Manchester City Library

Hey, everyone! Did you know that July is National Ice Cream Month? Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month in 1984 and the third Sunday in July is National Ice Cream Day (that’s July 18th this year). Ninety percent of Americans indulge in this frozen treat and America ranks as the first country in ice cream consumption followed closely by New Zealand.  Who knew? 

(Flavor, percent preferring) 1. Vanilla, 29% 2. Chocolate, 8.9% 3. Butter pecan, 5.3% 4. Strawberry, 5.3% 5. Neapolitan, 4.2% 6. Chocolate chip, 3.9% 7. French vanilla, 3.8% 8. Cookies and cream, 3.6% 9. Vanilla fudge ripple, 2.6% 10. Praline pecan, 1.7% 11. Cherry, 1.6% 12. Chocolate almond, 1.6% 13. Coffee, 1.6% 14. Rocky road, 1.5% 15. Chocolate marshmallow, 1.3% All others, 23.7% Source: International Ice Cream Association

So don’t feel guilty about enjoying ice cream this month. If you’re feeling really ambitious you could try making your own ice cream–and we’ve got some nice cookbooks you could use. First “The Perfect Scoop” by David Lebovitz. This book is chock full with new and interesting recipes and this instructions are easy to follow. The pictures are wonderul and calorie free! The second cook book is “Ice Cream” by Joanna Farrow. This book tries some new and interesting flavor combinations and also covers other cold options like ices, sherberts, granitas, bombes, tortes and sorbets. If you have super self control and prefer to celebrate with a movie, check out the 1931 Laurel & Hardy ice cream comedy,  “Come Clean.”  So remember to observe this month “with appropriate ceremonies and activities” by indulging in your favorite flavor.  The only difficult choice will be: sprinkles or jimmies?