Written By:  Scott @ County Seat Living

Like most kids, my love affair with ice cream began at an early age. In my hometown of Holdrege, a local woman named Mrs. Jonas turned a Jeep Wrangler into a makeshift ice cream truck called the “Jingle Jeep.” It was the highlight of those hot, sticky Nebraska summer days that seemed to linger like a bad sunburn.

Upon the quiet landscape of the Great Plains you could hear the Jingle Jeep approaching from the opposite end of town. She had an inventory that would rival those Good Humor trucks of the big cities. Ice cream sandwiches, Drumsticks, and  Bomb Pops were favorites during the scorching days of summer when the asphalt steamed and mosquitoes would eat you alive.

At one point, my goal in life was to work at the Dairy Queen…

I chronicled my high expectations in a post for Her View From Home:

“The Dairy Queen” Blog Post

Since I have been back in Nebraska my passion for enjoying ice cream has grown deep. I went from simply  enjoying a scoop or a pint to appreciating the art of churning. That did not come about because of  the Jingle Jeep or my burning desire to be employed at the Dairy Queen as a kid. No, I give all that credit to my BFF Abby and her mission to create the best ice cream in the world.

Abby and her business partner started a company called  eCreamery in the heart of historic Dundee in Omaha. 

Their concept is groundbreaking; they offer premium ice cream, gelato, and sorbetto and allow the customer to personalize the experience from the flavors, to the mix ins, to the custom labeling. They have managed to find crazy success by balancing the often impossible task of having an e commerce site while maintaining a brick and mortar space. It’s a feat very few entrepreneurs can stake claim to.

ecreambox2

 

ecreampints

She taught me the fundamentals of ice cream making like the effects of  butter fat and the importance of using quality artisanal ingredients. She showed me how you must macerate fruit before you incorporate it into your base and the proper way to use an ice cream scoop. Who knew there was a trick to that? She taught me that in ice cream making there is no better ingredient than those you can find in your own garden. 

Abby and I have known each other for more years than we would probably like to admit. 

If our friendship was measured out in scoops of ‘scream, I can’t imagine the size of sundae we could create.

 

nutella best shot

Thanks for inspiring me Abby!

 

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Scott Rager

Robert Scott Rager is a Nebraska native who returned home to start a boutique business called "County Seat Living". His personal goal for "County Seat" is to translate the lifestyle design he was creating in Los Angeles for the past twelve years and apply it to the sensibility of the Great Plains. Whether he's writing about decorating, homemade ice cream, floral creations, event planning or product design, he wants the personality and style of Nebraska to shine bright.

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