Setting aside this unusual winter, we don't usually get a good, deep snow here too often. Upon that first deep snow I remember seeing as a child, my mom introduced me and my brother to Snow Ice Cream. When she told us she was going to make us ice cream, we got really excited. We LOVED homemade ice cream!
She started getting all the ingredients out and setting them out on the table. We expected for her to get the ice cream freezer out next. But instead, she picked up her largest mixing bowl and headed outside! We could not figure out what she was going to do with that bowl outside!
We watched out the window in fixed fascination as she carefully scooped the clean, top layer of snow up and filled the bowl to heaping with it. When she came back in, she had our full, undivided attention. As she worked and mixed she explained to us that the snow must be clean, and only use the top couple of inches. She said that you also had to wait until at least a couple of snows had fallen to "clean the air" and a third or fourth deep snow had come before you could use the snow to make Snow Ice Cream. She greatly emphasized how extremely important this was, because the snow, when it first falls, collects all kinds of things out of the air that we wouldn't want to eat.
By the time she finished telling us all this, our ice cream was ready to eat! It was the best ice cream we had
ever had! And best of all, we didn't have to take turns cranking or sitting on the ice cream maker. We begged her to make a WHOLE BUNCH and put it in the freezer to save for summer, but she said it wouldn't keep. She was right ..... I tried it once when I was an adult and it didn't keep long. It kinda got flat and super hard . . . . . but I had to give it a try.
Every winter, from then on, we begged her to make Snow Ice Cream every time it snowed. And she firmly held to the safety of not making it until after several snows had fallen and then a good deep snow fell. Needless to say, we often went several years without getting our beloved snow ice cream. Many years we were lucky if we got even one dusting of snow.
Then one year we had a really deep snow and our then local weather man, Don Woods, gave out his Snow Ice Cream recipe during a news cast. He was with KTUL Channel 8 news in Tulsa. He gave the same instructions as our mom did....... wait until after several snows have fallen, then make it when a deep snow falls. From then on, every year, every time it snowed, viewers swamped KTUL with calls for Don Wood's Snow Ice Cream recipe. He ALWAYS refused to post the recipe on the air until we had had enough snow to safely make the ice cream. He didn't want to make any kids sick. He would then quickly cheer everyone's disappointment up by drawing one of his extra fun Gusty's and drawing for a winner. When I find his recipe, I will post it here. Don Woods is retired from KTUL now, but if any of you have Don Wood's Snow Ice Cream Recipe, I would love it if you sent it to me!
The Snow Ice Cream recipe I have posted here in my Cook Book Blog is the one I created for my kids when they were small. With 6 of the creative little darlins', the ideas flowed and we enjoyed a lot of delicious variations. Regardless of the recipe you use, I hope you got to enjoy at least one bowl of tasty Snow Ice Cream this winter.
