Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
July is peak summer.
Pools are packed. Family barbecues fill the evenings. Vacations are underway.
Throughout all of it, there are certain foods that just taste like summer.
Ice cream is one of them.
Maybe it's grabbing a cone from your favorite local ice cream shop after a baseball game. Racing after the ice cream truck as it rolls through your neighborhood. Or testing a new recipe in your Ninja Creami and enjoying the results on the patio.
These simple moments often become the traditions families remember for years.
That's exactly why July is National Ice Cream Month — a celebration of one of America's favorite treats and the dairy farm families who help make every scoop possible.
Every scoop starts with dairy
Before it becomes rocky road, mint chocolate chip or cookies and cream, every scoop starts the same way: with fresh milk and cream.
Those ingredients come from local dairy farms. At the creamery, milk and cream are combined with other ingredients to create an ice cream mix. The mixture is pasteurized, churned and frozen before flavors and mix-ins help create the countless varieties people enjoy today.
That churning process adds tiny air bubbles while freezing the mixture, creating the smooth, creamy texture that makes ice cream so irresistible.
From there, the flavor possibilities are almost endless.
While flavors continue to evolve, every scoop begins with the same simple foundation: real dairy.
The story behind your favorite summer treat
It's easy to think about the fun part of ice cream.
What's easier to forget is where it all begins.
Behind every cone, milkshake and ice cream bar are dairy farmers working every day to produce the fresh milk and cream that make these treats possible.
Unlike many jobs, dairy farming is nonstop. Cows are milked every day, holidays included. Farmers care for their animals and produce high-quality milk that eventually becomes everything from cheese and yogurt to one of summer's favorite desserts.
Support local this summer
One of the easiest ways to celebrate National Ice Cream Month is by supporting local.
That could mean stopping by your neighborhood ice cream shop for a cone after dinner or choosing a Utah-made brand during your next grocery trip.
Utah is home to several well-loved ice cream brands, including Farr Better Ice Cream (Ogden), Creamies (Hyde Park), FatBoy (Richmond), Heladita (West Valley City), BYU Creamery (Provo), Aggie Ice Cream (Logan) and Smith's Ice Cream (Layton).
These are just a few examples. Across Utah, local creameries, neighborhood scoop shops and regional brands help create the unique ice cream culture that makes summer even sweeter.
Whether you're visiting your favorite local shop or discovering a new flavor at the grocery store, choosing local helps support businesses and the dairy farmers who supply them.
Five fun ways to celebrate National Ice Cream Month
National Ice Cream Month doesn't need to be complicated. Sometimes the best celebrations are the simplest.
- Visit a local ice cream shop you've never tried before.
- Build a DIY ice cream bar with toppings for your next pool party, birthday celebration or family reunion.
- Make homemade ice cream or experiment with a new recipe in your favorite ice cream maker.
- Create your own family taste test by picking up several local brands or flavors and voting for your favorite.
- Blend up an old-fashioned root beer float or milkshake and enjoy it on the porch after a summer barbecue.
However you celebrate, the best part isn't necessarily the ice cream itself.
It's the memories that come with it.
Because while flavors come and go, ice cream has remained one of the tastes of summer for generations—and chances are, it'll be part of your favorite memories for years to come.
To learn more about dairy and the farm families behind your favorite frozen treats, visit DairyWest.com.
