Where does ice cream come from?

Let's talk about where ice cream comes from. We make French style custard which means we need milk, cream, and eggs to make our base. Where does milk & cream come from? COWS! (Or as Cindy of Seven Stars Farm refers to as “The Girls”) We feel very lucky to have created a partnership with Chester County’s Seven Stars Farm, which provides us with the dairy that makes our ice cream so special. As you may remember from our posts last year we have even reduced waste by hauling the milk and cream in reusable metal canisters each week.

When it comes to Seven Stars Farm having a closed herd, it simply means that every cow has to be born & raised on the farm. Biodynamic farms cannot simply replace their cows when they become ill. Longevity is a big focus on the farm, and has been for almost 40 years. Throughout their entire life each cow is nurtured and fed with the goal of reducing the risk of diseases and promoting good quality of life. Most of their cows live to be up to 14 years old, about twice as long as many conventional dairy cows. 

Their herd of Jersey cows that were born and raised on their farm Jersey cows are a breed of dairy cattle that originated on the British Channel Islands off the coast of France (as opposed to New Jersey!) They just so happen to be known for producing dairy that has a high butterfat content (great for ice cream!) & their milk is known for having a yellowish tint (which is why our ice cream is never stark white!). 

Cows are like humans in that they don’t like to be too hot or too cold, so they also LOVE Spring and Fall. On warm days the herd spends their days grazing in the fields, eating a variety of organically grown plants. They even line up at the end of the day, ready to go back inside. When they do, you better believe they line up in order of their self-imposed hierarchy : the lead cows are in the front of the line!