This year's Miss Martha's Ice Cream Crankin' was once again an ice cream lover's dream, with scoops of frozen treats in just about every flavor imaginable. As in years past, there were several crankers with similar ideas (several pistachio flavors this year, for example, though all very different) along with some truly unique flavors. There were also the old reliable crankers: past years' winners and contestants sampling crowd favorites.
I tasted a lot of great ice creams this year, and among my favorites were a lemon cheesecake, vanilla ginger snap, dulce de leche crunch (I make sure to get this every year), wildflower honey, glazed donut [sic], pistachio, and a pecan praline. I also really liked the Cheerwine ice cream, "Calvin's Key Lime Covenant" (with bonus nonedible portrait of John Calvin himself), "Dipped Chip Hooray" (chocolate-covered potato chips with maraschino cherries), and a root beer float ice cream. My daughter was a big fan of "Halloween in June," which was crammed full of candy as well as a really good lemonade ice cream.
Lemons, peaches, strawberries and blueberries were common ingredients, but there were ice creams made with some unusual flavors, including sassafras, butternut squash, black walnut and sweet potato pie. There were also a number of ice creams that added a bit of heat, with cinnamon and other spice and even sriracha. "Freeze the Bern" made its statement with dark chocolate ice cream filled with red hots.
But ultimately, the prizes were awarded to just a few. No doubt judging was difficult with such a strong group of contenders. Here are the winners, including some familiar names (past winners):
Best of Show
Alex Vorhaus, Perfect Praline Palooza
Vanilla Based
1. Alex Vorhaus: Perfect Praline Palooza
2. Sherry Herman: Sensational Strawberry Swirl
3. Oscar Williams: Root Beer Splat
Chocolate Based
1. Andy Kramer: Dark & Spicy Road
2. Amy Alley: Very Very Raspberry
3. Lee Anne O'Brien: Halloween in June
Other
1. Roger Conner: Pistachio Surprise
2. Anne Williams: PBJ Razz
3. Mayme Lee Lawrence: Blueberry Breeze
I really enjoyed the top winner, Perfect Praline Palooza, so fingers crossed that Purity will be able to produce the flavor for next summer. Keep an eye out for it, but in the meantime, last year's winner, Zesty Lemon Snap, is on shelves now.
