just about the time the conversation hits the lull – the ice cream is ready! How perfect!
Got to love ice cream makers but nothing beats Turkey Hill mint choc chip.
I don’t think I would be patient enough to push a ball around for 20 minutes. They could put a battery in it and have it roll around by itself – like a real hamster ball. People already have Clocky and Roomba rolling around the floors. Might not work for campsites though, unless you want to meet your neighbors.
the ball sounds like fun but it’s more fun to go to the grocery store and pick out my favorite flavor of turkey hill ice cream. none can compare to the taste and creaminess. i love the assortment of flavors to choose from, although dutch chocolate and chocolate marshmallow are my favorites! that’s my evening cocktail… a dish of turkey hill ice cream. relieves all the stress of the day!
My comment on the BLOG page for July 1 is, ” The whole family loves Turkey
Hill Dairy ice cream…….kitty too!”
After not being able to read the encoded text, I exited your website and
tried again, hoping for an easier to read code. It worked, however, I got the
following notice:
“”Sorry, but your comment has been flagged by the spam filter running on this
blog: this might be an error, in which case all apologies. Your comment will
be presented to the blog admin who will be able to restore it immediately.
You may want to contact the blog admin via e-mail to notify him.”"
I also had a lot of trouble accessing the Blog page today, July 1. I tried
several times and always failed. There were three different notices. Was my
comment entered for July 1 and did I get a fair chance for the prize?
My whole family loves Turkey Hill and I have fun on the web site playing the games. On ANY trip to the grocery store I cannot come home without at least two kinds of Turkey Hill. My husband loves chocolate but everyone else loves to try whatever is new. Of course we all have our own favorites but it is ALL so good that whatever I bring home is usually devoured within a couple of days, and then it’s back to the store for more! I don’t think that making your own could be any better than this and I love to unwind at the end of the day with a nice dish of Turkey Hill. The best part is that I DON”T HAVE TO MAKE IT!!!!
Looks like fun, but I rather buy Turkey Hill, it’s a sure bet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have an electric ice-cream maker but seldom use it, as I like to watch what I eat and it just seems like the lowfat stuff I make with it isn’t as tasty as the stuff I buy from Turkey Hill. Chocolate Cherry Cordial fat-free frozen yogurt ROCKS, and as my husband doesn’t like it (he’s a mint chip kind of a guy), whenever I buy it, I get it all to myself!
My wife and daughter made ice cream with a coffee can and the ice cream fixings twenty years ago! You just fill up the can and roll it back and forth! Cool! very cool and fun to eat
My doctor said I had to go on a diet. I said I would never give up my Turkey Hill Ice Cream.
Definitely looks like a fun toy for the kids, especially if you’ve got “allergy kids” who can’t necessarily eat ice cream off the shelf.
What a wonderful and fun thing to do.
Thank you for the contest and your
terrific blog.
It seems as if the ball is a neat idea – but no one has tried it to determine 1) Does it work?
2) How much it makes?
3) How does the ice cream taste?
We have an old fashioned crank maker and it takes an hour of cranking the thing – not to mention the 4 hours ahead you need to cook the cream and add all the other ingrediants. I prefer my ice cream to come directly from the freezer.
It looks like fun and I’ve had home made ice cream before. It’s good but Turkey Hill is still the only one for me!
Sounds like fun, I’ll have to look into it. But, I could never make ice cream at home to compare to your moose tracks!
MMM my favorite!
Who brings rock salt, sugar, and other ice cream ingredients on a camping trip?? Most of the time we’re looking for coffee or hot chocolate. Save the cold treat for when you stop at the store on the way home!
ahh yes I remember seeing those in the LL. Bean magazine. It looks like fun to make but mine wouldnt taste as good as your Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream!! That is the absolute best!!!
I purchased the ice cream ball at Walmart for my grandson’s 6th birthday. He can’t wait to use it. His family will be going camping and they plan on taking it along. He will be doing a trial run, first.
I’ve always thought these looked cool, but I think my dog would catch and destroy this the moment it hit the floor for the first time…
I love the homemade ice cream but it seems silly to me when the cream for a pint of ice cream costs the same as a much larger quantity of ice cream, so we do it only every once in a while as a family activity. Really to keep some semblance of a budget we buy whatever looks good of the premade stuff.
