Icecream Journal

Since Duetto was released in February it’s been very well-received. A lot of hard work and testing went into making the product, which is why we recently surveyed almost 7,000 people to gather some insight about Duetto and ways to improve it.

Part of the survey focused on Duetto flavors. We asked which of the four existing flavors (mango, raspberry, cherry and lemon) people liked best and here’s what we found:

• 29 percent preferred raspberry (a favorite among women)
• 22 percent preferred cherry (a favorite among men)
• 19 percent preferred mango
• 16 percent preferred lemon
• 14 percent had no preference

Then we asked about new flavors. We are, after all, going to be adding a few flavors to the Duetto line in the future, so we wanted to get an idea of which ones people our survey takers were most excited about. Which brings us to the subject of this month’s poll (at right). To avoid unfairly influencing the results, we’ll share the results of our survey at the end of the month!

By the way, the official results of the October poll revealed that 16 percent of you use a “special bowl” when eating your ice cream. And no, “the container” doesn’t count as a special bowl.

A while back we wrote about our partnership with a local organization called Lancaster Farmland Trust. To recap, Lancaster Farmland Trust is dedicated to protecting Lancaster County farmland before it disappears due to development. We’ve been working with them for awhile by donating a portion of each sale of our All Natural ice cream to aid their cause. 

Today the Lancaster New Era wrote about a nearby Amish farm that needed $60,000 in order to be preserved (article here). Thanks to $51,000 raised by sales of our All Natural ice cream, the Lancaster Farmland Trust was able to step in and save the farm. It feels great to see local farmland being protected and we wanted to pass along the credit to all of you.

Every single one of your All Natural ice cream purchases helped achieved this goal. A big thanks goes out from all of us at Turkey Hill and the Lancaster Farmland Trust. We’re sure the family whose farm has been saved thanks you too!

This photo was forwarded to us by a reader. From the looks of her footwear, our Giant Swirly Cow is a Red Sox fan. With the Sox playing the Colorado Rockies in the World Series, it’s a good thing Turkey Hill ice cream isn’t sold in Denver…that would be awkward.

The other day we realized that lost in all of our Ice Cream Journal blogging efforts was an often overlooked and underappreciated frozen dessert. Of course, we’re talking about sherbet. As many of you know, Turkey Hill makes sherbet in a variety of flavors, including orange and fruit rainbow.

First thing’s first: let’s get the pronunciation down before we proceed. Though it can be spelled as “sherbet” or “sherbert,” most experts agree that the correct pronunciation is “sher-bit” (sounds like “hermit”), not “sher-bert.” Herbert may love sherbet, but not because it rhymes with his name. We know the pronunciation may sound strange. Especially to those who have spent their whole lives pronouncing that second R.

So what is sherbet? Most of us know it as a low-fat, fruit flavored alternative to ice cream. And even though most people don’t consider sherbet to be in the same family as ice cream, you might be surprised to know that sherbet in the U.S. is required to have a milkfat content of between 1 and 2 percent. Anything more is officially ice cream. Anything less and you’ve got water ice.

While ice cream has lots of air whipped into it to make it fluffy and creamy, sherbet has almost no air. The result is a much denser, more flavorful product. Sherbet is also closely related to sorbet, with the difference being that sorbet is strictly ice and fruit juice, whereas sherbet can contain eggs or dairy products. 

But if you’re ever in the United Kingdom and you get a craving for sherbet, don’t be surprised if someone offers you a powder that you can stir into drinks to make them fizzy. Because in Britain, that’s exactly what sherbet is!

Seriously, what happened to him? Some of us were also wondering why it’s always the Ice Cream MAN and never the Ice Cream WOMAN, but we’ll save that discussion for another day.

Most people over the age of 30 remembers hearing the sound of the ice cream man’s melodic and slightly off-key chimes as the truck turned the corner and drove slowly down the street on a hot summer day. The sound of the truck approaching (you didn’t even need to see it) would send kids scrambling into their houses for some change from mom and dad. Just a few quarters were all you needed. Sadly, memories like that are becoming rare for today’s generation.

