Season 2014 Preview...

[[IT HAS BEEN COMFIRMED: AS OF FEBRUARY 14TH, JIM'S ICE CREAM BARN HAS CLOSED FOR GOOD AS JIM SOLLOWAY HAS SOLD IT'S BUILDING TO THE HOCKEY COMPANY]]


Long Time No See.  Ice Cream winds down, Rota Springs extends their season to Thanksgiving, Kimball Farms may close Labor Day next year, Signs that Rota Springs may do year round service, and more ice cream stands to open, and talks of Jim's Ice Cream Barn to have it's final season next year before closing permanently.

As Sad as Kimball Farm closed this ice cream down so early this year, there are now rumors that Kimball Farm may not want to go much after Labor Day weekend.  That means no more Indian Pudding from Kimball Farm, and may only have a chance to have a serving or two of apple crisp, as opposed for aiming for 10 apple crisps per fall season.  This shortens the season, and puts an opposite that many people want to lengthen the season.

Rota Springs are doing the opposite that Kimball Farm has been doing...Extending the season till Thanksgiving.  That does about right for an average seasonal ice cream stand.

Bedford Farms, Richardsons, and Jay Gee's (Salem only) remains a year round service.

Now, here's the kicker.  There may be words that Jim's Ice Cream Barn may be closing for good after the next season.  Words may come out, that the reason behind the potential closure of that place may be that Jay Gee's Ice Cream may be blame for the reason.

As it appears, Jay Gee's is clearly visible from this place, which is across the street.  But more people are checking out this place, since Jay Gee's is a more recognizable place, due to it's original fans from the Methuen location.
Of course, sometimes, more recognizable ice cream stands opening up in a location may bury another nearby ice cream stand to the back burner for ice cream fans out there.  But season length and more can also matter, since if there's enough demand on that area and they go year round, this can put a nearby seasonal place out of business.

But also, if Kimball Farms is indeed shortening the season next year to Labor Day, they are just killing themselves out of business.

Banana Splitsomania Quickies 2

Another round of a few ice cream spots lately that I just go through.  Let's just spit out a few more.

SPRUCE POND CREAMERY: Franklin
Open Year Round, it's actually a Pizza and Ice Cream Parlor in one.  It's got about 20 to 30 flavors of ice cream, open year round (Ohhh, are you reading this, Kimballs)?, and even features some fall-like flavors that are also actually served year round.  How about Apple Cream Pie, kind of like Rota Spring's Apple Pie and Indian Pudding.  Now here's something striking: This is a SMALL brownie sundae.  A Large one is three scoops.  That's another excuse for Kimball.  Why do Kimball Farm restrict you with one flavor despite putting three flavors.  Oh well, but in a growing trend of ice cream stands that are opening year round, I do believe that it can have a market.  Oh, and they did a nice paint job making the columns and the parking space stoppers different colors.

FRESHENS: Cambridgeside Galleria Mall, Cambridge
Located at the Duplex Kiosk, this is like an ice cream-yogurt combo place.  About 14 flavors of ice cream, some frozen yogurt, and smoothies.  Generally they sell cups and cones, and it's about it.  A run-of-the-mill mall ice cream kiosk.

THE AMAZON BAR: Natick Mall, Natick.
It's an indoor ice cream stand with about 16 flavors of ice cream, smoothies, and more.  It's got like a tropical Caribbean-type look to the stand.  Serves Banana Splits as well as some other sundaes.

SUNSHINE FARM: Sherborn, MA
It's an Ice Cream/Farm at Sherborn, Massachusetts, where they sell Bliss Bros. Dairy ice cream, plus fruit picking.  The Portions are strikingly actually like 4 to 8 ounces like they serve you a serving of ice cream in a world when ice cream stands serve you big portions.  They are open May through October, which actually they start later in the season and the hours are short..  However, they DO serve strawberry shortcakes there, which are actually better then these served at the Strawberry Festival at Westford.

MEOLA'S WAYSIDE ICE CREAM: Sterling, MA
Located on route 12, this place has 60 flavors of ice cream.  Now it claims to say: "HOMEMADE", but as I notice, it's like a combination of different ice cream places like Richardson's and Bliss Bros Dairy.  In other words, just another run of the mill stand selling Richardson's in the form of banana splits, brownie sundaes and cones.

