Have you ever tasted real, homemade teaberry ice cream? When I was a child, we discovered a wonderful ice cream shop near the cottage where we spent our summers. It was in the front room of a home on a country road, and while they didn’t carry a lot of varieties, the ice cream was all homemade.
That’s where I had my first taste of teaberry ice cream.
My entire adult life I have been looking for that ice cream. Time after time I would order teaberry ice cream when I saw it on the menu, and time after time I would be disappointed.
The ice cream was always colored a fake pink, and the taste was always disappointing.
Teaberry, also known as wintergreen, is super abundant on the mountain where our family cottage is located. Several years ago, I had a revelation.
I could make my own wintergreen extract and then make my own homemade teaberry ice cream.
Guys. This was the teaberry ice cream for which I searched for 40 some years!
Making Homemade Teaberry Ice Cream
As my experience with trying to find good teaberry ice cream illustrates, ice cream will only be as good as its ingredients. I prefer using raw cream and milk from a good source. This way, my ice cream contains enzymes which help me to digest it. But, yes, the recipe will work with pasteurized dairy.
To be sure the taste of the teaberry extract comes through, white sugar is best. While I love using coconut sugar, honey, and maple sugar in recipes, each of these have a strong taste which will overpower the teaberry flavor.
And be sure to purchase organic cane sugar – if it’s not organic, it is genetically modified.
A good tip to keep homemade ice cream from freezing rock solid is to add some vodka to the recipe. You won’t need to do that here, since you are using several tablespoons of the extract, which already contains vodka.
Homemade Teaberry Extract is the Secret to Fantastic Homemade Teaberry Ice Cream
The secret to this recipe is making your own teaberry extract. I know what you’re thinking. You want to make homemade teaberry ice cream, but you don’t want to go through the bother or the wait of making wintergreen (teaberry) extract.
The reason that none of the ice cream I found tasted right to me was that it is virtually impossible to find teaberry extract commercially that does not contain at least some artificial ingredients.
That’s why the label almost always says ‘Teaberry Flavor’, or ‘Teaberry Extract Flavor’. Those that do use all natural flavors are not all wintergreen but add other flavors to the mix.
To make ice cream, you’ll need an ice cream maker, of course. This is the ice cream maker I use. There are more expensive models on the market, but this works well.
So, are you ready to make the best ice cream you’ve ever tasted? Start with foraging and making teaberry extract!
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Other Yummy Ice Cream Recipes
Homemade Teaberry Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 4 cups heavy cream *
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- pinch sea salt
- 4 tablespoons wintergreen (teaberry) extract **
Instructions
- Make sure that your cream and milk, if using, are very cold.
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Stir thoroughly, until the sugar is dissolved. Work quickly so that the cream mixture remains cold.
- Pour into an ice cream maker, and churn according to manufacturer's instructions for 20–25 minutes.
Notes
Thank you for visiting Learning And Yearning. May "the LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Num 6:24-26
Bobbie says
My favorite ice cream!!! When I was a kid, growing up in Central Pennsylvania, I would forage for tea berries and chew on them. I first had teaberry ice cream at a creamery in State College, PA. Can’t find tea berries out West. 🙁
Susan Vinskofski says
Ah, the Penn State Creamery. My sister went to Penn State and that was a favorite place – I was only there once. I don’t remember if I tried their teaberry ice cream, though.
Unfortunately, wintergreen doesn’t grow out west, but you can purchase leaves to make your own extract!
April Clemens says
I made this and added the recommended 4 TABLESPOONS of teaberry extract and it was absolutely awful. LOL I think it should read TEASPOOONS possibly? It was easy to make and the consistency was great but the flovor was overpowering and had a bitter aftertaste. Would try it again using MUCH LESS EXTRACT.
Susan Vinskofski says
No, tablespoon is correct. Did you use homemade teaberry extract? It is mild and needs the full 4 tablespoons.
Yvonne Faus says
Teaberries were in abundance close to me when I was a child. My favorite of all was when I picked them and my Mammy made a scrumptiousTeaberry CAKE !! it still evokes such wonderful memories….they do not grow where I used to pick them any longer……but a scoop of same flavored ice cream is next best thing!
Susan Vinskofski says
I love how food can bring such warm memories; thank you for sharing yours!!!
Kiersten says
Hello, Susan;
Imagine my delight to have found you on favebook, then discover youre a Believer and Steward of God!
My grandfather had 50 acre old farmstead in Cook Forest, Pa and tended a garden there. Many hours were spent with my feet in the dirt as well as wandering the acreage he made paths through.
I didnt know picking wild teaberries and huckleberries was called foraging, I called it ‘peace and quiet’, and later my sanctum as a teenager as I walked and talked with God and told Him all about the trials of growing up, often lying down in a verdant patch of fragrant ferns.
Spring water was fed to the house that came out cold and thirst slaking, crabapples might have made a good jelly but were better at lobbing at cousins!
The many varieties of pine and fir trees brought a deep comfort when the wind would pass through, but I didnt know they could be foodstuff. Im going to go up and forage some.
Ive always wanted to cultivate gautheria procumbens, but heard it is very difficult. It is abundant in CF as there is much acidic soil due to the evergreen. Do you have suggestions?
Much thanks, and every blessing!
Susan Vinskofski says
Hi Kiersten, what delightful memories you have; thank you so much for sharing with me! I have tried transplanting wintergreen a few times. One time it did stay alive for 2 years. I just tried again this year. When I try I take quite a bit of the surrounding soil and moss, if any. It seems to help.