Adrian, above, got it right- don;t care what new gadget is out there, I’d rather pick up a container of Turkey Hill- You guys ( and gals!) got it going on!!
I get a lot of ribbing from family and friends because I eat Ice cream every day-365 days a year. I also get a little edgy if there are not at least 2 half gallons in the freezer at all times. Thank God I have a great metabolism ( and a physical job)! Any other ice cream fanatics out there?
Just want to win the Ice Cream…. It is soooo good.. It is my favorie brand.
Your raspberry ice cream is my favorite
Party Cake ice cream is the best!!!
My daughter carried 2 gallons home on a train
from college in Lancaster Just for me (MOM). It was extra sweet.
Nothing soothes the frazzled nerves like wrapping your taste-buds around a spoonful of Turkey Hill’s Mint Chocolate Chip Ice cream. Why make your own when perfection has already been achieved and is waiting in my own freezer?
Turkey Hill makes the very best buttered almond ice cream. It is our family’s favorite.
Prefer the old fashion way-go to the store and buy some!
For me and my wife and our “PUG” named Tara, Turkey Hill ice cream is one of our “Guilty Pleasures”. All three of us are too lazy to make the Ice Cream BALL work. Our Pug stands in front of us and keeps walking to the Freezer door and snorts. That’s “her” way of telling us it’s ice cream “time”.
Looks like a cool gadget. However, several years ago when I was teaching in an elementary school an occupational therapist I taught with used a coffee can that was secured with duct tape to make ice cream with our class. The ice
cream was delicious and the students really enjoyed making it. I thought it was a fun project and I liked the idea
of recycling the can by reusing it. Although we only made vanilla ice cream that day. I would prefer a big bowl of
mint chocolate chip Turkey Hill ice cream!
You know that TH ice cream has to be the best because Tony Soprano was eating it !! Once you start eating TH ice cream, you can never stop !
I haven’t had a chance to try these, but what a great way to enjoy ice cream everywhere!
What a great way to enjoy ice cream outdoors on the road.
We’re going to try this camping in August. We love Turkey Hill Vanilla.
HELLO ALL! Glad to hear you all love Turkey Hill ice cream so much. We’re with you on the idea that when you gotta have some ice cream, nothing beats buying it in a store. But making it at home (even if it’s just once) is nice too. It really makes you appreciate all the hard work that goes into making ice cream!
Thanks for all your comments. We hope to hear more from you throughout July and throughout the year!
I just got married and we got a nice small ice cream maker and we use all organic ingredients to make some nice ice cream but Turkey Hill is still very good.
When we go camping, we look for Moose Tracks…And by that I mean Turkey Hill Moose tracks!
This is great for the take along ice-cream lover!
We will buy one. Perfect for entertaining, even at home!
Thanks!
My entire family, including the kitty, loves Turkey Hill Dairy ice cream and frozen yogurt too!
we tried a similar ice cream maker at camp once using a pint size plastic jar with the ice cream ingredients and
a large coffee can with the ice.
the kids rolled it around until it was ready.
not quite like rolling a ball,
but it was still good ice cream.
I agree with alot of you! I’d rather by mine from Turkey Hill! Plus, I don’t think those ice cream balls would make enough to share. We’d have to get several!
Even if I tried the ice cream ball, it would not taste as good as the Turkey Hill in my freezer. I am spoiled!
I considered purchasing one of these but like another person said, “who brings along rock salt and all the ingredients to make ice cream while camping”. I prefer to pick up a batch of Turkey Hill from the nearest market and plant myself in front of the campfire with my Turkey Hill and a spoon!
The ball looks like a joke, have an electric one to make low sugar ice cream for diabetic relative. It works great, freeze the inside and it makes ice cream in less than 20 minutes.
I was trying to reply to the entry above this one, but not able to. (Since there are ZERO comments, it would seem that I am not alone)
We made ice cream yesterday to kick off the first day of Ice Cream Month! It turned out to be the BEST home made ice cream I’ve ever made, maybe even that I have ever EATEN! Wowee!
We of course made vanilla… but I also decided to make Strawberry. It was fantastic! I’d have to say I enjoy several different FRUITS as INCLUSIONS in my ice cream. I was impressed with how simple the recipe, was. We just chopped up the strawberrys and added them to heavy cream and sugar and put it in the ice cream maker! Fantastic!
Looking forward to ice cream every day this month!
