Maybe Let's Not Make Ice Cream Out Of Snow

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By  Lillian Stone

Listen: I'm not gonna tell you what to do. I do all kinds of weird, gross stuff when left to my own devices. (It's 2021, so I'm always left to my own devices.) We're all adults here, and we're all bored as hell after a few weeks of gnarly winter weather. But maybe—just maybe—we should avoid ingesting snow from the ground. Even in ice cream form.

I'll explain. St. Louis news station KSDK recently re-shared a 2018 recipe submitted by a viewer. The recipe is for "snow ice cream," which is exactly what it sounds like—ice cream made of freshly fallen snow. The KSDK viewer who submitted the recipe insists that the ice cream tastes "sweet and fluffy." It's made with the following everyday ingredients:

  • Snow (at least 4 cups)
  • 1/8 c. sweetened condensed milk or sugar
  • Chocolate syrup to taste
  • 1/4 c. milk
  • Splash of vanilla extract

    • "*Pro tip: set your bowl outside before it starts snowing so you have untouched snow already in your bowl."

    Sounds tasty, no? But is it altogether... safe? As a reminder, we've reported on eating snow before. We got this answer from a bona fide food safety specialist:

    "Microorganisms can be easily transferred to snow from people's shoes, a flying bird that defecates, dog feces, and a host of other disgusting sources. Depending on where the snow is located, it could also contain chemical contaminants, such as deicer, fuel from leaking vehicles, pesticides, and a host of other chemicals."

    I've actually tried snow ice cream once, when I spent a few surreal months living on a goat farm on Chicago's west side. I didn't die from it, but I've got a hearty Midwestern constitution. If you live far outside of city limits, you might be able to score some cleaner snow—but I don't know that the risk is entirely worth it for the memories. Again, I'm not gonna tell you what to do. But I'd hate for you to find bird poop or diesel fuel in your snow ice cream.

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