Because Sandy is striking hard along the east coast, here are tips to protect your stock during a power outage.
Set your freezer to the coldest level and stock it up with ice if you still have power. This way, the ice cream will stay frozen longer during longer periods of power outage. If your freezer is set at the coldest level prior to the power outage for a period time, your ice cream could last for 3 to 5 days without power. The ice will also extend your life of your ice cream.
Also, remember to keep your freezer door shut after you use it.
On this days before Hurricane Sandy strikes, but maybe not as harsh as Irene but still a strong storm for New England (The Power crews are getting better prepared for this but I am still vigilant and prepared to buy some eatra ice to protect my ice cream stock from spoiling), I have another monster in my hands. The Monster mash is a pink ice cream with chips and other chocolate stuff that's mixed in.
For you all fans out there of Rota Springs, well, october is nearing it's end and next weekend will be the last weekend they will be open. Still, it's more apropriate time, since the closure is after Halloween, and ice cream really winds down during the month of November. Bedford Farms and Richardsons are open year round. That, on top of that I have a large stock of ice cream should be enough to get me through until Rota and Kimball opens again next March (Around March 9/10 for Rota Springs, Third Week of March for Kimballs).
Anyways, after my usual Meatball Sub (Yea, who hates these at Rota Springs, especially when they come from grass-fed beef), I had a specialty flaver, which is Monster Mash.
It sure does looks like Strawberry with Chips in it. But one thing's for sure, I problably remember that this thing tasted from a cross between cotten candy and strawberry as far as the base flaver. But the mix ins are problably cake or brownie bits or oreo cookies mixed in.
It's an ice cream stand that makes their own ice cream, have their own dairy cows that make the cream, and has a long list of flavers. On this friday, the days before Sandy strikes, and the day when Kimball Farm closes their ice cream shops for the season, I came out to this place, simply because many people talked about this place, including a 90-year-old man who's been here since he was 7 years old.
Furthermore, The Phantom Gormet was here at this location praising Richardson's Ice Cream, and putting this on the top 8 spot of ice cream places across New England. When they say, 70 flavors, they weren't kidding. That's however, the total flavers including all the ice cream, sherbet, sorbets, yogurts, and much more. Now, counting the flavors of ice cream alone, there is 53 of them. That's NOT including the featured flavors, which I had today, which was Pumpkin and Apple Crisp. The other one, was Death By Chocolate, but more on that later on.
Richardson's ice cream also features a driving range, 36 holes of mini golf, and a batting cage, similer to what Kimball Farms has. But here's one thing that's striking about it, which Peter Kimball needs to listen up about this. These outdoor activities are actually run year round! As long as there's no snow, the mini golf and driving range is open. So, if it's January, and there's no snow, well, there is a chance that the mini golf course is open, unlike Kimball's mini golf, which is closed after a week after Columbas Day, regardless of the weather. However, in Richardsons, it's actually run by a third party company. However, I do admit that the Mini Golf place here isn't as intense as the one in Kimball's, but it's cheaper here (12 dollars for both courses as opposed to 18 dollars for both at Kimball's.
Now, I'm also surprised that WeAllScreamForIceCream hasn't reviewed this place yet, but I could say that they may like this place, due to it's enviornment in the back and that there's tables that are right next to the pasture where they hold calfs.
Also, the ice cream (yes, Kimball Farm, are you listening?) is open year round! They keep the windows open during a nice day, and they still serve your sundae indoors when it's snowing outside. The only time that they are closed during the winter is Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Speaking of my ice cream, I went back to Banana Splits, and ordered Pumpkin, Apple Crisp, and Death By Chocolate. Now, here's one thing Rhichardson's done right. The Apple Crisp, unlike the one at Jay Gee's doesn't have all that acess cinnamon taste, and tastes more like an Apple Crisp with the tastes of apples and crisps in it, like it's supposed to taste like. Mind as well on Jay Gee's to just buy the Apple Crisp from Richardsons here then making a horrible Apple Crisp ice cream. The Death By Chocolate is that, Chocolate with various chocolate stuff in it. Kind of like their brand of Bedford Farm's Chunky Chocolate Pudding, Kimball Farm's Chocolate Chocolate Truffle, and Jay Gee's Chocolate Overlord.