What a great idea! It looks like fun, I think I will get one for the 4th of July holiday. It is a terrific way to keep the children busy and happy at the same time.
Hi you guys:
Turkey Hill you are the greatest. I do not know how I can purchase one of these Ice Cream makers but I would love to have one. If there is a way to order that I have not seen please let me know ASAP.
Thank you,
Eddie Balthrope
268 North 7th Street
Newark, NJ 07107
This looks like a new way to add to the fun of family camping. I saw one of these in the LL Bean catalog. Glad to get some feed back from my fellow Turkey Hill Foodies.
This looks like a really fun and great idea for kids and adults alike! I have seen them on HGTV or something like that but never knew where to get one. My niece would just love this!!!! And we would all love the ice cream even more!
with 6 kids and 2 adults at home an ice cream ball wouldn’t do. maybe an ice cream truck would do the trick.
Hi, I was also trying to make a comment about inclusions.I think it would be fun to set up a table at your company. Put different varieties of ice cream and bowls of all types of toppings(inclusions).Invite your employees children and watch them have fun picking their favorites. You may see many picking the same things. You could possibly get a number 1 seller. It may surprise you .
I also have a dog, so Stephan has a point. With Scrappy, nothing (except Kongs) is “indestructable”! Once, we bought an “indestructable” toy. It took her a few weeks, but sure enough, it was “desctructable”.
That was totally off-topic. I mean, hello, we’re on an ice cream blog! Back to ice cream!
This ball sounds like a good idea. One time, we tried to make ice cream. My uncle got everything, and it took forever to crank. I was exhausted.
I had an idea for using this though. At a family reunion or just camping, you could use this- someone fills the ball and starts to shake/roll/play with the ball and starts to tell a story. They pass it on. Repeat. You would try to make up as wacky a story as possible and make ice cream at the same time! It wouldn’t make much, so you’d have to have some TH there, too.
I think I will try this new ball.
Chocolate Mint Chip lovers unite!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey Carol-
Didn’t you just say that same thing in the July 2nd blog?
People who love Chocolate Mint Chip unite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hooray for Turkey Hill Ice Cream! Yum!
We’ve seen these things and they appear pretty sturdy. We’re just guessing here, but on a soft, grassy lawn, we’d be willing to bet you could kick this thing lightly around the yard for 20 minutes instead of passing it around by hand.
Again, we’re not saying it would work or if the ice cream ball would withstand the method, but it sounds like a fun way to make ice cream.
This looks like something my grandsons would like to try but they are stuck on Turkey Hill ice cream too…….just like their grandparents!!
Haven’t tried this yet, but since we don’t camp much, I make my ice cream right at home while we are eating dinner. Sounds like it could be a fun family activity though.
I did do the can thing once, but my hands were frozen before the ice cream was. I think I’ll stick to the lazy approach and just buy it at the store or stick with electricity.
July 1,2007 6:35pm
I bought one of these for my daughter and her dh at Christmas last year. They love it! They are in their late 20′s,so it’s not just for us old foggies!
With Turkey Hill Butter Pecan I don’t need any thing else.
I teach and I am always looking for recipes that young children can follow independently. I think this is ideal. Can’t wait to try.
*oh my stars*
those are not rolling balls for hamsters? lol
i had homemade ice cream decades ago but would much rather have my party cake and eat it too
Our family loves ice cream (especially Turkey Hill) and we also love camping. The ball sounds like a wonderful idea that will provide us will a fun family activity while wating for the ice cream.
I love the creamy taste of the peanut butter bits. We have family night and we all voted on having turkey hill ice cream as our snack before a movie. Thanks
Hey Sarah, I tried to get on the same blog as Greg (commented several above mine).I too couldn’t get on. I followed suit like Greg and tried to leave my inclusions comments here. I didn’t think it would appear since I was declined by the spam filtering system. I was able to get on a short while later on the correct blog. You must enjoy reading everything like I do:) Chocolate Chip does rule .. Try it with crushed mint Girl Scout cookies…Great!
My niece got this for her birthday and we’ve had a good time using it at family gatherings.
Unfortunately I don’t have time nor space to make my own ice cream. Glad that there’s Turkey Hill to rely on for it! Keep up the good work Turkey Hill! Also, thank you for making gluten free flavors as well.
