Something new!

Drove up to the quiet corner this morning and played a round of mini-golf at Tee Rex mini golf in Thompson and thoroughly enjoyed the course. After a riveting game we drove to the quaint farming town of Woodstock where we found a unique creamery at Valley Side Farm that has been in existence since 1819.

The Creamery is a vital part of an active dairy farm that produces on site a variety of products including beef products, bottled milk, cream, yogurt, sorbet and “sky” which are all available in the Creamery. The ice cream they sell is from two well-known local establishments…We-Lik-It from Pomfret and Ekonk Hill Turkey Farm in Sterling.

Skyr is an Icelandic variety of yogurt that is strained and light and refreshing. I tried a half pint of amaretto chip skyr and Maureen had triple berry chip skyr and both were light, creamy and delicious!

Now I know what will be my first meal the next time I am in Iceland…Skyr!

The power of the Press?

Ended the holiday weekend with a trip to Rich Farm in Bristol, which is an interesting city that has a mixture of farm land, suburbia and industry. This is one of three Rich Farm ice cream farm stands around the state and the ice cream is every bit as good as the creamery in Oxford.

What made today special was the chance to see my good friend Annette, her husband Lew and their adorable daughter Jordan. Rich Farm has a wide variety of flavors including the basics and some genuine specialties. We chose a variety of flavors from Maureen’s German chocolate brownie on a hand pressed waffle cone. Annette had caramel swirl on a waffle cone while Lew enjoyed some sweet cream on a sugar cone.

Jordan and I went with coffee milk shakes although not without some hand ringing. I usually add a scoop of chocolate to my shake but at first they couldn’t do two flavors but after a few minutes the nice young lady Haley came back and said they would be happy to add the chocolate. I suspect they realized this was not a big challenge and not the mention of the ice cream quest that I blog about that persuaded them.

Like the mothership, Rich Farm makes an ice cream with 17 percent butter fat that makes it rich and creamy delight and worth the trip to Bristol.

Bristol is Annette’s home town and this was a place known then as Minor’s Farm, that she visited throughout her childhood and then recently with Jordan and Lew until they were recently acquired by Rich Farm. Judging by the traffic and location, I would say they are off to a good start!

An old school ice cream parlor

On a Sunday afternoon Maureen and I ventured north on a drive to central Connecticut in search of ice cream and discovered an ice cream parlor which is situated in the middle of an oxbow on the Farmington River.

Much to our surprise they have 18 holes of family friendly mini-golf. After a riveting round we enjoyed some tasty pleasures on the porch of the ice cream parlor.

The ice cream shop has the feel of an old school ice cream parlor with spinning stools overlooking the course with lots of flavors and delectables. They sell a commercial product called Bliss Ice Cream from Attleboro, Massachusetts. They have about 35 different flavors, a variety of cones, cups, shakes and malts. I had a thick and creamy coffee milk shake while Mighty Mo had Kahlua chocolate chip on a sugar cone.

If your looking for an enjoyable afternoon on a hot and steamy day or just about any other day, checkout Farmington Miniature Golf & Ice Cream. You won’t be disappointed!

Lots of lumps and bumps!

This afternoon Maureen and I went on a drive east to the small town of Bozrah to Knolls and Holes Mini Golf which is at the Odetah Camping Resort. It is early in the camping season and there were very few people in sight and we had the golf course to our selves. The course was surprisingly difficult and challenging with lots of lumps and bumps to carom our golf balls all over the place.

We got our game in despite the threat of rain and looked forward to some Icy delight. Unfortunately their dairy bar is not open for the season yet but their Camp Store had lots of Hershey’s ice cream products in their freezer. Hershey makes a variety of pre-packaged products from freeze pops, drum sticks, cups to ice cream sandwiches.

Mighty Mo and I both had Andes Creme de Menthe ice cream sandwiches which were light and refreshing and hit the spot. If you are looking for a nice spot for some fun with your family try Knolls and Holes. Just watch out for the Lumps and Bumps!

Only 49 towns to go!

Maureen and I have entertained ourself during Covid by driving around Connecticut and visiting each town. My goal was simple, to find an ice cream establishment in each town, while Maureen is looking to visit Main Street, a historic site or the center of town.

Today we drove around the northwest parts of Hartford County and stumbled upon Tulmeadow Farm Stand in Simsbury. Tulmeadow has been selling ice cream since the nice young lady at the ice cream window said since she was four years old in 1994. Their ice cream is made on the farm and they have quite the wide variety of flavors including lots of basics and some daily or weekly varieties.

They sell cups, cones and shakes and today I decided to try something new…well not exactly new but not a coffee shake. I had a scoop of maple walnut on a sugar cone while Mighty Mo had coconut, chocolate chip on a sugar cone. Both were good to the last lick but the coconut chocolate chip was delish! Nice and creamy and tasty, tasty, tasty!

Simsbury was the 120th town that Maureen and I have visited and she only has 49 to go! If your driving around lost in northern Connecticut or looking for a nice farm stand try Tulmeadow Farm in Simsbury. You will be pleasantly surprised. I know I was.

