“Summer Melt Down”

By

Gerry Niskern

Summer in Phoenix and the Valley of the sun means only one thing. How to keep cool!  There are all kinds of ways to chill. There are our swimming pools, water parks and air conditioning everywhere, but at the end of the day; everyone is looking for an ice cream shop.

Back a few years, we had Woods Candy Kitchen, downtown on West Washington. Their fudge was heavenly, but their ice cream was even better especially after a Saturday morning movie.

Of course, there were several Upton’s Ice Cream Shops around the valley. One was at Five Points intersection, right next door to the town skating rink. Nothing like a thick chocolate shake to cool down after a warm evening of roller-skating. They used to make it in a large metal blender, pour your glass full and leave the can. The charge for this shake was one whole dime!

Donofrios served sodas with a large scoop balanced on the rim of the glass  at their restaurant on Washington and later on too, when they moved  to the West side of Central between Van Buren and Monroe.

On date night, the only place to take your girl friend for an ice cream treat after the movie was the Polar Bar Drive In. The teenager’s cars cruising Central ended up at the Polar Bar that featured all kinds of ice cram concoctions, but their specialties were their 50 cent Sissies and dollar Zombies; no one could finish one of the Zombies, but some guys sure tried.

I think the forerunner of the Dairy Queens was a little shop on l7th Ave and Jefferson, across from the State Capitol that had the first soft serve ice cream in Phoenix. It was a creamy delight.

Of course, the ideal pleasure for our palates in earlier times in Phoenix was homemade ice cream. Every family in our clan owned a large hand turning freezer, at least a 6-quart. They gathered at our house, first making a stop at the icehouse up on 19^th Ave and about McKinley.  The large blocks of ice they bought were wrapped in burlap.

Later on, Crystal Ice had big yellow dispensing boxes on many corners. It was coin operated and you could have your choice of a ten-pound block or a great labor saving bag of crushed.

Before we moved to Arizona, back in West Virginia, someone always made fresh peach. The creamy peach flavor had golden pink gems with bits of nectar throughout. The strawberry ice cream was tart, tasty and loaded with sweet berries. Raspberry, black or red was my favorite as a kid. It was easy then because we had a small farm with all kinds of fruit trees and berry patches.

Fresh banana was heavenly but for the purists in the family, there was always mixed vanilla with fresh milk, rich cream and loving care.

While the women were combining the luscious blends, the men worked furiously with their ice picks on the blocks of ice in the yard. Chips of ice flew through the air, and if a large sliver landed on the grass, it quickly found its way into a kid’s mouth. The teenagers disappeared when the cranking started, but could be counted on to show up when the cans were ready to be opened and the paddles with icy chunks clinging to the blades lifted out.

One year, Uncle John, who always drove the latest model Oldsmobile, showed up with a surprise. He carried a large box into the yard and lifted out a miraculous new freezer. Instead of a handle to turn the ice cream, there was a motor on top. Imagine not having to hand crank the cream for an hour!

My dad and the other men gathered around and watched enviously as he layered rock salt and ice into the bucket around the shiny new can and plugged it in. Uncle John strutted around chewing on his cigar and razzing the other men as they sweated over their freezers. After 20 minutes, just as written on the instructions, the motor on the new freezer stopped.

We all gathered around for our first taste of ice cream made the modern way. As we drifted away and began to eat, we realized something was wrong. At first we thought we were imaging it, but no, it was salty. Real Salty!

Gradually, one by one, we slipped behind the garage and dumped our bowls and went to fill them from one of the other freezers. No one had the heart to say anything about the salty taste from the wonder new electric freezer.

At the end of the day, when the women were washing up their freezer cans to take home, Aunt Sophie, Uncle John’s wife, held hers under the facet in the yard to rinse it. Sever streams of water spouted from the seams along the side of the can. The salty ice cream mystery was solved!

The tradition of homemade ice cream in the hot Phoenix summers has lingered on in our family. A while ago, I was getting a little concerned about our frozen pleasures. You see, our old freezer gave out and I went shopping for a new one. After trying several department stores and being told they only carry one-quart frozen yogurt makers, I was frustrated. However, I wasn’t nearly as bewildered as the young clerks who answered my questions as I continued my search by phone.

Most of the people I talked to didn’t have a clue of what I was talking about when I asked, “Do you carry ice cream freezers?” I could tell by their vague replies that they thought ice cream came in paper cartons from the local supermarket.

The Fourth of July is coming up Try bringing back the tradition of summer family gatherings featuring homemade ice cream. You can choose electric, but hand turners are still available. The kids will love helping turn the handle and the sweat equity they put into it will make their first bowl, whether its strawberry, peach, or vanilla, taste delicious!

Try an old fashioned freezer celebration (they still make and sell them) for a fantastic summer meltdown!