Bicycle racing fans may have heard about Race Across America. It is billed as the "World's Toughest Bicycle Race". The endurance race spans the entire United States covering over 3,000 miles. If you were to drive this distance in your car it would take you more than a week. Race Across America (RAAM) is 30% longer than the Tour de France. This year four women whose average age was 50 years old became race legends as they set a new course record for their 4-women team age group. Not only that, these women smashed ALL 4-women transcontinental bicycling records making the crossing in 6 days, 11 hours and 34 minutes!

 

    The team's name reveals part of the secret to their success. They are the "4RAWMILKCATS" One of their sponsors for the RAAM was Organic Pastures Dairy. Organic Pastures provided the 4 women with plenty of fresh, raw milk and cream throughout the race. Instead of recharging with a sports drink in between turns the women guzzled plenty of raw chocolate milk!

 

    Lest you be surprised that ultra endurance athletes can be record breakers while drinking full fat, fresh, raw milk you need to turn to those wonderful traditional people studied by Dr. Weston Price. In his visits to Switzerland he observed sporting events as part of their annual celebrations. Dr. Price wrote "Each village has its own special feast days of which athletic contests are the principal events. The feasting in the past has been largely on dairy products. The athletes were provided with large bowls of cream as constituting one of the most popular and healthful beverages, and special cheese was always available."

Real Ice Cream

 

    This basic vanilla ice cream recipe is delicious as is but can also be jazzed up with many variations to make as many flavors as you can imagine. The recipe makes about one quart which fits perfectly in our countertop electric ice cream maker. If you have a larger ice cream maker you can easily multiply the amounts to make more ice cream. The superior nutrition of this ice cream comes from using the best quality ingredients you can find. Raw cream from grass fed cows and raw egg yolks from hens who live on pasture will give you ice cream so full of vitamins you won't feel guilty about having dessert!

Basic Vanilla Ice Cream

3 egg yolks from pasture-fed hens

1/2 cup real maple syrup

1 Tablespoon of non-GMO cornstarch or arrowroot powder

1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract

3 cups of cream, preferably raw but not ultra-pasteurized

 

    Whisk together the egg yolks, maple syrup, cornstarch and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the cream and gently stir until all the ingredients are combined. Pour into your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's directions.

Ice Cream Variations

 

    chocolate chip Just before the ice cream is done add 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips. Be sure you use a brand without artificial ingredients. We like Sunspire brand.

 

    chocolate Add 1/4 cup Dutch process cocoa powder to the egg yolk mixture before you add the cream. Whisk very well to dissolve the cocoa before adding in the cream. The most delicious cocoa powder around is Penzey's High Fat Dutch process cocoa. If you don't have a Penzey's store nearby you can order it here.

 

    maple walnut Add 1/4 tsp of maple flavoring along with the vanilla extract. At the very end of the churning add in 1/2 cup crispy walnuts or lightly toasted walnuts. Frontier makes an all natural maple flavoring that works well in this variation.

 

    strawberry Crush 2 cups of fresh strawberries in a food processor. Add the berries to the egg yolk mixture and change the vanilla extract to 1/2 tsp almond extract if desired. Reduce the amount of cream to two cups. Stir well and taste. If your berries aren't very sweet you might need to add a Tablespoon or two more of maple syrup. Freeze as directed.

 

    Invent your own I hope these variations have inspired you to try making homemade ice cream for your family. Use these variations to help you come up with your own family favorite and then write us a note to share your new flavor! Use the contact information on the About page to tell us your great idea!