National Ice Cream Day!

By: June Owens

Ahhhhhhhh, perhaps July has the best national day ever. Did you know that President Ronald Reagan issued a Proclamation in 1984 saying, "Ice cream is a nutritious and wholesome food, enjoyed by over ninety percent of the people in the United States." With that, National Ice Cream Day was established to be July 16th of each and every year. To sweeten the moment, he called upon all Americans to observe the event with appropriate activities.

And he wasn’t the only president known for his daydreams being made of ice cream. Thomas Jefferson was a big fan as well. The Library of Congress has his hand-written recipe for vanilla ice cream, said to be first known ice cream recipe recorded by an American. You can read it at here.

As you prepare to celebrate a sweet, cold, and creamy with a chance of sprinkles kind of day this month, here are a few other interesting facts to share with your family and friends.

• Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor in the United States with 29% of all sales being for this classic flavor. Chocolate is the next in the popularity line and if served on a cone, will take about 50 licks to finish. Go ahead … you now have a reason to test the theory!
• The largest ice cream sundae in history was created in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1988.  Two 45-foot semi-trailers filled with 350-pound slabs of ice cream in 63 flavors met up with a 5-ton truck filled with 45-gallon drums of sundae toppings in 6 flavors. An empty swimming pool housed the dessert, and it was topped off with whipped cream, sprinkles, peanuts, and maraschino cherries, weighing in at 24.92 tons (54,917 pounds).
• Ice cream is a big part of the dairy industry with 9% of the milk produced being used for this tasty treat and 1.6 billion gallons per year being served up. Based on national sales, each person in the country would consume 44 pints of ice cream per year. If you don’t eat your share … well, more for me!
• There is such a thing as free ice cream. Ben and Jerry’s employees are able to take home 3 pints every day. Some may want to rethink their current employment.
• Have you noticed a different texture when ice cream melts and then refreezes? The tiny, microscopic air bubbles that keep it soft and fluffy break down and allow air to escape as it melts. It’s a solid scientific reason to simply eat it all in one sitting.
• Nancy Johnson from New York applied for a patent for her ice cream maker in 1843, a hand crank version. Kids today can still enjoy making their own version with the following recipe of Ice Cream in a Bag. It’s a fun way to honor President Regans request from when National Ice Cream Day was first established.

What You Need (per person)

• 1 c half and half
• 1.5 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• Ice
• ¼ c salt
• Ziploc bags – 1 large and 1 small
• Gloves (or oven mitts, towel, etc.)

What You Do

• Pour the half and half into the small Ziploc bag.
• Add the vanilla and sugar.
• Seal firmly, making sure excess air is removed.
• Fill large bag half full of ice and add salt.
• Add small bag, fill with extra ice on top, and seal well.
• Put gloves on and shake for 6 minutes (the salt and ice make this get VERY cold)
• Remove the small bag and rinse thoroughly, being sure to get around the seal.
• Open the bag, being careful to not get any salt inside.
• Stir the ice cream to make it creamier and ENJOY!

So, what are you waiting for? Get the grocery list started! And if you’re looking for healthier options, check out this blog to read a dietician’s perspective on understanding the ice cream nutrition labels. If you want to take it up a notch, do some research on the best ice cream shops in the Dayton area and visit them this month. You certainly can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream. And from my perspective, that’s pretty much the same thing!