A visit to the mothership

A trip to Maine would not be complete without a visit to Skowhegan to Gifford’s Farm Stand for ice cream and mini golf. In my quest over the past two years Gifford’s has been by far the best commercial product. Gifford’s has been around for about forty years and serves about 100 flavors and concoctions.

Our trip this year started with an email request for information from Gifford’s hoping there might be a creamery in the motherland of Skowhegan. Despite a friendly exchange with Teresa no creamery or tours of the dairy exist. Gifford’s does source all their cream locally at a number of different local dairies farms.

On a warm 70 degree spring day Gifford’s was hopping. We jumped at mini golf first and saved the ice cream for a reward and I was 3 under par by the way, ha ha! By the time we finished our round the ice cream stand was swamped but people were being respectful and practicing good social distance.

Lots of options at Gifford’s. The basics are…well not that basic. Maureen had chocolate lover’s chocolate with chocolate cookie and chocolate crunch inclusions. I stuck with my standard coffee milkshake with a scoop of chocolate. Both did not disappoint and were rich and creamy and tasty till the list lick or sip. Just how I like my Gifford’s!

If traveling to Maine don’t miss a chance to visit the mothership and enjoy a round of mini golf!

A little bit of heaven…

Okay stopped at Honeycone Cream Co. in Chester on the way home from a riveting game of mini-golf and gave into my urges and had a flight of ice cream…yes FLIGHT! Had the five ice cream flavors plus Guava Chip. (Thanks Renee for the suggestion.)

The raspberry swirl was surprisingly fruity, not in a fake fruit syrup kind of way but with large chunks of raspberry. The lemon thyme was tart while suttle and smooth. Earl Grey was actually my fave but kind of hard to describe. The baklava was extremely sweet where as the date sesame brittle was oddly refreshing.

There is something unique and special about this place and their milky delights. Nothing about their ice cream is standard, basic or run of the mill. Each bite, lick or sip is an explosion of flavor. I look forward to the day we are without masks so I can see the people who make this little bit of heaven.

As you can tell I am a big fan and some might say I’m getting bigger by the moment from all this ice cream! Now, if I can just find a cure for an ice cream headache on a 33F degree day!

Check them out…you won’t be disappointed.

Continue reading “DOUBLE BONUS: Honeycone Cream Company, Chester” →

Free Bridge Tours

Made our first trip of the spring to Wallingford for ice cream at Sweet Cream’s. What a pleasant surprise for a warm spring day. Sweet Creams is in a small building next to Vinny’s Roast Beef & Deli.

Sweet Creams’ is a small place with minimal seating inside and a couple tables outside. They had Covid practices in place and limited the number of patrons inside. And we felt comfortable the whole time.

They make their own ice cream and have a variety of basic and novel favors. Cups, cones, shakes, floats and cakes are all on the menu and you can get pints and quarts to go.

Mighty Mo had a chocolate-raspberry-Oreo sundae with homemade whip cream and a cherry on top. The chocolate was good but the raspberry flavor was sweet and tasty. Myself had…drum roll please...a coffee milkshake with a scoop of chocolate, which was a good start to the ‘21 season. The ice cream was rich, creamy and refreshing for a spring Sunday.

If your looking for a Sunday drive check out Sweet Cream’s in Wallingford and enjoy a bridge tour with your ice cream!

A surprise at the lake…

While running our typical Saturday morning errands today we took a diversion and drove north through some beautiful farm land in North Guilford. As we were driving Maureen pointed out a farm stand and an ice cream cone that caused me to take an abrupt turn to Lake Side Farm Stand.

A cute place that is a working farm and has a nice country store that serves ice cream year round. Their ice cream is a Hershey brand that uses local dairy products to make their ice cream. They have a wide variety of flavors, all the basics and some crazy concoctions. Maureen had a coconut chocolate chips with almonds on a sugar cone, while I had a scoop of maple walnut on a sugar cone. Both were fantastic on a warm fall day.

If your looking for a break and something different to do visit the nice people at LakeSide Farm Stand for a cup, cone or shake. I know I will be coming back!

Opened 24/7!

My good friend Laura Miller-Cozean recommended this new place for ice cream in the quaint village of Chester and I must admit it is fantastic.

Honeycone Craft Ice Cream is three weeks old and if I had to bet it is here to stay. It sits nicely on Main Street, next to the Pattaconk Bar & Grill and just down the street from Pattaconk Ice Cream. The staff is friendly and welcoming with staff dressed in Halloween costumes. While we were eating our heavenly treats, their was a steady stream of customers coming and going.

On first glance it looks like all the basics are present but their ice cream is anything but basic. Maureen had a chocolate dipped sugar cone with chocolate orange ice cream which had a rich, creamy chocolate taste with an orange finish. Since I could not have my traditional milkshake I opted for one of my faves—maple walnut in a cup. The maple walnuts are sourced locally with a splash of maple syrup from a Middle Haddam (Connecticut) sugary. Because the picture on Facebook looked so good, we bought an ice cream sandwich with ginger molasses cookies and pumpkin spice ice cream for dessert.

