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from the issue of July 15, 2004
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It's Not Summer Without A Trip To The Dairy Store
BY MARY JANE BRUCE, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Cantaloupe and Jolly Rancher flavors aren't on the menu, but you can order bananas foster, strawberry-rhubarb or mango. An East Campus staple for more than 80 years, the University of Nebraska Dairy Store serves up batches of ice cream in a variety of mouth-watering flavors year-round.
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| | | Norah Blow of Lincoln tries to eat her chocolate chip ice cream cone before it melts July 9 at UNL’s Dairy Store on East Campus. Norah's grandmother, Linda Anderson of Lincoln, took her to the store, which has been a UNL staple for generations. Photo by Brett Hampton.
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Some ice cream flavors don't pass the taste test - the cantaloupe ice cream was too chunky, and the Jolly Rancher was too tart. But others develop a loyal following.
"We don't change our formulas for butterbrickle, Karmal Kashew and lemon custard because people who tasted it 20 years ago expect it to taste the same now," said Laurie Keeler, manager of the pilot plant at the Food Processing Center. "We work hard to balance traditional ice cream favorites with innovative flavors and new product trends."
Ideas for new flavors come from many sources. Mango ice cream was developed at the request of a customer. Employees, including food science and culinary students, often have ideas for new flavors or they develop a Nebraska version of an item they saw in a dairy case somewhere else. The Dairy Store is also working on products that address diet challenges, such as a no-sugar-added ice cream and non-dairy sorbets.
But for pure, decadent pleasure, Keeler said the store's premium ice cream, made with 12 percent butterfat, doesn't disappoint. Fans of the Dairy Store make a point of returning often and sometimes go to great lengths to enjoy their favorites. Margarita sherbet was shipped to Wisconsin for the wedding of a Nebraska native, Keeler said, and several customers have commissioned gallons of their own special flavor to serve at birthday parties.
The Dairy Store also creates ice cream flavors commemorating special events. A mint ice cream with several types of chocolate pieces became 4-H Clover Mint marking the youth organization's centennial. An anniversary celebration for IANR led to the creation of an ice cream called Anniversary Apple Cinnamon Pecan Pie. The Dairy Store also makes seasonal flavors, such as the pumpkin pie ice cream that appears on the menu around Halloween.
Summertime means flavors like peach, strawberry-banana and cheesecake are available, and there's even a cotton candy recipe that appeals to children. Chocolate and vanilla are always good sellers, and strawberry is another favorite. But don't mess with the color.
"If we don't add the red coloring and serve white ice cream with strawberry pieces, the customers don't like it. They expect it to be pink," Keeler said.
A dairy plant has been part of the UNL campus since 1917, and ice cream production probably began around 1923. The dairy plant and store offer experience and jobs for students studying food science and provide equipment for class projects, labs and research projects.
Today, the Dairy Store freezes about 15,000 gallons of ice cream in the summer and over the years has offered well over 200 flavors. When they experiment with a new flavor, Keeler said they make a small amount to start with because they've learned it's hard to get rid of the mistakes. But that doesn't happen often. Not surprisingly, plenty of people in the building are willing to take part in a taste test and offer feedback on new flavors.
Speaking of those flavors, Keeler said she's thinking about trying a chocolate zucchini ice cream based on an employee's recipe for a cake. But there are some flavors you'll never see in the dairy case.
"Someone actually requested tuna fish ice cream," she said. "That's never going to happen."
About the Dairy Store
The Dairy Store is at the south entrance of the Food Industry Complex building off the East Campus Loop. It is open in the summer from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-8 p.m. Sundays. Ice cream is sold in pints and quarts or served in regular cones and waffle cones, malts, shakes, sundaes and the Dairy Store's "Husker Blitz," which blends ice cream with candies and flavors.
The store offers "happy hour" specials from 2:30-3:30 p.m. and 6:30-7:30 p.m. weekdays.
Customers can also order sandwiches, nachos and other lunch and snack items, or buy cheese, milk and fresh eggs from the campus poultry department and meat items from the animal science lab.
GO TO: ISSUE OF JULY 15
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