Oh sweet summertime! We truly love the warm weather, long days and time to spend with our family and friends. What have you been up to all summer? Has it been enjoying the lake and rivers of Iowa, traveling with the kids’ sports teams or enjoying local summer events like the community celebration or county fair?
Farmers across the state have been staying busy both on and off the farm this season. Out in the field, farmers have been busy checking soil moisture, crop conditions and always praying for more rain in this dry season. Here at Iowa Corn, we have also been busy visiting with farmers and consumers across the state at a number of local and state events. Always sharing the important work and stories that our farmers are doing to produce a corn crop for all the food, fuel and fiber we need!
Find us this summer at a number of events including the Iowa State Fair on Friday, August 18 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.! Join in the celebration by participating in our scavenger hunt. All you have to do is locate the seven stations scattered throughout the fairgrounds. Be sure to have an Iowa Corn farmer punch your card at each station and once you have all 7 completed, return to the Iowa Corn booth on the Grand Concourse to receive a $5 coupon to enjoy a corn-fed treat at the Iowa Pork Tent, Turkey Grill, Cattlemen's Beef Quarters and Pork Chopon-a-Stick Stands. Sign up to be a Fan of Iowa Corn while you’re at the Fair to sign up to win weekly prizes this fall. We can’t wait to see you!
Ever wonder what farmers are doing in the summertime between planting and waiting for harvest? They are staying busy checking fields to attending county fairs to just hanging out at the lake. Check out what some of our farmers are up to this time of year!
Meet our farmers and learn about their stories here!
Fresh from the Garden or Grocery Store! It’s the time of year when produce isflourishing, and gardens are full. Enjoy these fresh summer recipes with produce fresh from your garden or from the grocery store!
Corn and Avocado Salsa
This versatile corn, black bean and avocado salsa is not only delicious but can be enjoyed in a number of ways. Try it with corn chips or on top of your tacos! Find the full recipe here.
Italian Pasta Salad
Have more cherry tomatoes than you know what to do with? Try this summer fresh Italian pasta salad, extra delicious points for the yummy turkey peperoni in it! Find the full recipe from the Iowa Turkey Federation here.
Wilted Lettuce Salad with Bacon Dressing and HardBoiled Eggs
Nothing beats fresh lettuce from the garden and this recipe only makes it better with bacon! Enjoy the full recipe from Iowa Food and Family Project here.
Hungry for more? Visit our website to see even more corn-inspired recipes!
Ice Cream Road Trip
By Val Plagge
One of my favorite things to do in the summer with my kids is go on road trips, exploring the state of Iowa. While on our road trips, we always seemed to find ourselves wanting a snack and what better summertime treat than ice cream! My kids soon drew a correlation between road trips and getting ice cream so over 10 years ago we decided to make it official and started our own Iowa Ice Cream Road Trip. Each week during the month of June, in honor of National Dairy Month, we visit a different ice cream shop. It has turned into a fun family tradition and a great (and tasty) way to explore the state.
When visiting these ice cream spots, it is fun to learn about where they source their ice cream, how they come up with their creations and what the locals’ favorites are. We have visited several ice cream shops across the state with direct ties to an Iowa dairy farm, which is a lot of fun to make the dairy farm connection.
We often get asked where our favorite ice cream spots are, which is hard to choose but here are a few we have made repeat visits to because we love them so much:
The Whippy Dipin Decorah is a seasonal walk-up stand that serves creamy and rich soft serve ice cream, along with a lunch and snack menu. A neat side note is that they source their milk from a local dairy. You wouldn't expect anything different in Iowa's dairy country!
Ice Cream Recommendation: Cookie Dough Tornado
WW Homestead Dairyin Waukon is owned by two multi-generation dairy families that produce a variety of farm-fresh dairy products including over 30 flavors of homemade ice cream! Be sure to get some of their cheese curds on your visit too!
Ice Cream Recommendation: Around the Campfire and Chocolate Twix double scoop
The Olde Creamery has quickly become one of our local favorites. They make a variety of hard, hand scooped, homemade ice cream flavors at their Garner location daily, to supply their locations in Mason City, Clear Lake and Garner. Ice cream flavors are swapped out often and are varied at each location.
Ice Cream Recommendation: Death by Chocolate or the signature flavors, Mason City’s River City Cheesecake and Clear Lake’s The Big Bopper
The Viking Drive-Inn is a hot spot on the west side of Clear Lake in Ventura and is always full of people traveling by car, boat and bike. Heads up, the portions of their soft serve ice cream are big at the Viking!
Ice Cream Recommendation: a small Black Raspberry cone
Arty’s Ice Cream & Grill in Wilton not only serves fun, creative ice cream dishes, but come hungry and get one of their unique and delicious burgers too! Their soft serve ice cream is creamy and flavorful and comes available in vanilla, chocolate, twist or their weekly specialty flavor.
Ice Cream Recommendation: whatever the "special" ice cream creation of the day is
So no matter if it is June Dairy Month, July Ice Cream Month or just because, visiting any of Iowa’s ice cream shops is a fun way to explore the state and support Iowa’s dairy farmers.
Read about more of Val's Iowa Ice Cream Roadtrip recommendations on her blog here.
Val Plagge is proud to be a 5th generation farmer raising corn, soybeans, pigs and four kids with her husband Ian in Franklin County. She has a passion for sharing with others about farming, family, food and her community, both online and in person. In her free time she loves volunteering, road tripping across the state of Iowa and trying new recipes.
Instant Ice Cream
Want to enjoy ice cream at home and keep your kids entertained at the same time? Try ice cream in a bag! All you need is some cream and arm power to enjoy this delicious treat in just 15 minutes.
What you will need:
2 gallon-size Ziploc® freezer bags
2 cups heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk*
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6-8 cups ice
⅓ cup rock salt
And, your favorite toppings!
Find the full recipe and directions here