FROYO SHOP opened down the street from Kimballs.

In a latest string of froyo shops, a new shop, called Sweet Kiwi has opened up down the road from Kimball Farms.  I wander what the reaction Peter Kimball has.  Jay Gee's also demounced the froyo shops when they opened up around that area.

Maybe Kimball Farms could go self serve and maybe try a year-round something.  But yea.  You just can't go to Kimballs from exit 32 without passing up a froyo shop now.

 

[UPDATE] PHOTOS OF SWEET KIWI

 

Help Bring a Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor and Restaurant to New England, especially Eastern Massachusetts.

New England is the capital when it comes to Ice Cream.  Massachusetts has the most per capita ice cream consumption in the entire country.  But after looking at Farrells in California, many people even on FaceBook was begging to put a Farrells in their area.  Certainly, I haven't been there as a kid, but I've been there like...once during my California trip once.

That's one of the central parts of Farrell's.  You eat the trough, and they give you a ribben.  That's a big banana split there, with two bananas, six scoops of ice cream, and three toppings, along with whipped cream and nuts.

Yea, we do have Kimballs, Richardsons, Jay Gees, Rota Springs, and Bedford Farms.  But these top five places now just doesn't cut it, especially after you see this video:

I wander how many people is going to challange the trough or a family of four is going to challange the Zoo or the Volcano.

But anyways, go to Facebook and go on Farrell's Ice Cream and Restaurant and vote to bring it into Massachusetts.  I know it's a long way from California, but Boston needs one.

Oh, yea.  Here's a video on the ZOO!  "SIREN" "SIREN" "SIREN" "SIREN" Now I really want to say: "Yo, Behold!  the Ziggy Pig!  The Greatest Ice Cream Spectacle know to man!

Why DairyQueen Sucks: Kimball Farm vs Dairy Queen, compared with McDonald's

Big name ice cream places are that.  Now, I must first admit that not all big name ice cream places are bad.  Cold Stone Creamery serves up in a way where you can mix one or a combination of base flavers with a bunch of mix ins to create your fantasy ice cream.  That's what cold stone creamery is.  But I want to point you out that people go to dairy queen and are fanboys of it.  Now to bash this up, I want to compare this to Kimball Farm's ice cream, and then followed by McDonald's ice cream.  Perhaps soon, McDonald's will expand their ice cream line to compete with Dairy Queen, in which they are already taking on sub sandwiches.

Dairy Queen has been viewed as an ice cream stand, while McDonald's was viewed as a burger stand.  But now, they are just two joints of fast food places that you mind as well just call them just two competitors, since McDonald's and Dairy Queen has gone to a point where they really blur the line between an ice cream parlor and a burger shop...and a wrap shop...or whatever.

Now, let's compare Dairy Queen vs Kimball Farm.

BANANA SPLITS:

KIMBALL FARM

DAIRY QUEEN

 

Comparing these two, I could rest assured that the Kimball Farm one is much better, as you can select from a total of 50 different flavors, though the default flavers are vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.  They also show specials which are the splits without the banana.  The other thing is that you can choose any three toppings while not relying on the three toppings (Strawberries, pineapples, chocolate sauce).  Now, comparing the volume of ice cream, Kimball Farms is the winner.  Furthermore, they now serve Split Juniors with maybe the future times where they are going to serve Jr Specials.

 

OREO BROWNIE SUNDAES

KIMBALL FARM

 

DAIRY QUEEN

 

That's as much flex you can get with Dairy Queen.  Let's hope you can add some toppings, cause the one above is Brownie Sundae with Cookies and Cream ice cream.  Vola!  A Better sundae with creamier ice cream, and best of all, unlike Dairy Queen which the only brownie sundae you can get there, you can customize your brownie sundae at Kimballs with tons of other flavors.  Hey, make it coffee with Mocha Almond Assult or even a Brownie Sundae with coffee oreo.