Now, as you may also notice, they prepare the ice cream in much the same way as Kimball's does. There's some difference though. On a small, you can actually have two flavers, which one flaver fills the cup, and a second flaver as the scoop on top. The banana split, shown above, is actually the same way, which there's one scoop of ice cream on top of two more scoops. The difference, is that they actually put the whip cream on the sides and three cherries on top, and that they put it on a plastic bowl instead of a #200 savaday tray.
Now, to end this off here, many ice cream places actually get their ice cream from this very place. The list includes but not limited to:
Sprinkles - Boston MA
Dairy Delight - Malden MA
Mad Willie's - Framingham, MA
Ice Cream Lady - Douglass, MA
Flint Farm - Mansfield, MA
Berlin Farms - Berlin MA
Jimmies - Roslindale MA
Robbie's Place at Crystal Caves - Auburn MA
Tasty Treat - Ashland MA
Mack's Ice Cream - MA
Castle Creek Adventure Land - Salem MA
Well, if there's any more ice cream places here that aren't listed, I can put that on the list.
Now, the only thing bad about this place is that there's no country store, bumper boats, or arcade, but I think that the arcade is just dated to me, and the sub and pizza shop next door makes up for the lack of a country store.
FORCAST: Kimball Farms, Jim's Ice Cream Barn, Rota Springs, Reasons to be Cheerful, and lots of other places could be in trouble as aggressive tactics by Ben and Jerry's, Baskin Robins, and Cold Stone Creamery, and even Walmart could overtake them within the next 5 to 10 years.
For now, Rota Springs and Kimball Farms are safe for now, but the inevitable thing is that commercializtion could lead to the dark shadows over these places. What's happened to these farm stands that were wiped out by supermarkets and hypermarkets could soon be true to the ice cream department. It could just take one baskin robins or one cold stone creamery, plop it down right next to an independant ice cream chain, and then the new people driving to that location will reconize that chain more then the independant ice cream chain, and ultimately, newer generations won't be comming to that parlor, and as a result, that independant parlor or stand having a last ice cream season before closing for good.
Kimball Farms may HAVE to go year round sometime in the future. Put Baskin Robins or Cold Stone Creamery right near by, and the future could yield that people may reconize these big chain stores more, leading to fallen sales and (ultimately), a permanent closure of this place (at least at the ice cream stand anyways. But one thing's for sure, if Kimball Farms expands to winter activities (like celebrating the holidays and opening up a permanent structure housing a restaurant, celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas and making winter attractins while still selling ice cream in the winter, then this place may have a chance to survive in the future.
Now, the good news that the days of "seasonal" opening and closing may be soon become the thing of the past, as baskin robins and cold stone creamery are all "year round" places unlike Dairy Queen and the independant ice cream stands and parlors. The bad news is that we could lose more and more small chain ice cream stands. But the rule of the life is: adapt to the new reality or die. That's why Fairway Bowling at Route 9 had gone out of business, because they refused to adapt to the new modern world, unlike surviving bowling allies today that is supplimented with another thing. A Boston ice cream parlor has a bowling ally in it, while the Lanes and Games has a casual restaurant and an arcade that is acting as life supports for these places.
Well, I know. Rota Springs is closing November 4th. Kimball Farms has closed for the season, though, you can still get some stuff at the country store (but no Ice Cream :( "Grrrrh, Why don't they do just a few flavers in the country store cafe during off season?...ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY HAVE HALF GALLONS AND I CAN'T ORDER A CUP DURING THAT TIME") But, here's a tally of flavers I stocked up for the season:
KIMBALL FARM: Pumpkin Gingersnap
Molassis Indian
Pudding Banana Chocolate Mint
Oreo German Chocolate Fudge Peanut
Butter Butterfinger White
Russian
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Peppermint Stick
Frozen
Pudding
Kahlua Crunch
Cookies and Cream
Mocha Almond
Assault
Pistachio Nut
Cherry Vanilla Chip
Chocolate Raspberry
Swirl
Sugar Free Maple Walnut
Chocolate Truffle
Peanut Butter
Chip
Malted Moo Crunch
ROTA SPRING FARM:
Indian Pudding
Egg Nog
Apple Pie
Monster Mash
Note, the blue colored flavers on Kimball Farm is season, while the bold ones are featured flavers. The brown one was available only in half gallons. I may get a quart of Rota Springs Indian Pudding, since I may be there one or two more times till they shudder for the season. It's quite ironic, since November 4th also marks my end of my fall vacation.