As we were sitting outside enjoying these treasures, one of the owners stopped by and asked our opinion and told us they will be opened 24/7…eh year round, which is just fine with me. If you need a fix this winter head to Honeycone in Chester.

Fore!

Today Maureen and I took a nice “Sunday Drive” to the north central part of Connecticut in search of ice cream, mini golf and Mo’s quest to visit a historic site in each town in Connecticut. I would say we were three for three today in the quaint Farmington River town Canton.

We have enjoyed a nice Covid diversion this summer by seeking out mini golf courses all over the state. Matterhorn Mini Golf in Canton is only six years old but truly a stand out with an interesting and challenging layout, staff who speak in character and add a bit of flavor to the site.

Also a nice surprise was the soft vanilla ice cream with multiple swirl flavors. I had mint swirl flavor and Mo had (drum roll please) chocolate swirl flavor. I’m sure there are other ice cream places in Canton but nothing will have quite the charm as Matterhorn Mini Golf.

Fore!

No coffee!

Maureen and I spent a couple hours touring the Naugatuck valley this afternoon on her 169 town quest to visit a historic place in every Connecticut town. Along the way today we drove through the beautiful rural town of Bethany, which has many stables and horse farms to see. It also has Billy’s Ice Cream & Marketplace on Amity Road.

Billy’s is a nice quaint place that is more than an ice cream shop. They serve a product from The Big Dipper, which is an ice cream shop in nearby Prospect, Connecticut. They have a wide variety of flavors and all the basics…cone, cup and shakes. They offer hard ice cream and soft serve and also sell ice cream cakes and gourmet ice cream sandwiches.

With no coffee ice cream, what to do. I went for a chocolate milkshake with hard ice cream while Mighty Mo went for soft chocolate on a sugar cone with chocolate sprinkles. The shake was nice and thick and smooth on a hot 90F+ day while Maureen enjoyed her soft chocolate on a water cone.

If in the area I strongly recommend a stop at Billy’s. You won’t be dissapointed!

Just as smooth as it gets!

Enjoyed a nice July day driving around northwestern Connecticut with my buddy Jim Fregeau. Along the way we stopped at Rich Farm in Oxford, a beautiful small town on the north side of the Naugatuck valley. Rich Farm is a working dairy farm that has their own creamery. Cards on the table this was my fourth or fifth visit to Rich Farm and it hasn’t disappointed yet.

We arrived about 15 minutes after they opened and the line was 25 deep. Full Covid protection in place and all customers and staff wearing masks and practicing social distance which was nice to see. The ice cream place is a nice rustic building with multiple windows, which sits adjacent to a beautiful barn with two large silos.

Take out only but they have quite a few benches and tables to enjoy this “rich,” creamy delight. They have a wide variety of flavors, all the basics and some special concoctions, cups, cones and milkshakes. I had the old standby…coffee milkshake with a scoop of chocolate. My shake with absolutely delightful. Jim, who is the biggest non-stop comedian on the planet, had a vanilla chocolate swirl milkshake which he described as “real smooth” and tasty.

Once known for being one of the least expensive places around I was surprised to find the prices to be a bit high for the serving size. That said I would not miss out on a visit to Rich Farm!

Now open!

On my way back from a trip to Watertown, I stopped at Carvel Ice Cream in the center of town for a treat. I was joined by my good friend Lynn Jones, aka LynnJones.

Carvel is a well known chain throughout the northeast United States. They serve their own hard and soft ice cream and have a whole bunch of fixins.

Miss Jones had an Reece’s peanut butter cup sundae while I had a coffee milkshake with a dollop of chocolate soft-serve ice cream on top. I have to admit it…it was better than I thought. The chocolate soft serve floated on top and added a nice twist.

Carvel in Watertown was completely following Covid-19 procedures for Take-Out. They had six-foot lines on the sidewalk for spacing. Ordering was from a side window protected with a plastic window and credit card machine outside. Pickup was around the corner. And the staff were friendly and helpful and other guests were enjoying an outing too!

Just to be clear…zoom on the cell phone camera is a good thing!

Two thumbs up…

Enjoyed a nice two hour hike at Bigelow Hollow State Park in Union with my good buddy Bill Colehower. Bigelow Hollow are was a place my brother and I would visit with grandparents when we were kids so this trip brought back a lots of memories.

After our hike we drove over to an iconic Union restaurant, the Travelers that had a unique specialty…bring a book, take a book. The Travelers offers a nice menu and ice cream by the cup and as milkshakes. Bill passed on ice cream but I had a very nice, rich, creamy and thick chocolate milkshake. The Travelers serves Giffords ice cream, a nice commercial high-quality product. Despite the Covid-19 precautions the staff was friendly, pleasant and helpful.

Although Billy boy passed on ice cream he tried my shake and broke out into a big grin and gave me two thumbs up!