REVIEW

Woodside Farm calls their ice cream “Farm Fresh,” and this is literally true. The ice cream they make and sell is produced from milk provided by the Jersey cows right here on their farm. This ice cream is extraordinarily thick and dense, with an almost chewy texture. It’s not too sweet, and as it warms up it softens rather than melts into a puddle. The milk from the small Jersey cows on this farm is especially rich in butterfat and protein, and the resulting ice cream, no matter which flavor you choose, tastes most of all of dairy richness. This is among the finest ice creams we’ve ever had the pleasure of spooning into, but its creamy intensity might be too overwhelming for daily consumption.

That’s Fluffer Nutter on top of Pumpkin Pecan. Both outstanding!

This ice cream shop on a working farm offers interesting seasonal flavors: an October visit turned up Cinnamon Apple Pie and Pumpkin, with or without pecans. The Pumpkin Pecan was amazing; the flavors were true, the toasted pecans were crunchy, and we think it would be perfect in a crust for Thanksgiving. (They used to close for the season at the end of October, but these days they remain open Friday through Sunday up until Christmas!) The great Fluffer Nutter combines peanut butter ice cream with swirls of Fluff. You can find Woodside Farm ice cream here and there around Delaware and Pennsylvania, and they make special flavors for some of these locations, and for special events: you might find mushroom ice cream at the Kennett Square mushroom fest, for instance.

The ever-changing roster of flavors evolves with the seasons.

Their website has some fascinating information on dairy farming; it’s worth checking out. Although the Mitchell family has been making ice cream only since 1998, the Hockessin farm goes back to the late 18th century. Today, this suburb of Wilmington is thoroughly developed, but you’d never know it as you gaze upon a field of cows while licking a cone in this bucolic setting.

The take-out shop sits in an old farm storage shed.

Like many farms near urban areas, Woodside puts on special events throughout the year. Farming alone won’t keep them afloat. Today’s event was a scarecrow workshop.

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BEST THING TO EAT: Pumpkin pecan ice cream

Farm fresh ice cream, from the farm’s own herd of Jerseys!