This summer has been averaging 1 to 3 degrees hotter than previous summers on our farm. That doesn't sound like much...until you realize that we spend a lot of time working outside and I'm still stubbornly avoiding air conditioning. (Mark has AC in his man cave.)

Long term, we're pondering all kinds of passive-cooling systems. Short term, the solution was obvious --- an ice-cream maker!

This little machine makes a great product...as long as you put in a little TLC during the freezing process. Unfortunately, the procedure isn't set-it-and-forget-it. Instead, it's necessary to run a firm spatula around the inside every three to four minutes during the course of the freeze cycle.

Without that step, you end up with ice cream stuck so hard to the nonstick surface that you can't pry it loose and end up having to slowly but surely scoop it into your mouth as it thaws. Oh, the hardship! No, Mark, that's not what I'm doing while you're cooling off in your man cave. Really....

Ahem, anyway. In case you're interested in following suit, I'm still using a slightly modified version of this recipe. Mark got sick of mint and I realized I could downgrade the chocolate chips a bit (although not much or the consistency goes off). The final recipe for use in a two-quart ice-cream maker includes:

• 6 cups rich goat milk (divided)
  
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cocoa
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of dark chocolate chips
• 6 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

See the previously linked post for cooking instructions and be sure to cool overnight before tossing in the ice-cream maker. The end result is soft-serve consisetency, so Mark and I like to ladle the contents into eight individual-serving containers and put them back in the freezer for 12 hours before eating. Enjoy!

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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