As if you needed another reason to enjoy a big bowl of ice cream.
June is National Dairy Month and a great time to celebrate the milk, cheese and, yes, ice cream produced by our North Carolina dairy farmers.
North Carolina has 46,000 dairy cows that produced 115 million gallons of milk in 2016. The top milk-producing counties are Iredell, Randolph and Yadkin. Want to know where to find fresh, local N.C. dairy products? Check out this interactive map and enter your city.
Or, if you want to try making your own big bowl of ice cream, check out this classic recipe from the 1992 Agricultural Review for ice cream custard.
Ice Cream Custard
- 6 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 6 eggs, well-beaten
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Combine all ingredients except vanilla. Cook over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture coats a metal spoon. Cool slightly, stir in vanilla. Chill several hours or overnight. Pour custard into freezer can of ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer’s directions. Scoop ice cream into plastic container with tight-fitting lid. If you like your ice firm, put it in the freezer for several hours or overnight.
Variation: To make chocolate ice cream, combine 4 to 5 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa with sugar; mix well before stirring in milk. Proceed as directed above. If adding fruit, chop fruit to desired size and add right before freezing.