It’s Time to Celebrate Ice Cream Month!
Let’s celebrate ice cream!
Many activities have been cancelled during this pandemic, but don’t let that stop you from celebrating National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day on July 19!
Ice cream seems to make everything better, as we witnessed when ice cream sales increased by 45% in March. When the going gets tough, Americans reach for comfort foods, and ice cream is a quintessential comfort indulgence. After all, money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy ice cream and that’s basically the same thing.
So, how can you celebrate this national ice cream month? We have some ideas to get you started.
If you’re comfortable leaving your home, there are ice cream shops that have figured out a way to open their stores and still comply with social distancing protocols, and with the recent closures, these shops still need your support! Just in time for National Ice Cream Day on July 19, we have updated our crowdsourced Oregon Ice Cream Trail for 2020. Open the map, connect the dots, and check out some open shops near you. You could even plan an ice cream-themed road trip!
In select communities where county fairs have been cancelled, the Oregon Dairy Women and Wilco have partnered to deliver some happiness in the form of ice cream. Many Oregon State Fair attendees look forward to the Oregon Dairy Women’s soft serve ice cream every year, so this year the Oregon Dairy Women figured out a way to take their famous State Fair soft serve ice cream on the road with the “Red Barn on Wheels.” They will be set up in Wilco parking lots across the Willamette Valley and will be open most weekends in July and August, Friday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Money from their ice cream sales and tips will go to support dairy education programs in Oregon. Check out the Oregon Dairy Women Facebook page to see if they will be visiting a Wilco near you! And may we recommend you try the delicious Marionberry Milkshake?
If you’re not comfortable going out, ice cream can also be delivered straight to your home! Check out this article for ice cream deliveries available in the Portland area.
Or, maybe after you finish making your 130th sourdough bread, you’ll want to try your hand at making ice cream. It’s much easier than you may think!
You can make it in a couple of zip top bags, with ingredients you probably already have in your home, or with an ice cream machine.
It’s a great opportunity to try new flavors like the Loganberry ice cream Guernsey Dairy Mama recently created. Don’t forget to add your favorite toppings of berries, chocolate, or sprinkles!
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Have you tried a new flavor during the pandemic? Let us know in the comments on our Facebook page!
Oregon Dairy and Nutrition Council 