Half Pint is a small, owner-operated homemade ice cream company based out of Seattle, Washington. Our ice creams are made fresh weekly with local dairy and eggs and other local ingredients when possible.

Hi everyone,

It’s been an incredible farmers market season for Half Pint! The Lake City, Phinney and Broadway Farmers Markets were a huge success and we’ve met so many wonderful people, customers and fellow vendors alike. As the weather turns to Autumn and the leaves are changing color, Half Pint is shifting with the season. In addition to churning out seasonal ice cream flavors such as Pumpkin and Apple Spice Swirl, starting this Sunday, October 26th, we will also be selling homemade hot cocoa! This week look for a plain cocoa flavor (plain but not boring!). As weeks go by, we will be bringing you different flavors of cocoa, topped with delicious homemade whipped cream and other goodies.

For all of you cold-weather-ice-cream-eaters, you will still be able to purchase Half Pint’s homemade ice cream. We will continue making ice cream even as the temperature drops. But if you just can’t bring yourself to eat a cone of ice cream, then treat yourself to a steaming cup of rich and creamy hot cocoa. Soy hot cocoa will be available as well.

See you at the market!

In the upcoming September issue of Sunset Magazine, you will find a fantastic article all about Chris Curtis, who founded and oversees the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance (NFMA). Curtis began the organization in 1993 and today there are seven neighborhood markets that are part of the NFMA. They are vibrant, lively markets where one can purchase everything from colorful, fresh produce, to wild Alaskan salmon caught by the very woman who is selling it to you!

As part of the Sunset article, Curtis chooses her pick for her favorite vendor at each of the seven markets. