ice cream

Bitter-cold Indiana winters actually aid the nutrients in the soil, so expect our beloved sweet corn to be just right this harvesting season (July to November), making it the ultimate base for this ice-cream recipe from Tulip Noir.

Chef Abbi Merriss and pastry chef Allison Durst at Bluebeard collaborate on kiddie faves with a playful adult twist.

Its eclectic playlist consists of songs by Lady Gaga, Doris Day, Maroon 5, and more. “It’s my ice-cream truck, and I’ll play what I want to,” Patty Timmons jokes.

Whether nestled within a quaint town square or bordering a bustling highway, these treasured ice-cream haunts stand the test of time.

Who better to help us review 30-plus ice creams from parlors across the city than a distinguished panel of experts: the Hancock County dairy club, whose members range from ages 5 to 14.

There might be no such thing as a fountain of youth, but ice cream sure makes you feel young again.

The mom-and-pop ice cream stands of small-town Indiana get a lot of love, and rightly so. Often overlooked, though, are the quaint little Dairy Queen stores that dot city neighborhoods around Indianapolis.

In the small towns around Indy, ice-cream stands are more than just purveyors of frozen treats—they’re touchstones, an experience of sticky fingers and bellyaches passed from generation to generation.

Via @chrisspangle: “It’s so nice to have a Bob Knight scandal again. It really takes me back to my childhood.”

“There are typically three things around when Filipinos get together: rice, bibingka, and karaoke,” says Cassandra Salimeno.

So you’ve munched on corn at the Indiana State Fair and had your mouth set afire by a certain shrimp-cocktail sauce. But what are the modern-day rites of passage? We have answers.

Soft-serve cones are handed out of the window of this tiny hut painted a cheerful yellow. Tenderloins, elephant ears, and other State Fair grub headline the menu.

John Harrison has a job everybody wants. This fourth-generation ice cream lover is the official taste tester for Edy’s ice cream. “It was destiny, I guess,” Harrison says. “This line of work got into me.” His family has been in the ice cream business—making, developing, or tasting ice cream—since 1880, all the way back to Harrison’s great-grandfather. Harrison alone has been tasting and developing ice cream flavors for more than 30 years. The most famous flavor he’s developed: Cookies and Cream. Harrison is traveling the country now to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Cookies and Cream.

Photography by Jennifer Pace