July is National Ice Cream Month, a culinary celebration designated by President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
About 9% of all milk produced by U.S. dairy farmers is used to make ice cream. According to the NPD Group, a global market research firm, America’s top five flavors are: vanilla (30%), chocolate (10%), butter pecan (4%), strawberry (3.7%) and chocolate chip mint (3.2%).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that whole-milk ice cream accounts for most frozen dessert purchases, (62.4%), followed by low-fat/nonfat ice cream (25%), frozen yogurt (4.4%), water ice (4.1%), sherbet (3.4%) and other (0.8%).
Most of us purchase ice cream in supermarkets (as opposed to scoop shops), so be sure to buy organic brands. My favorite flavors include:
- Straus Family Creamery’s Organic Raspberry Ice Cream
- Julie’s Organic Blackberry Ice Cream
- Green and Black’s White Chocolate with Strawberries Ice Cream
- Humboldt Creamery’s Killer Caramel Ice Cream
- Stonyfield Farms’ Vanilla Chai Ice Cream
Pair any of these flavors with a Let’s Do Organic Ice Cream Cone, and you have a no-fuss summertime dessert.