Jacob Fussell is known as the “Father of the Ice Cream Industry” largely because he opened the first large scale ice cream factory in the U.S. in Baltimore, Maryland back in 1851. Back then, the average American ate just one teaspoon of ice cream per year (What?!). Today, the average person indulges in over 23 quarts per year!
Tags: baltimore, history, ice cream, jacob fussell
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One teaspoon per year? I could live with that—-not.
1 tsp. a year? oh my!
Ice Cream has sure come a long way.
Interesting ice cream facts. Thanks for the info. Who invented ice cream I wonder?
Jacqueline Seewald
new book release! THE DROWNING POOL–Check it out on Amazon, B&N online or
request it at your local bookstore!
Hmmmm…23 quarts…????
How did folks survive on only 1 TEASPOON per year? Ludricrous! Another reason to be thankful for today!
Another revolutionary idea: bring back the real half gallon container of Turkey Hill. Then you’ll see sales and sails soar once again!
I’m closer to 23 gallons of ice cream per year – that’s why I need to lose a few pounds.
I wholeheartedly agree with Norma – bring back the half gallon! Please and thank you very much!
A. how can you eat a teaspoon of ice cream. Is that all that was offered?
b. I agree, bring back the half gallon.
Norma I believe is starting a revolt which I am joining. Bring back the half gallon because at the rate the ice cream tub is shrinking we will soon be back to the teaspoon a year. Back in 1851 it would be a major problem to store ice cream for long periods in summer since I guess the only way to slow its melting would be ice saved from the winter pond harvest which is 32 degrees.
How silly. Just another form of torture.
I am glad I didn’t live back in the 1851 and only get 1 teasp. of ice cream. I must have my 2 large dips of Turkey Hill daily. I keep my freezer well stocked with TH. Linda
Jacob Fussell may be known as the “Father of the Ice Cream Industry”, but T.H. is the King of Ice Cream in by book!
oops! in my book
Thank God for the invention of the industrial freezer, so that ice cream is more readily accessible than one teaspoon a year!
I agree too, bring back the half gallon. The average is only 23 quarts/year? I must be skewing the average to the higher end. I must eat more than 23 packages (not a half gallon anymore, some weird measure) by myself. You slackers need to pick up the pace.
need more then a teaspoon
hi turkey hill fans, bring back the 1/2 gallon. i love turkey hill ice cream
He looks like he could use a couple 1/2 gallons.
I need more ice cream than that to be satisfied.
Trust us, we’d LOVE to bring back the half gallon just as much as anyone, but we’d have to raise the price to make up for the rising cost of ingredients and production.
Many of you have mentioned (here or elsewhere) that you’d be fine with paying more for the 1/2 gallon, but unfortunately, not everyone agrees with that. Raising the prices while everyone else stayed the same would make Turkey Hill ice cream appear more expensive, even though the container is larger. It would also prevent us from participating in many in-store sales promotions.
So, we’re left with the current package size. But like our president, Quintin Frey always says, “What matters isn’t the size of the package, but the quality of what’s inside.”
One teaspoon sure would help a lot of peoples diets.
Eating one teaspoon of ice cream in even one sitting is impossible…just like eating one potato chip!!! Let’s get real!
23 quarts per year????? My husband must eat three times that when it comes to Turkey Hill!!!!!!!
Well, since the total amount of ice cream eaten in 1851 was averaged out over the entire population in the US, I’m willing to bet most people lived and died without ever tasting it at all. (HOW SAD!!) I’m guessing the rich and the folks in B-More who lived near the factory got more than their share.
Glad I wasn’t around in 1851 need my T H at leaaaast a pint every other day.
Only one teaspoon per person wow I would have never been able to make it in 1851! I love my Turkey Hill!
nice to read all the comments, but I bet I have beat most quantity-wise– I use a carton per day mixed with Ensure–drinking the shakes 6-7 times a day for my nutrition !!!! Love all the flavors–except I have to take the nuts out, darn! thanks for a great company
How many teaspoons are in this bowl of Turkey HIll Fried Ice Cream flavor I’m eating? How many teaspoons in a normal scoop? What’s normal?
The Fried Ice Cream reminds me very much of Nana’s Apple Dumpling. I keep expecting a lump of apple in the next bite.
About the half gallon-put it this way: if you eat the entire carton (today’s packaging) you have eaten 1.5 quarts…and not an entire half gallon!!!
No wonder they didn’t live long back then!
Wow, they sure didn’t make their daily calcium intake in those days !!! My family wouldn’t have had to worry about the freezer, we would of eaten the container in one setting !!!
I live not far from Baltimore and didn’t even know this fact. I am not sure how they can arrive at a teaspoon per year. Dividing the amount of ice cream sold by the amount of people buying or population or average family size or what??? Must have been crazy mathematics back in those days.
The Turkey has extremely capaple people working for him.
I can’t imagine only eating a teaspoon full! We sure have made up for that since then.
thank you Jacob
i fink he is my grate grate grand dad
since I have been on a diet I can’t eat your regular ice cream I have been looking for your frozen yogurt I find it very hard to get.Please make more flavors and make it easier to find.Thank You
I would imagine that the reason only an AVERAGE of 1 teaspoon a year had more to do with making it fresh in a family sized ice cream maker where families sat on the porch and each took a turn at cranking the handle. Only a small amount was made and if everyone is going to have a taste (and at that time there were usually large families), a teaspoon was all you got. Since it was such an ordeal to make so little, it was probably only done once a summer.