Issues → May/June 2011 → Features → Food Trails: New England's Culinary Legacies →
New Hampshire Food Trail: Ice Cream
by Rachel Forrest
With some 130 active dairy farms producing more than 40 million gallons of milk a year, New Hampshire has plenty of fresh stuff left over to accommodate everyone's favorite traditional summer pastime: a trip to the local ice-cream stand. Most of the state's dairies lie up and down the Connecticut and Merrimack river valleys, but the ice cream itself--spanning flavors from simple vanilla to "Moose Tracks" (a luscious mix of vanilla, fudge, and peanut-butter cups)--may be found wherever your sweet tooth leads, including shops and takeout places that have been using local ingredients in their deliciously chilly treats for generations.
Walpole Creamery
Echo Moon Farm delivers fresh milk daily from rBGH-free cows to this producer and "scoop shop," where local ingredients such as maple and pumpkin are blended into rich flavor. You can watch the ice cream churning right there at the stand, too. 532 Main St., Walpole. 603-445-5700; walpolecreamery.com
Bishop's Homemade
The specialty of this big house is a particular New England favorite: Grape-Nut ice cream, complete with crunchy bits of the earthy cereal within a mellow vanilla confection. Always happy to accommodate, the counter staff will set your cone into an old wooden holder while you pay. Bishop's maple sundae is also a treat to dive into while you relax outside. 183 Cottage St., Littleton. 603-444-6039; bishopshomemadeicecream.com
Memories Ice Cream
Set on a winding country road just outside historic Exeter, Memories offers at least 35 flavors to enjoy while sitting on the porch or wandering around the nearby farmlands. Even the single scoops are big enough to satisfy, but hey, go for it: Try the special flavors, such as "Bananas Foster," with its exotic hint of burnt sugar, or the cinnamon-spice "Apple Pie." 95 Exeter Road, Kingston. 603-642-3737; memoriesicecream.com
Annabelle's Natural Ice Cream
A small shop in the heart of Portsmouth, just across the alley from the harbor, Annabelle's remains an oasis for those who crave high butterfat content. (Whereas most ice creams contain 10 to 14 percent, Annabelle's hits 16 percent, for a richer taste and texture.) The "New Hampshire Pure Maple Walnut" features syrup from local farms as well. 49 Ceres St., Portsmouth, and additional locations. 603-436-3400; annabellesicecream.comThe Sandwich Creamery
You make your way down winding country roads to come here. The buildings are rustic and the cows are right out in the nearby pastures, making this creamery a real farm-to-cone experience. Hannah Road, North Sandwich. 603-284-6675; sandwichcreamery.com
Brick Farm Ice Cream
The Good Humor Man is alive and well and living in East Unity, New Hampshire. On an old dairy farm, the Bragdon family brings back the memories with Randy's 1966 delivery truck, which still plies a route in nearby Newport. Try the wild blueberry, as well as anything featuring cheesecake mingled with fruit. 434 Lear Hill Road, East Unity. 603-863-6732; brickfarmicecream.com
Reader Comments
Comment from Lorraine A Velardi on June 23, 2011
In Connecticut, try Kelly\'s Kone Konnection at the famous Glenwood Drive In on Whitney Avenue in Hamden. Kelly\'s sweet cream and the maple walnut are great! (Lots of kiddy-flavor favorites, too, but I like the old standards.
Comment from Patricia Warren on June 23, 2011
What about Lagos on Rt 1 in Rye?
Comment from Barbara Wright on June 23, 2011
My mother\'s family are all from Rye where I spent every summer growing up. I agree with the Lagos suggestion. I\'m in Ct. now and so far haven\'t found any ice cream locations to compare with those in NH and Vt.
Comment from Carol Benson on June 23, 2011
In Newtown, CT- Ferris Farm ice cream on Rte 302- homemade ice cream with the cows right there! and large portions!
Comment from Susan Reiners on July 2, 2011
How \'bout Kimball Farms in Jaffrey, NH? I think they have a stand in Mass. too. Don\'t bother to order their ice cream unless you\'re VERY hungry. Their baby size is huge, and their huge size could feed a family. I have a hot fudge sundae (some variation on coffee ice cream, please) there for supper every summer. They have \"real\" meals, too.
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