Kentucky Milk and Garden Strawberries

I’m not sure what it is about a dairy, but if there is one in the area, I have to visit it. It might be the memories of my first farm visit in grade school, or maybe it is simply because I like cheese and ice cream so much. There is just something about cows, milk and the family history that warms my heart.

There are two dairies in Kentucky selling their milk locally that I know of. (perhaps more I don’t). I happened to visit one of these last week – Chaney’s Dairy Barn in Bowling Green, KY.

After meeting owner, Carl, we got a wonderful history lesson about the dairy including a tour through pictures that dated back to the 1800s. This is a family dairy in the truest sense of the term. They also raise Jersey’s. In case you are curious, if I had to pick a favorite cow, it would easily be a tie between the Jersey with their big eyelashes and the black and white oreo cows.

The big red barn with the comical cartoon cows eating ice cream cones can’t be missed when you are driving by. It is also set on some gorgeous western Kentucky farmland. The glow at dusk was beautiful.

Once I got home, guess what I found? Yep, strawberries. My husband had already picked several quarts while I was traveling.

With Kentucky milk and garden strawberries, his first thought? Ice cream!

I’ll be honest; I’m a little lazy with my ice cream making. I’ve made more complex ice creams with eggs and a mix of cream and milk, but when I want it quick, I usually just pull out the whole milk. That’s what I did in this case.

I also like to experiment with something other than white sugar and as a result my ice cream isn’t overly sweet. This time I used Demerara. That is a great quick ice cream when you have limited ingredients. However, if you want a super creamy, sweet ice cream you might want to splurge for a more traditional recipe.

That being said, nothing beats a fresh strawberry ice cream of any type. I’ve recently learned that pureeing the berries is the best way to get the strawberry flavor in every bite.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream

Makes: About 10 ½ cup servings

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk
¾ cup Demerara sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup pureed strawberries

Prep

In a bowl, whisk together the milk, sugar and vanilla until the sugar has dissolved slightly. This takes longer with the coarsely grained Demerara.

Turn on your countertop ice cream maker and pour the mixture in. Let churn until it begins to firm up, about 15 minutes. Slowly pour in the strawberries as it churns. Continue to churn and freeze until firm, 5 to 10 more minutes. You can eat immediately for a softer ice cream, or transfer to a freezer-safe container and place in the freezer for about an hour for a firmer ice cream.

Chaney’s Dairy Barn
9191 Nashville Road
Bowling Green, KY 42101
270-843-5567

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