P.S. the “CAPTCHA” program does not work well; I am on my 7th try to type the two words. The letters are too blurry. e looks like r or t. And I am not an old lady!
My daughter wants to try this. I think it will be a fun fad, but Turkey Hill will endure as our favorite icecream.
This looks like fun. We have been making ice cream with scouts in a coffee can.. but this is much prettier!
I’ve seen the colorful balls for ice cream making at LL Bean, and we were talking recently, wondering if they made good ice cream. The subject came up when our neighbor gave us some of her homemade rhubarb ice cream. It was delicious and maybe a suggestion for a new flavor.
We might try the ice cream ball sometime, but for now, we’re sticking with Turkey Hill ice cream as our first pick in the ice cream section at the grocery store. Mainly because we know a good thing when we have it! Thanks
Are you kidding? Turkey Hill has so many great flavors that making ice cream would be out of the question for me! You keep making it…I’ll keep eating it!
The kids and I are camping all summer…one things for sure–we will be eating ice cream!! But I’m not so sure about the ice cream ball. For one thing, it takes a while to makes and secondly, when my kids think ice cream they think Turkey Hill mint chocolate chip. Maybe we would try it if we could make that flavor, but why bother–the camper has a freezer
They are fun and novel – something for the kids to try but I prefer out of the box or else homemade using an electric ice cream maker.
This looks like a great gadget. We camp every summer in a PA state park and I might just have to buy this to take along.
Of course, I’d rather just get some dry ice and take a cooler full of Turkey Hill!
This is my very first blog EVER. And what better topic than ice cream. Turkey Hill chocolate peanut butter cup is a staple in my freezer. Along with, of course, another flavor for the others in the family. Cheers to Turkey Hill!!!
The ball looks interesting — my partner likes gadgets, so maybe a birthday present……
LL Bean’s Ice cream balls are an improvement on an old trick that I learned many years ago in Girl Scouts….coffee can ice cream. Seems like some people have tried it. The LL Bean ball has some big improvements from the old coffee can but to answer some questions:
No, it doesn’t make a whole lot of ice cream…probably enough for 2 people
Why would you use it? It’s fun and it’s a great science lesson for your kids.
Who carries this stuff camping? Well, girl scouts, of course. (Always prepared!) It’s more of a car camping – lodge camping thing but there is no reason you all can’t do this at home!
In the mean time, enjoy Turkey Hill ice cream and all of the wonderful inclusions they have. Mmmmm Mmmmmm.
It works great, but the kids don’t have the patience to wait 20 minutes. They want to open it up and eat after about 5 minutes!
The only problem is the kids want to open it up and eat the ice cream after only 5 minutes! 20 minutes is like a lifetime to them.
I saw this on the Rachael Ray show! Looks fun even for adults. This invention is also great for justifying eating a heavenly bowl of ice cream. Clever to incorporate exercise into this indulgence, since you get to burn a few extra calories making it! I’d buy one.
These look like a ton of fun! I’ll have to try it to see if it’s as much fun as using the old-fashioned ice cream churn I used with my kids (ahem) 30 years ago… This time we’ll taste test it with the grandkids!
Happy Ice Cream month! Everyone knows that the freshest most delicious inventive flavors come from Turkey Hill. Thank you Turkey hill keep up the great work!!
Just had some vanilla icecream to top off a great grilled dinner! How American can you get??? Yum??
My mother was a pre-school teacher and in class with the kiddos she did the same thing, only with coffee cans. Great fun and alot less cost for the cans!
Does anyone know how much these cost? They look like alot of fun!
Happy Ice Cream Month !!!!
I scream, you scream, we all scream for free ice cream!
Cool Balls!
On a whole I’d rather just get my icecream at the market.
[...] He can??t wait to use it. His family will be going camping and they plan on taking it along.http://icecreamjournal.turkeyhill.com/index.php/2007/07/01/having-a-ball-while-making-ice-cream-2/Play & Freeze Ice Cream Maker Ball, Blue – Wal-MartPlay & Freeze ice cream Maker Ball, Blue at [...]
[...] if a container of your ice cream last … closet to homemade you can get.When I need a ice cream …http://icecreamjournal.turkeyhill.com/index.php/2007/07/01/having-a-ball-while-making-ice-cream-2/Recipe for Homemade Ice Cream on StarChefs.comSqueeze out the air as much as you can. fill your [...]