July is National Ice Cream Month.
According to the International Dairy Association (IFDA), in 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of July as National Ice Cream Day. The IDFA kicked off the celebration in June with a its 37th annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party.
How will you celebrate National Ice Cream Month? MCM has visited ice cream parlors all over Genesee County, including Uncle Ray’s Dairy Land in Fenton, Roaring 20’s Ice Cream Parlour in Flushing, Banana Boat Ice Cream in Flint, Ziggy’s Ice Cream in Grand Blanc and Twist Ice Cream in Swartz Creek, to name a few. At your destination of choice, you will find mountains of cool and delicious treats for the old and young alike.
Another way to celebrate National Ice Cream Month is to make your own ice cream at home. Below is an easy five-minute ice cream recipe from 4sonrus.com that the kids will love to make.
Five Minute Ice Cream in a Bag
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. whole milk half and half, or cream
- 1 T. sugar
- 1 t. vanilla extract
- 6 T. sea salt
- 2 c. ice
- Sandwich-sized Zip lock bag
- Quart-sized Zip lock bag
Directions
- In the sandwich sized bag, add milk, sugar, and vanilla. Seal bag tightly.
- In the quart sized bag, add the ice and salt.
- Place the smaller bag inside the larger bag and seal tightly.
- Shake the bag as hard as you can, without popping it open, for 5 minutes or until it reaches the consistency of ice cream.
- Remove the smaller bag and give it a quick rinse to remove any pieces of salt. Make sure you rinse the opening as well.
- Open the ice cream and eat it straight out of the bag with a spoon! You can also add your favorite toppings, fruit or chocolate.
No matter where you find your ice cream — at your favorite ice cream shop, the grocery store or make it at home — we all scream for ice cream in July!