 

Now, off to the sundaes themselves.  Compare to Dairy Queen's sundaes, Kimball Farm offers your choice of ice cream as well as toppings.  Dairy Queen?  One ice cream, which is soft serve vanilla.  They used to have chocolate, but they took that away.  Yea, a step back.  You get a choice of like one topping, from bananas to chocolate to peanut butter.  Same thing with Kimballs, but you get to choose an ice cream as well, giving us flexibility to combine the flaver of ice cream to the toppings.  Try coconut almond chip with Hot Fudge.

 

As far as blizzards, I am sure you could create your own custom extra thick frappes at Kimballs with your choice of ice cream, while at Dairy Queen, blizzards are actually just vanilla ice cream with mix ins.  Yea, don't be deceived by it, because they just take vanilla ice cream, mix it with mix ins, and then...well...you just create a gimmick of a menu.

 

But let's put McDonald's versions of the ice creams.  Sure McDonald's don't sell banana splits as of yet (though Sonic does),  but they do serve a few sundaes (Hot Fudge, strawberry, and caramel sundaes), and McFlurries.  Going to burgerking, they do serve brownie sundaes as well as chocolate, caramel, and strawberry sundae, but no blizzard-like treats.

 

However, when I compare them, you could see that you can just get most things at McDonalds then at Dairy Queen.

 

So, I am baffled to why Dairy Queen is the number one place for ice cream.  Maybe is that they grew up as Kids and became fans of Dairy Queen due to intensive advertising, but let's get real.  People who just go to Dairy Queen all the time for ice cream just doesn't know the real deal of Ice Cream is.  A Banana split with nothing but vanilla ice cream?  Blech.  It's just equivlent as this:

 

Yea, mind as well just order a Kimball Farm's Banana Split or a Special with all vanilla ice cream.





Great Brook Farm closed for the second time!

As for how Great Brook Farm went, the stupid DCR closed this place once again.

I did make a couple of trips here last year, and found nothing wrong with this place.

According to the DCR, the public restrooms issue came along.

Public restrooms?  First of all, if that's the case, why don't they just shut down Rota Springs Farm or Kimball Farms Carlisle then.

Stupid pricks.

But the good news, it since reopened...again.

Good, let's hope they start getting off their backs.

Kimball Farm Open for the 75th season!

With a little snow on the ground, that didn't stop this place from completing the 5 ice cream stand opening for the year.

With Kimball Farms finally opened for their 75th anniversery, let us say that the only thing we need is now some lobster rolls and some bumper boats.

But anyways, the Specials are here!  Now some news though.

The prices has gone up quite a bit.  The small or large regular ice creams were $3.90 and 4.45 last year, are now $4.25 and $4.75.  Sundaes are now $5.80, Doubledaes are $6.50, Tripledaes are now 6.85, and banana splits are now $7, up 25 to 35 cents from last year.  But I do believe that because of the drought that has impacted the dairy farmers.

The special was Maple Walnut, Pistachio Nut, and German Chocolate Cake.  It was a bummer that they didn't have any easter themed or any Irish Coffee, so it was as close I can get to a Spring or St. Patrick's Day thing.

Well, guess I stocked up too much, since I have lots of ice cream still leftover from the winter.  But Kimball Farms is now open for the season...well...in 2 weeks when they are fully open.

Is WeAllScreamForIceCream dead?

I have visited the We All Scream For Ice Cream page during some time, and have not received a new blog in a long time.

The last stop for them was Jim's Ice Cream Barn up at Salem NH.  It was there for the last 5 years, and has been to places from Kimballs to Cherry Hill, and lots of other places.

Well, I love you, WeAllScreamForIceCream.  This is my insperation to do my own ice cream stops.

But we hope that WeAllScreamForIceCream would make more stops later on.  If not, then farewell and rest in peace.

SPRUNG! Rota Springs Eternal open for the season!

Wow!  Time went fast.  After 4 short months, Rota Springs opens again for the 2013 season.

It's still winter with snow all over, but this doesn't stop Rota from open up again!

Meatball sub?  CHECK!

However, no indian pudding as of yet.  Blaaah.  Hopefully, they will have it up again soon.

