Pleasant Living Magazine

My earliest ice cream memory starts with a full-on dash. It’s summer in North Carolina, I’m four years old, and only my front yard, a ditch full of sticker-burrs and a few inches of pavement lie between my bare feet and the ice cream truck. The rest of the neighborhood kids have the same goal, so within seconds of pulling to a stop, the truck is engulfed in a swarm of small bodies and outstretched hands. Everyone has their favorite; mine is a green-chocolate-coated, vanilla ice cream bar shaped like a frog’s head, complete with sugar-dot eyes. I tear off the cellophane wrapper and bite into the brittle chocolate, just as beads of sweat start to break out across the green shell.

For mysterious, grown-up reasons, my parents and the other adults in the neighborhood rarely partook of the truck’s bounty, though they’d gladly steal a bite or two off ours—the “ice-cream tax” they called it. They preferred “regular ice cream,” by which was meant the kind that came in a bowl or a cone and did not have eyes. We children weren’t so particular; if it was cold and sweet and could take our hands, face and shirts from clean to sticky in under ten minutes, it was heaven.

These days, ice cream trucks have gone the way of fireflies; they’re still out there, but they’re fewer and farrer between. And as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to agree with my parents that ice cream tastes better when it doesn’t come wrapped in plastic. I’ve also come to appreciate ice cream for more than its tangible qualities.

There is, for instance, the noise that accompanies ice cream: the jingle of the elusive truck; the “I Scream for Ice Cream” shouts and wails; the dramatized and desperate pleading; the “hmms” as people toy with sample spoons, deciding; the “mmms” when they find that special flavor; the lip-smacking; the flirtation; the laughter.

There’s also the way ice cream plays with our hearts. It wins us to it at an early age, so that we spend the rest of our lives associating it with the carefree days of childhood. When we take a lick or a spoonful we’re feasting on memories, whether our own or those we’ve borrowed from older generations, books and movies. It’s the taste of shiny, 1950s ice cream parlors, hot summer nights and the kind of youth that lasts well beyond adolescence.

Is it any wonder that when the days grow warm, our taste buds start yearning for that special treat? Plenty of beverages can cool you down, but only ice cream­—so fleeting that we must focus on it intently to keep it from dripping away—can ground us in the moment, making us, momentarily, utterly happy.

Fortunately for readers, Pleasant Living has determined that ice cream destinations are alive and kicking in Virginia's River Country, and we’ve gone on tour to bring them to you.

Refreshing Taste with an Authentic Irish Heritage

Magners Irish Cider, the only authentic hard cider imported from Ireland, is pouring into Virginia, offering a premium quality cider with a unique Irish heritage just in time to quench summer thirsts. Local residents on the lookout for something refreshing to kick back with at the end of the day can find Magners Irish Cider in both 11.2oz 6pk bottles and on draught.

Magners has a crisp, refreshing taste with a great balance of sweet and tart flavors. It has been produced since 1935, validating its lasting appeal. Magners is 100% naturally Gluten free, providing refreshment for the more than 3 million US consumers who cannot drink beer. Magners has 4.5% alc./vol and only 125 calories per 11.2 oz. bottle.

“Following the enormous consumer success throughout the United States in the past several years, we’re excited to add Virginia to its growing market list,” said Kevin Murphy, US Marketing Manager, Wm. Magner Inc. “You’ll likely see Magners being served “over ice” a popular Irish tradition that has caught on in the states.”

Magners is being introduced to bars, restaurants and retail off-premise outlets throughout Virginia and can currently be found at Penny Lane, River City Cellars, Total Wine, Keagan’s Irish Pub, Jake Quinn’s Irish Pub and Harris Teeter, among other locations.

Magners is made from juice derived from 17 varieties of apples that are specifically chosen for cider production. It has many similarities to wine, including the production and fermentation process, providing many uses in the kitchen and outside on the grill, where its subtle flavor is a perfect ingredient as well as a complement to many dishes.

Cider-making is still considered a “craft” and the title of “Master Cider Maker” is hard earned through decades of experience.  A Master Cider Maker takes great care to ensure the highest quality cider, from the moment the apples are harvested until the final drop of cider is bottled.

Traditional cider-making skills are used in the production of Magners Irish Cider, including the same presses that were used to make Magners 70 years ago. This heritage and dedication to quality has helped to make Magners an overwhelming success in Ireland, Great Britain and other countries in Europe and around the world. More information about Magners can be found at www.Magners.com.

In our September/October 2009 issue, our own Dan Gill, Ethno-Gastronomist, penned a piece on Brown Beans.  Here's an addendum he passed on to us.

After I wrote about brown beans cooked mountain style, I tried to find heritage beans similar to the “shelly” beans pioneers and Indians lived on in the mountains of Virginia. Some of the old varieties have been collected and preserved but none are commercially available. Then I discovered that the ancient Anasazi beans were being grown commercially in Colorado. I ordered some to try and found they were much better than pintos or other available varieties.

The Anasazi Indians were cliff-dwelling Pueblo peoples in the “Four Corners” region, which includes part of New Mexico and Colorado. Anasazi means “ancient ones” in Navaho. They flourished about 1,300 years ago and then mysteriously disappeared. One story goes that explorers found a pot of these beans in the long abandoned cliff dwellings and were able to grow them. Not only do these beans taste better than most varieties, they also cook quicker and contain less than twenty-five percent of the problem carbohydrates of other beans and they are therefore “socially acceptable.”

Cooking: Anasazi beans do not have to be soaked prior to cooking, so you do not discard the water-soluble nutrients and flavor components. Pick them over for rocks and other foreign matter, put them in a pot with plenty of water and bring to a boil (you can also use potato water or un-salted stock for added flavor. I also add a teaspoonful of kelp powder). Reduce the heat and simmer at around 190 F for two to three hours, or until they get fairly tender. Add some salt pork, such as fatback, ham hock, bacon or jowl and continue to simmer for another couple of hours until they attain the desired tenderness and flavor.pl

Visit Something Different Specialty Foods and Deli for more uncommon (and delightful) cuisine!

Sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem artichokes) and blue potatoes make a creamy, healthy fall dish with this recipe. The Jerusalem artichoke—not from Jerusalem or an artichoke—is a species of sunflower native to the much of the United States. The tuber, or root, which looks like ginger but acts like a potato, makes its way into kitchens, and is a good source of potassium, iron, fiber, niacin, thiamine, phosphorus, and copper. Blue potatoes, originally from South America, are especially valuable for their high level of antioxidants.