All Over Albany

Ice cream stand season 2013

The Snowman in Troy opens this weekend.

Updated March 11

We interrupt for this important announcement: ice cream stand season is upon us.

At least one stand is already open, and others will be opening soon. As we have in previous years, we've put together a list of opening dates for a handful of seasonal ice cream stands around the area.

If you have opening info about other stands, please share!

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Maple walnut ice cream from Stewart's

Slurpees are the defining product of 7-Elevens around the country. Every now and again I'll miss having easy access to this remarkable frosty beverage that so skillfully rides the line between two phases of matter.

When I first moved to the Capital Region I would have traded all of the Stewart's for even just one 7-Eleven if given the chance. But now, in no small part to Mr. Dave's romanticizing of the shop, I can finally see Stewart's as a cultural anchor of upstate New York. And despite my predilection for organic milk, eggs from free-roaming chickens, and ice cream made without additional gums, thickeners or emulsifying agents, I find myself regularly at my local Stewart's buying milk, eggs, and ice cream.

Amazingly, the reason isn't because Stewart's is convenient. It's because these staples are just really good.

Their maple walnut ice cream would have never even made it onto my radar had it not been for an event from last summer. Hands down, it's my favorite flavor in their case. And now is the perfect time to eat it.

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Moxie's is more than plain vanilla

The first batch of Mexican vanilla ice cream that Moxie's ever made was technically illegal.

"But only a little illegal," Pamela Allie-Morrill explains. Ms. Pam, as she likes to be called, is the daughter of the eponymous Mohamed "Moxie" Allie -- she now runs the ice cream stand in Wynantskill. She says that original supply of Mexican vanilla hitched a ride into this country in her cousin's suitcase. It wasn't exactly an act of smuggling.

That Mexican vanilla has since been replaced with Mexican vanilla sourced via Illinois. But it's still an integral part of Moxie's Around the World of Vanilla -- a solar system of vanilla ice creams in a dish that surround Moxie's signature flavor, Blue Moon.

So, why vanilla? Pam says it's simple -- it was the most readily available flavor when she was looking to make her mark on Moxie's eleven years ago. And the vanilla sampler has been a popular staple at the stand ever since.

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12 flavors at The Ice Cream Man

All in one sitting.

Blah, blah, blah, Bobby Flay, blah, blah.

So yeah, the Ice Cream Man was on cable. There was a "throwdown" and our Greenwich shop prevailed with a sundae made from vanilla ice cream, warm apple topping, whipped cream, gourmet nuts, and a cherry.

If you really want, you can buy one of those for $5.14, but then you would be missing out on what truly makes the Ice Cream Man special: they produce over 300 flavors of homemade hard ice cream. It's an audacious claim, but they make it proudly.

Now granted, they only keep about 30 of the flavors on hand at any given time. Twelve are set in stone. They are the same week in and week out. Up to six flavors can be dedicated to fat-free, sugar-free, soft-serve, yogurt, or sorbet, which might be fine if you are into those kinds of things.

That means every day hundreds of potential flavors are vying for a mere twelve spots on the menu board. After the Tour de Hard Ice Cream it became clearly evident that the Ice Cream Man sets the high bar for homemade ice cream in the region. But the question remained, what hidden delights are lurking on the menu.

To find out, I decided to eat an unreasonable amount of ice cream. Again.

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Ice cream season has started

Important news: ice cream season has started in the Capital Region.

The Snowman in Troy opened this afternoon. It'll be open until 9 pm if you feel to need to stop by. It would be perfectly understandable.

We did quick check of a handful of other seasonal ice cream spots around the area, and it looks like the Snowman currently stands alone. Kurver Creme's Facebook page says it hasn't picked an opening date for this season, yet. And calls to a bunch of other spots went unanswered.

But now that it's March, it won't be long.

(Thanks, Danielle!)

Earlier on AOA: Eat this: The Boston Shake at The Snowman

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5 reasons Golden Organics may be the best ice cream in the Capital Region

Yum.

This summer we've paid a few visits to Chatham to indulge in what may be the best ice cream in the greater Capital Region: Golden Organics.

Why do we think it's so good? Here are five reasons. Plus one more.

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