We’ll tackle the “Mystery of the Disappearing Ice Cream Man” in another post, but for now, we wanted to take you on a trip down memory lane with these Ice Cream Man jingles we found on a blog by Jersey City radio station, WFMU. If they sound familiar, it’s because most of the songs are adaptations of other songs, but with ice cream themed titles. Enjoy!

“Lips Stained Blue”

“Push Up Pop Malfunction”

“Creamsicle of My Dreamsicle”

“Soft Serve Sleepytime”

“Pink Panther Pops = Awesome”

If you’re curious, here’s a link to a blog posting about why Ice Cream Man music sounds the way it does. And don’t forget to thank and support your local Ice Cream Man next time you see him. Of course, that’s if you’re lucky to live in an area that still HAS an Ice Cream Man.

Some of you may already know this, but on Weight Watchers all food is assigned a point value and dieters are alloted a maximum number of points they can eat each day (usually between 20 and 30). For example, a slice of pepperoni pizza is 5 points, a corn dog is 11 points and 10 baby carrots is zero points (more baby carrots please!). 

According to Roger over the on the blog “Where’s the Fat Guy?“, most fat-free, no sugar added ice cream is two points for half a cup, but Turkey Hill fat-free, no sugar added ice cream is two points for a FULL cup. Twice as much for the same number of points! Not too shabby.

Quick, you’ve just had your tonsils removed, what’s the best food to eat to sooth that sore throat?

Most people would say ice cream. After all, soft foods are the prescription during the tonsillectomy recovery process and what better soft food is there than ice cream? Ice cream is also a “comfort food” and when you’re in the hospital (or recovering at home), comfort is of the utmost importance. It’s the perfect plan, right?

Now for the bad news: The whole “ice cream after tonsil removal” thing isn’t exactly the best medicine. In fact, most doctors advice against it. We know, the news was hard for us to hear too.

To double check this myth, we talked to Dr. Robert Belser, an otolaryngologist   (that’s an ear, nose and throat doctor) from Lancaster Otolaryngology.

Dr. Belser admitted to being a Turkey Hill ice cream fan, but recommended that patients avoid ice cream and other milk products for about two weeks after having their tonsils removed. The reason, according to Dr. Belser, is that milk products generate phlegm, which causes patients to cough or clear their throat and potentially aggravate the healing tissue and increase the chances of bleeding.

Instead of ice cream, the doctor advises patients to eat sherbet or freeze pops. Both options offer the same throat-soothing qualities of ice cream (although our sherbet, like most sherbets, does contain some milk). Thankfully, Turkey Hill makes sherbet. And don’t worry, two weeks without ice cream may seem like an eternity, but you can make up for lost time later!

During World War I, ice cream became a source of American pride after a German officer was quoted as saying, “We do not fear that nation of ice cream eaters!”

Granted it’s pretty hard for someone to look intimidating while enjoying a drippy ice cream cone, but it’s good to know that ice cream became a rallying cry for a nation at war. That’s the kind of stuff they write patriotic songs about. “Oh say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we ate, at the ice cream shop last night!”

Halloween is just around the corner (you didn’t notice the candy and decorations in the stores in early August?) so we thought we’d take some time to highlight a few ice cream-related cosumes we found online.

The first is the Ice Cream Sundae. This party-pleaser can be yours for just $28.89. The cherry hat is a nice touch, but we think this one would be better with spoon-shaped gloves. On second thought, that would be like the sundae was eating itself and that’s just weird.

Since not all of us like our ice cream in a dish, there’s also the Ice Cream Cone. This one costs a little more ($39.89), presumably because it requires extra fabric. The sprinkles might contribute to the added cost too. This outfit is okay. Maybe its a personal preference, but most of us prefer a costume with a more open design around the head (like the sundae).

Last is the Ice Cream Cone–for babies! If you must dress up your baby for Halloween (or your pet), this option seems pretty innocent. It’s definitely a lot better than the baby whoopie cushion costume highlighted on that page.

For the record, it’s okay if you think these costumes are a little goofy looking. Some of us already think that. After all, it’s okay to love ice cream, but dressing like ice cream is a different ballgame altogether. It takes a special person to make it work. Do you have what it takes?