Eat Fresh Eat Local
Nestled in Gloucester County, in Southern New Jersey on Rt. 77, five miles south of Mullica Hill is a slice of classic Americana called Mood’s Farm. Just miles from the blueberry capital of the world, Moods grows the most fantastic blueberries, sour cherries, blackberries, raspberries, apples, you name it! Their fruit focused farm provides the South Jersey and Philadelphia area with some of the tastiest produce, and it is truly worth the wait each year.
As we focus on a seasonal menu for our flavors each year we plan the arrival of our blueberry & cherry flavors based on the farms’ harvest schedule. Sure, we could get fruit from a distributor and make these flavors earlier than the PA/NJ growing season. Eating local & supporting local agriculture and small family farms matters to us, as well as the difference in flavor! It’s true that local peak ripe fruit sourced from farms an hour away from our creamery is worth it.
Mood’s Farm’s fields branch off from its busy market where you can purchase their fruit (& pick your own!), canned goods, and even hot n’ fresh apple cider donuts all year around. With a two minute drive down the road from the market, owner and farmer Richard Mood brought us to the fields of blueberries and cherry tree orchards that were simply gorgeous. The air was crisp and clean, the sky was big and bright, and the plants were happy!
When back at the market we snuck a glimpse behind the scenes during peak blueberry season. Each berry is picked by hand, sorted, and then boxed up to sell to a large variety of customers. Folks like us who buy in bulk to make ice cream, those who love to process and can the fruit themselves at home, and small grocers to name a few. The group of ladies who were running the operation range from 16 to 70 years young and buzz around getting every berry in order.
After we brought the blueberries and cherries to our creamery at Globe Dye Works the kitchen crew immediately got to work. Processing fruit takes time & effort, but in the end the flavor is always outstanding. Blueberries get roasted with sugar & turned into blueberry butter that we use in our BLUEBERRY BREAKFAST scoops and sandwiches, BLUEBERRY MOJITO sorbet and TONY’S BLUE DREAM ice cream sandwiches. This year we’re using our homemade cherry jam from Mood’s sour cherries in our BFG scoops (Black Forest Gateau) plus we’re saving some for future summer flavors as well.
July is an excellent season for ice cream flavors thanks to local fruit. It’s also National Ice Cream month and what better way to celebrate than eating delicious ice cream made from local milk, cream, eggs, and fruit?
