I consider myself lucky because my local farmers market has an abundance of the sweetest organic strawberries I’ve ever tasted. Harvested on the same day, these strawberries are ripe when I buy them. Much of the berries are eaten same day by my voracious family, but when there’s still at least a pint left, I turn these beautiful strawberries into my favorite dessert, Strawberry Ice Cream.

Ingredients:
1 pint fresh ripe strawberries, stemmed
freshly squeezed juice of 1 medium-sized lemon
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream, chilled
1 tsp vanilla extract

Follow manufacturer’s instructions on how to prepare your ice cream maker.

1. Combine the strawberries, lemon juice and 1/3 cup of sugar in a medium bowl. Mash the strawberries roughly (I prefer mine with larger chunks than you might. It’s up to you.) and allow them to macerate together for 2 hours.
2. Heat whole milk in a medium saucepan until it bubbles around the edges.
3. Whisk sugar into the heated milk.
4. Transfer to a medium bowl and let it cool completely.
5. Stir in heavy cream and vanilla.
6. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker for at least 30 minutes or until thickened into a soft-serve consistency.
7. Add strawberry mixture slowly while ice cream is churning.
8. Freeze for at least 2 hours if a firmer consistency is desired.

Enjoy!