It’s no secret that in Massachusetts, we love ice cream. According to Thrillist and Food & Wine Magazine, the Bay State has some of the best ice cream shops and artisans in the country to service this bottomless desire.
At the heart of this love is the reality that Massachusetts produces quality ice cream as a result of our exceptional dairy farmers. As the reverence for “fresh and local” continues to fuel the food world, so we see local artisans like the folks at Bart’s Homemade and Richardson’s Ice Cream looking to their local dairy farmers to ensure that they are putting in the best ingredients to get the best possible end product.
Bart’s Homemade is a fixture in Massachusetts, started in 1976 by Hobart Smith in Northampton, and was purchased by Barbara Fingold and Gary Schaefer in 1981, who are still running the show. Their dedication to creating great ice cream comes from their amazing focus on what goes into it. Their website states “Buying local means more than just buying food and other products and services from businesses in your town. It means patronizing the places that, in turn, are committed to bettering your community”, and it is a credo their company thrives on. They helped to form a dairy cooperative in Western Massachusetts to support the hard working farmers that provide the essential base of their product: the milk.
Most recipes call for heavy cream AND milk, and they are the bedrock of any good icecream. When you are getting your dairy from a trusted local source, the end result is the better for it. This mentality of Bart’s Homemade is echoed in Richardson’s, another Massachusetts ice cream powerhouse begun by the Richardson family in 1952. The flagship store in Middleton sits on their family dairy farm, and runs on the milk provided by their 370 cows. The proof of how important that is to their product is in the taste. Which is fantastic.
Massachusetts’ ice cream obsession begins with a dedication to the local farmers and the amazing work that they do. It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when the deliciously cool treat is dripping down the side of the cone in the summer heat, but perhaps it should be. We owe a lot to our artisans and farmers who work hard to provide this addictive summer necessity.
Be sure to come get a taste of some of Bart’s sweet treats on September 14th at our Boston Local Food Festival!
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