UPPER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — Another Lehigh Valley dairy farm has been added to Pennsylvania’s Scooped: An Ice Cream Trail.
Flint Hill Farm Educational Center, 1922 Flint Hill Road, this year became the fourth stop in the Valley.
There are 51 stops on this year’s trail, a joint effort between the state Agriculture Department, the Department of Community and Economic Development's tourism office and the Center for Dairy Excellence.
“We're very blessed to have it — it has brought people from all parts of Pennsylvania to visit us."Kathy Fields, owner of Flint Hill Farm Educational Center
“We're very blessed to have it — it has brought people from all parts of Pennsylvania to visit us,” said Kathy Fields, owner of Flint Hill Farm Educational Center. “I didn't realize it was such a really dedicated group of people that run around with the Ice Cream Trail. I had no idea.
“And then we met these people that travel all over just to taste ice cream. So, it's quite exciting.”
‘Makes summer even sweeter’
In its eighth year, the trail is focused on celebrating local creameries across the state while driving business during the summer months.
“Pennsylvania ice cream is the sweetest you’ll find anywhere,” Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a news release announcing this year’s trail.
“Meeting a farm family, seeing where they work their magic, and trying fresh-made local ice cream makes summer even sweeter when you know your purchases help support Pennsylvania farms and keep our economy thriving.”
After signing up to participate in the trail online, participants accumulate points by visiting trail stops and buying ice cream. The trail runs through Sept. 7.
The prize for six stops is a commemorative metal tumbler. At 10 stops, participants can enter into a grand prize drawing to win an overnight stay on a Lancaster County farm.
Participants can redeem points from 16 trail stops to earn both the tumbler and an entry to win the grand prize.
“With 99 percent of our state’s dairy farms being family owned, the Ice Cream Trail is a fun way for families from Pennsylvania and beyond to actually meet the dairy farm families who work around the clock, 365 days a year, to produce delicious dairy products and farm-fresh ice cream,” said Emily Barge, communications and marketing manager for the Center for Dairy Excellence.
In addition to Flint Hill Farm Educational Center, Lehigh Valley stops on the trail include: Batch Microcreamery, 2845 Center Valley Parkway in Upper Saucon Township; Crystal Spring Farm, 3550 Bellview Road in North Whitehall Township; and Klein Farms Dairy and Creamery, 410 Klein Road in Forks Township.
Chocolate, vanilla, maple balsamic
The ice cream flavors at Flint Hill change according to what's available.
"It isn't like going to a bigger place where they have consistent flavors all the time," Fields said.
In addition to more traditional flavors, like chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, Flint Hill also features more unique ice cream types, like maple balsamic — all are made in small batches.
They’ve also partnered with Lost Tavern Brewery and Black River Winery, respectfully, for beer and rosé flavored ice creams, Fields said.
Through the partnership with the brewery, the farm has created a “complete recycling service,” she said.
“They make beer, and then the waste, or the mash, it's recycled back to us for our cows to eat, [which then] produce milk,” Fields said. “It goes back to making the ice cream.”
The milk for the ice cream comes from Jersey cows.
“Jersey milk is one of the most digestible milks, and it also has a high fat content to it,” she said. “We make our recipe here at the farm.
“It was put together just for our farm by the Penn State food program – their ice cream specialists over there helped us put our own ice cream base together. So, every farm that makes their own ice cream makes their own ice cream base with their own recipe.”
In addition to ice cream, the farm also offers frozen yogurt, cheeses, breads, eggs and milk, for sale.
“Bring your children, bring your families,” Fields said. “We have goats and sheep and chickens and ducks, horses, rabbits – they are welcome to say hello to our happy animals.”
For more information, go to Flint Hill’s website.
