Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-06-14
Report
to the
Housewife
By Violet Faulkner
Food Editor.

Ice cream, Americas favorite
dessert. celebrates its centennial
birthday tomorrow. June Is.
This popular dairy food has
Travelled a long road since the
days Of Charles of England who,
history records. served a product
resembling modern ice cream at a
state banquet during his reign In
the 18th century.
President Washington, a man
OF discriminating tastes, took a
great liking to ice cream. It's said
that he bought "a Cream Machine
for Making Ice" while in Philadel-
phia attending meeting of the
Society of the Cincinnati. Mrs.
Alexander Hamilton, wife of the
f1rse Secretary of the Treasury
was another devotee of this new
delicacy. Dolly Madison is given
the credit for introducing ice
cream at White House receptions.
AS climax to Madison's second
inaugural bali in 1872, ice cream
made of cream from the Madison
dairy and Strawberries from Dolly S
own garden was the piece de
resistance.
While the popularity of ice
cream grew it still continued to be
a rare dish because it was SO diff
cult to make. Servants had to
beat it by hand and shake 1t up
and down IN a pan of salt and ice
which took time and manpower.
In 1846 a woman by the name
of Nancy johnson invented the
first hand-cranked freezer. But
because she lacked foresight to
have her invention patented her
name doesn't appear on the
patent records.
The father of the wholesale
ice cream business in the United
States was Jacob Russell, a milk |
dealer in Baltimore, who began
making ice cream In 1851. The
venture proved so successful that
he opened additional plants i
one here in Washington, another
In Boston and third in New
York. Electric motors and scien-
tif1cally designed machinery have
long since replaced the old weari-
some task of turning the crank
by hand.
From its modest beginning 100
years ago, ice cream has grown
into a billion-dollar industry.
Where once it was considered only
a dish for kings and monarchs,
now every city, town and village
In America with a food store can
enjoy this wholesome. nutritious /
and popular food.
NOTES ON THE FOOD MARKET:
Now is the time to enjoy Boston |,
lettuce, the variety with smooth .
buttery leaves. sometimes almost
oily in texture, and grown in the
Eastern States. Most of our head 1
lettuce comes from the West, 1
where moisture can be controlled I
by irrigation and temperatures
are more dependable than here in
the East. However, substantial
quantities of the butterhead type
are grown in this area as an early
crop where the farmers can har-
vest it before real hot weather
hits. Other good vegetable buys
include snap beans, cabbage, car ,
rots. celery, green's. onions, pep
pers, potatoes and radishes, with
asparagus, beets and squash to
add to the frightening list.
It's too early to determine
whether the heavy rains of the
past week have damaged the
strawberry crop. The early part
Of the week very good berries were /
coming into the WASHINGTON mar
ket from New Jersey and upper
New York State. Strawberries
are at their peak now, with sup
plies the heaviest in years. Blue /
berries, also from New Jersey. are
good quality, although not cheap.
Burberry season will continue on
through July. A few blackberries /
are around but they're expensive |,
The early peaches look much bet