Ice cream that could make you weep/ don't encourage me.

Christina's Store front at Inman Square, incidentally next to a fine foods and spice shop next door.

Mint steeping in cream for Jeni's backyard mint ice cream!

Jeni Britton-Bauer: ice cream maker with one of her creations

Check out the fabulous album of ice cream making

Well it's surely summer. Here in Massachusetts our six weeks of rain have finally abated in favor of sunshine! Even so, I would have been eating ice cream. In my ice cream adventures (and yes RESEARCH) I've discovered that Massachusetts has a particularly robust ice cream culture and number of shops that make their own confections (from area dairies!).

My mission: try all of the famous and delicious ice creams around Boston. My first trip was to Christina's, an Inman Square favorite with a raft of crazy flavors. I even tried the bacon (but it was too salty, David Lebowitz candies the bacon I think I'm in favor of this route). Alack no pictures, but I will say my haphazard cone of carrot cake and lemongrass was delicious! The carrot cake had great chunks of raisins, walnuts, and carrot while the creamy base tasted like some fresh batter. It wasn't even bad with lemongrass which was delightfully refreshing. SUCESS and cheap! It was $3.50 for my massivo two scoop cone. Check out their excellent flavor list!

Of Boston I'm definitely trying Toscanini's (apparently the country's...or world's best??), Herrell's (who does what Coldstone does but before them..and probably better), and Lizzy's out in Waltham. Of course J.P. Licks is wonderful: their oatmeal cookie and El Diablo (Mexican chocolate) is quite yummy along with their soft serve yogurts.

But why the other pictures? I was doing a newsletter profile for Chefs Collaborative on member Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Oh dear, they are splendid and would be my inspiration for moving to Columbus, Ohio!

Did I mention Jeni and her family are big proponents of the local movement and have encouraged local family-owned dairies? They get all their ingredients from within Ohio (well except for vanilla beans, etc.) and make wonderful standards like strawberry buttermilk and super infused mint along with seasonal treats like cucumber melon cayenne yogurt or sweet corn and blackberry. Suffice it to say I'm so tempted to order their nine pints package..oh dear, anyone want to go in on some ice cream purchases?

My advice to you: try good ice cream whenever possible.

S.