The "Ice Cream" Series

Ice Cream #!

Ice cream was a large part of the pleasure for children during the depression times. That Grandma Kuhl put "Oh, those triple-dip ice cream cones!" in her life's high points helps to underline the part that ice cream played(or didn't play) in our lives. As part of the background you must realize that ice cream was an anomaly- not an every day thing in our lives in those days.
                       Electric refrigerators first appeared for home use in the mid-thirties.  Up to that time we had "ice boxes". That meant that there was a piece of furniture with suitable insulation and an area in the unit which had a place in which a piece of ice --usually 25--50#-was placed by the iceman who came around with covered blocks of dripping ice in the bed of his truck. He would chop off a piece of ice-( yes, with an ice pick-) the suitable size. ( When the ice man came , kiddies from the neighborhood flocked round the truck bed to grab any stray fragments for their personal consumption.) Grandma also remarked on these visits being part of the highlights of the summer days.
                       Strangely enough, yours truly worked 2 summers "pulling ice" at the "ice cream plant" in Batavia.  The ice was formed in metal containers of 300# of ice per container. The metal container with the ice was removed("pulled") by overhead machinery and transported by wire tracks to a refrigerated room where it was stored for further disposition.  The trucks were loaded with the 300# blocks using (ice) tongs and covered with sawdust and heavy plastic sheets or  one or both, depending on the length of time for the particular journey of that vehicle. In the city only or perhaps to a rail car for milk to keep the cans cool. Some distribution was made directly from the ice deck platform to people who purchased ice for their own use.  -Cooling of drinks , picnic,or perhaps to make home made ice cream or sherbet.

                       To be continued!  Love-  Grandpa

Ice Cream #2

 I neglected to mention that the primary reason for the ice production was to make ice to pack the ice cream trucks for their visits to the groceries, ice cream stands, confectionery stores, etc.  This was at the time when refrigerators, of a sort were available for the refrigeration in the trucks, but were inefficient and subject to unannounced breakdowns. The retaii sites served by the Batavia facility were as far as 60 miles away. The trucks routinely carried the usual ice cream boxes, also the can-like cardboard containers for dipping -(cones, hand packing).
                       One of the chief marketing ploys in those days was "double dip" ice cream cones.  Needless to say, they were very popular.  At one time on West Main Street in Batavia there was a stand selling "triple dip" cones. As I recall, it was there only one summer. Undoubtedly, when Ruth's family went to Corfu to visit relatives-(most of the Amidons came from that area) they would swing by to keep the kids(Ruth, Jane and Eddie) quiet, busy and happy on the 10-15 mile trip.
                       The "triple dip" phenomenon did not last long. Analyzing the phenomenon", for the older child it was a delicious challenge, for the younger it as good to taste, but frequently a catastrophe-for the child who lost the top dip, plus the agony of the immediate clean-up by big sister or mom, and the adult who had a messy car, child, and kiddie clothing to clean up.
                       Other marketing ploys appeared about this time: "Eskimo Pies"," Fudgsicles"(called Fudgesickles by most of us kids), "Ice Cream Sandwiches" undoubtedly others that I don't remember. At any rate the inability to "store" them to the picnics, etc which would have made them more popular, but picnic baskets were of woven materials and so were not suitable for casual storage. Price-wise there usually was a slight differential, also. You had to eat them right way or they became soggy cold mush of a sort…You guessed it!  That led to  the production of insulated metal containers for the carrying of "pop " and other things as well as the hand to mouth preparations, mentioned above!
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  I never had a "triple dip ice cream cone". I hope you don't think this evaluation is all "sour grapes".
                       Why did I never have a "triple dip"?

 #1- The distance from the stand to the goal (farm) was only 3-4 mi. (Amidon- as above-10-14 mi) Would have necessitated fast eating and cleanup, or a cone for Bob, or both.
No cleaning- Talkative tots would nullify hasty eating anyway. Plus, probable mess…even avoiding chocolate.

#2- Bad example to Bob.  Therefore, either finishing rapidly- or carrying one for him or both.

#3- Economic- "Everyone was poor," so choices had to be made.

#4- It was simple for the Dean car to swing wide and avoid seeing the stand on the way to the farm.

