No. 3 Real Maple Ice Cream

 Although today’s weather was not what you think of  when going out for ice cream - 40s, overcast and raining, New Englanders will tell you that any day is great for ice cream. In fact, New Englanders on average eat 50% more ice cream per person than the US average. Arethusa Farms, right here in Litchfield,  uses locally sourced milk to make some delicious  ice cream and cheese. In fact in 2023 they won the top prize at the US  Cheese Championship, which is pretty amazing when you think of all of the artisanal cheeses being produced throughout the US. This time of the year in New England is also when maple trees are tapped and the sap is used to make real maple syrup. So  each spring, Arethusa  Farms uses locally made maple syrup and locally sourced milk to make delicious maple walnut ice cream. Last week someone mentioned it on the local Facebook page, so I figured I better try some while I am here.  It was great - especially paired with a scoop of chocolate chocolate chunk in a waffle cone. If you are in the area, you have to stop in - you won’t be disappointed.



Interesting fact - it takes on average 40 gallons of sap from a maple tree to make one gallon of maple syrup, although the ratio will vary depending upon the sugar content of the sap.

Comments

  1. Matt AudibertMarch 7, 2025 at 3:24 PM

    Feel free to send some of that back to Dallas

    ReplyDelete
  2. APMarch 8, 2025 at 7:31 AM

    Looks so good!!! Agree with Matt - bring some back!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

No. 5 Bienvenue a Paris

Image
 After a smooth 7 hour flight from Newark, I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport late yesterday morning. Unfortunately it was very foggy, so I couldn’t see the beautiful French countryside that one usually sees when flying into Paris. The computer system for immigration wasn’t working correctly which caused very long lines, but eventually I got through and proceeded to my hotel which is in the 6th arrondissement. Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements, with #1 being where the Louvre is located  then numbered in circular clockwise rotation, until you get to the outside edge of the city. So instead of using the name of a neighborhood  to identify a location as is usually done in the US, Parisians use the number of the arrondissement. The 6th is where Luxembourg Gardens , a very large beautiful park  is located and what makes it so nice is that  it is close to many of the attractions and museums, but  more residential and less touristy, especially the resta...
Read more

No. 7 Amazing Restoration of Notre Dame

Image
 I was told by several people that if I wanted to get into Notre Dame Cathedral I should go  early on a weekday morning. So I got there about 9 AM and it only took about 10 minutes to make my way through  the long winding barricades and enter one of the most famous cathedrals in the world. Given the pictures of the fire and destruction inside, I was struck by  how things had been completely restored and how bright and clean everything is. This is due to a combination of new lighting and the fact that many walls and windows hadn’t been cleaned in decades. A tour guide mentioned that toothbrushes were frequently  used to meticulously clean many of the surfaces. Perhaps most striking were the   two huge  stained glass rose windows which are on the east and west sides of the cathedral. They  are over  40 feet in diameter and date back to the 1720s. Miraculously, other than  the smoke, they suffered very little damage and the colors were just...
Read more

No. 9 Getting Around in Paris

Image
When I am in Paris, I try to walk as much as possible as there is so much to see. However, when the distance is too far or my feet have gotten tired, I will  usually take a bus  so I can continue to see the sights, but this can be slow, especially during peak hours. The other major option is the metro (subway) which is easy to use, but most of the lines are underground. A ticket for the bus or metro is about $3 and is good for 2 hours, allowing you to make connections. There is also a water taxi for points along the Seine. There is also the option of taking a taxi, but here to you have to be careful. Taxi drivers are notorious for telling you  it is a flat rate  ( which is illegal) to where you are going, when in fact the meter charge would be much lower, They also find innovative ways to add fees to the meter charge. Uber is also a very popular way to get around for those who like to uber, which I am not.  One other option is to rent a bike. During the  la...
Read more