[UPDATE: Pitch and Putt and Driving Range has closed. Half Gallons in basic and Banana and Butterscotch is available in the country store]
Well, it's over. Muaa, muaa, muaa. Well, it was another year. Well, I really do wish that Peter and Mike Kimball would at least serve ice cream in the country store in cups rather then be restriced to half gallons of ice cream. Well, a couple of bright spots. The country store (and the cafe) is open through the winter, and I can still order a nice breakfast sandwich and pastery there, or even order a luncheon sandwich to take to a park. I am still not thrilled at the idea that they just quit selling ice cream and they claim it's because of "demand", while I was there and the lines at the ice cream stand was still long. It irks me, since they have a cafe store running, and they sell half gallons while they just don't even bother to open the boxes and use them to serve the customers a cup of ice cream while there eating a sandwich. Also, there's a bakery shop called "Crumbs" opening up in the Natick Mall, so I can try out combinations of pasteries and ice cream and make some creations so that I can get you Kimball Fans through the winter and wish that they can concider keeping this place open for a bit longer. Better yet, I wish the activities like bumper boats and the driving range would still be run until the first weekend of November, about when Rota Springs Eternal closes.
And at least, I did stock on plenty of ice cream to prepare for the closure. The list includes:
Pumpkin Gingersnap Molassis Indian Pudding Banana Chocolate Mint Oreo German Chocolate Fudge Peanut Butter Butterfinger White Russian
Chocolate Peanut Butter
Peppermint Stick
Frozen Pudding
Kahlua Crunch
Cookies and Cream
Mocha Almond Assault
Pistachio Nut
Cherry Vanilla Chip
Chocolate Raspberry Swirl
Sugar Free Maple Walnut
Chocolate Truffle
Peanut Butter Chip
Malted Moo Crunch
(Blue flavors = season, Bold = featured flavers. Brown = Featured flavor only available in half gallons)
Now, let's go at next year's preview:
SCHEDUAL
WESTFORD
ICE CREAM: Opening March 26th, End of production on October 14th
BATTING CAGES, ARCADES, MINI GOLF, BUMPER BOATS: Opening March 29th/30th, Closing October 20th
DRIVING RANGE, PITCH AND PUTT: Opening March 29th/30th, Closing November
GRILL AND SEAFOOD SHACK: Opening March 29th, Closing October 14th
LANCASTER: Opening March 30th, Closing October 14th (Country Store closes in December 24th) CARLISLE: Opening March 30th, Closing October 14th JAFFERY: Opening March 30th, Closing October 14th
PRICES:
Kiddie: $3.90, Small: $4.10, Large: $4.65
Sundae: $5.65. Doubledae: $6.50, Special: $6.75, Banana Split: $7.00
Half Pints: $4.65. Pints: $6.00, Quarts: $9.00, Half Gallons: $9.00
(Please note: This is my price speculation, so this may be different by next year)
There is about a 30 to 50 percent chance that the give-me-five will go up to $35. However, it will be slashed by 10 dollars on the final weekend of activities.
[UPDATE] I did talk to the person from Animal Adventures after the show, and he said that rumors were in fact flying around for a few years. There IS more expansions planned in the near future, though HOPEFULLY, service of limited ice cream off season, which is more important now then a new go kart track. As far as the go kart rumor, it hasn't been truely conformed as of yet.
There's been a spot on Facebook about the "road" that's being build next to Kimball Farm, and that the "mysterious road" may be another parking lot in the forming, and that it could also lead to another attraction being in place.
Jamie Patton said something about go karts. I will speak to them about this.