#5- Puritanical traditions tended to avoid such wasteful expenditures unless these had really positive effect…Besides," Ivan, you're a big boy! "

 Ice Cream #3

  As you no doubt realize the major problem with the production, preservation and appreciation of ice cream is maintaining a cold preparation in a warm atmosphere.  Even winter temperatures would have to be maintained in the neighborhood of freezing in the area preserving ice cream.   Of course, if the temp were not near freezing the "ice" would come out and a creamy, syrupy, soupy mixture would result.  Flavorful, perhaps, but not what we want.
                       To make ice cream prior to the onset of the electric refrigerator,  The phenomenon of lowering the freezing point of a bathing mixture below that of the mixture to be frozen would be the mechanism used. The bathing mixture consisted of salt(preferably, rock salt) and water.
                       In our family group which consisted of 8 adults and 7 children,-more or less depending on the age of the children(at the given year) of the get-together. The family get-togethers were primarily at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.  The number of attendants varied, but was pretty consistently between 10 and 12. (Requirement-2 qts,plus of Ice cream).  If at all possible, the middle group of children would "make" the ice cream!!!
                       The middle group was Lawrence, Lois, Bob and myself.  Lawrence was 10 yrs older than I, Lois 6 yrs older and Bob about 1 yr younger.  Lawrence was "too old", Bob "too young", so Lois and I did most of the work and Lawrence and Lois bossed(when she could get in a "lick").
                       The apparatus necessary to "make ice cream" consisted of a sealable gallon metal container with  gridded top that would fit into an apparatus which spanned the top of a  larger wooden container and was gridded in such  way that a crank =connected at the "grid" would make the metal container revolve. The future ice cream mixture was poured into the metal container and the wooden tub was filled with layers of salt and ice (snow). The salt made the ice melt making a saline mixture which had a freezing point below that of the ice cream mixture. The melting process was encouraged by the cranking and movement of the central container. Melting also improved the contact of the solution, thus freezing more rapidly (or at all).
                       This, of course was a welcome task for us tween agers--so we felt useful! Even if, "cranky".
                       On one occasion after what seemed to me an excessive amount of cranking time for the job at hand, I tasted the (saline) mixture, it was sweet!  Someone had put in sugar instead of salt.  It would never have made it to ice cream!  So a prompt dose of salt!  Boy , it was really tasty when we arrived at the real thing that evening!


This was a rather dreary tale. I'll have to improve!--LOVE, anyway! I'll try to do better the next time!  Grandpa

Ice Cream #2b and Ice Cream # 3b

I must be getting old! I keep remembering things that "should have been"  but weren't in the originals. #2b- I'm sure most of you thought of "popsicles" in the marketing ploy dept.  One of the things I left out in#3--#3b was that there was a solid rod (which did not move,) with vertical wooden paddles in the center of the metal container.  The mixture would revolve while the paddles did their thing.  Now that Lila is in the Grandpa Stories " cycle I'm sure she thought I was a little short on the memory side not remembering the luscious paddles to clean up(by tongue) after the removal from the container! Of course, she and Velma usually had that awesome chore! --"Ivan, you're too old for that!" Let the little girls have their fun!"
                               Sorry 'bout that!  Love, Grandpa

Ice Cream #4

 Playing cards in the Dean household wasn't exactly taboo, but it wasn't encouraged. Somehow my "folks" became members of a "500 Dinner group".  "500" is a card game similar to bridge and was developed from that or vice versa (or at least from a common ancestor.)  To the best of my knowledge it disappeared after I left Batavia.
As in a "dinner bridge" group, the members took turns hosting the proceedings.  The session would begin with a dinner or a picnic, or some such, followed by the group playing the game…Usually, in the form of a "mixed couples" tournament. To finish the evening a dessert would be offered, such as ice cream & or cake.
One evening when I was about 9 ice cream was the parting delight.
The next morning Mother asked me if I'd been disturbed at all during the night.   My reply was: "No, why?"
  " I just knew you were sleep-walking, I offered you ice cream, and you said "No thanks." "Poiite, but it couldn't be you!"    ___We have a sleep-walker in the family!"
                               Mother never let me forget that. I'd always been "crazy about ice cream".


                               Addendum: To you far and wide who are relatively new to the family, my father (Ivan Washington Kuhl) was killed in an auto train- accident when I was 13 mo old. My mother remarried when I was about 4. -To Edward Dean-hence the "Dean" household.


LOVE- Grandpa This wasn't much better.  If I remember…the next will be the last of the “Ice Cream” series.  I think it'll be better!?!