I chose these two specialty flavers, whcih is a Taste of Tuscan (well forget what the real name is, but it's a vanilla base with pretzels, peanut butter cups, and some caramel), and a new Red Velvet Cake ice cream.  Although the description is like chocolate ice cream with red velvet chunks, it looks more like to me a red velvet base.

But anyways, Rota Springs is open for the season...and this ice cream stand has been, believe it or not, open for 15 years!

Kind of interesting to see an ice cream cone with snow in the background...

Anyways, Kimball Farms is slated to open in about 3 to 4 weeks from now!

March means ice cream stands opening up again!

February means ice cream openings just around the corner.

February!  Valentines day!  The great ice cream for this year would be strawberry, chocolate truffle raspberry swirl, or anything that includes cherries, or raspberries.

But it also means that ice cream lovers could count the days now on when the ice cream stands would open.

As far as the great 5 ice cream stands are, Bedford Farms, Richardsons, and Jay Gees are open year round, with the origional Methuin location reopening up on February 22nd (Maybe if Salem NH sells well, they could move the ice cream location to the Family Fun Center and have ice cream and arcades all year round.

Anyways, Rota Springs is opening in just four weeks and Kimball Farms will open shortly afterword.  I've allready made up my mind on what I'm going to have.

At Rota Springs, it's Maple Walnut (Maybe Bacon if they have any) and Indian Pudding (if they still have some), as well as a meatball sub there.

At Kimball Farms, it's a Kimball Special consisting of Maple Walnut (or Bacon), Pistachio, and Irish Coffee, with Hot Fudge and Peanut Butter.

But it's still has a feeling that before you know it, we would be serving Peach ice cream as well as sorbet and then, pumpkin, gingersnap, indian pudding, and before you know it, off season again.

Well, happy last days of the dark days of ice cream!


ICE CREAM SCHEDUAL:

Kimball Farms:
Late March through Columbus Day (leftovers for sale afterword at Westford only)

Rota Springs:
March 2nd through November 3rd

Jay Gee's Ice Cream:
Year Round (Salem, NH), February 22nd through October (Methuin MA)

Bedford Farms:
Open Year Round

Richardson's Ice Cream:
Open Year Round

The Boom of Fro-yo, and what would it mean for Ice Cream

Lots of ice cream stands that are seasonal may be going the way of the blockbuster corner or the bowling ally.  Sure, Kimballs, Richardsons, and other more highly reconized stands may stay and may be like the modern bowling ally today, but that small ice cream stand, maybe even a Dairy Queen ice cream stand may start posting signs saying: "We are closing forever after this season.  Thanks for XX years of service".

:( I will miss you, ice cream stand.

 

Let's face it.  Frozen yogurt is healthier than ice cream.  And with the boom of self serve frozen yogurts, you have more flexibility then the ice cream stand counterpart.  As for ice cream stands, you only have a choice of a fixed size and a few toppings to choose from.

 

However, does it mean that the ice cream days are over?  Not quite.  Ice cream will be here to stay, but certain catagory of ice cream stands, especially seasonal corner stands, may be the ones to worry.

 

If you are a typical ice cream stand today, serving ice cream April through October, you could be facing a so-called "frozen treat" competitor nearby that may be open year round serving healthier frozen yogurt that people can customize themselves.  However, bigger chain ice cream places like Dairy Queen may still be here, but confined to malls and food courts.

 

But ice cream fanatics don't despair.  Not all ice cream stands will be going down and out.

 

Small ice cream stands like Uhlman's and Erikson's ice cream may be facing a rocky future, especially on though who rely on another place for ice cream...

...but Kimball Farms, Richardsons, and other high profile places may be here to stay.

 

So, while minor season April-though-October ice cream stands may face a bleak future, the ice cream as a product will still be around.  It's just that the stands left standing will be the ones that has other things like mini-golf and other foods as well.  It's just that frozen yogurt will replace to some extent ice cream as a regular sweet splurger, while I may still go out sometimes to have some ice cream.

 

Now, I do like frozen yogurt.  It's just that the new concept of self serve fro-yo may finally re-shape the frozen treat industry.