In The Moooooood for Ice Cream

In the summer nothing can be better then good, cold, ice cream. We were not the only ones that thought so as we stood in the long line at Cows Creamery on Prince Edwards Island. Even though Cows Creamery is a bit of a tourist attraction these days it is a big part of the island community. They use island dairy only; Amalgamated Dairies Limited (ADL), is the island’s largest producer of  milk, cheese, and butter.

Fresh is best and local is the only way to go.  Both residents and restaurants work hard to support their farms and make sure everyone knows it! Islanders beam with pride when they tell you that their dairy comes from ADL.

Pastures are all over the place and house beautiful dairy cows. With a lot of land to graze and plenty of space, the cows seem very happy. Happy cows make good milk–good milk makes great product.

ADL got its start back in the 1950’s when there were many small dairy producers throughout PEI.  Unfortunately, they could not be totally relied on, if your local place ran out of milk or butter you may have had to travel to the other side of the island to get what you need. This is not a big deal during the lovely summers, but in winter the conditions change quite a bit. These small dairy producers joined together to create ADL, so that they could better serve their community. ADL works to distribute the milk made on PEI throughout the island year round and also now shares their special products with other parts of Canada.

Everywhere on PEI you will find ADL products such as milk, cheese, butter, and ice cream, and we were able to try many of their products during our visit. In North Rustico Harbor (where our Aunt Karen and Uncle Stephen live) at Amanda’s Diner and while visiting some of their friends in New Glascow we got to have ADL ice cream as a treat.

At Amanda’s Diner, Brian and I both had cookies and cream ice cream. Brian got his with butterscotch sauce on top and Stephen had grape nut (yes, like the cereal) ice cream. In New Glascow we also enjoyed ADL vanilla ice cream that was topped with island strawberries. The tart, soft berries combined with smooth, melting ice cream which created this delightful dessert. It was great, rich and silky and not overly sweet.

Cows is another ballgame all together. They also are proud to use island dairy which is being made by islanders themselves!   James Powell of Raspberry Point Oysters has a second job working at the creamery when he is not out on the boat tending his oysters.

Cows serves ice cream with a 16% butter fat and, unlike most commercial ice creams, they do not add air into the finished product, this produces a thick, rich, and pure-in-flavor ice cream.

Brian had a milkshake that was made with more island milk. He had it made with Oreo ice cream and oh, was it good!  I liked it a lot, and the milk that was used tasted so milky.

I had a small scoop of vanilla that was soft and creamy; it also had a strong milk flavor. I know it silly to say “it is more milky” and “strong milk flavor” but it is true!  Regular store 2% and such seem watered down when compared to a higher fat content and the freshness of a batch it can really change the mouth feel, it’s heavier and creamier.

I also had a scoop of PEI Blueberry; they make a puree of wild berries and also tossed a ton into the mix. It was delightful and I was happy to be getting another taste of the local farms. The ice cream was not too sweet, and had clean blueberry flavor, as though I was having cold berries with cream, yum.

Local people making ice cream with local cow’s milk, it just can’t go wrong.

We love supporting the areas that we visit and PEI makes it easy,  they just don’t offer much that isn’t from the island. The residents of PEI are so passionate about their island and are proud of how well they take care of it and each other. By buying local they are keeping the local economy going and making it possible for farms to grow fresh fruits and vegetables, and of course, to raise cows! Everyone takes pride in this special place and would be happy to share its bounty with you when you visit.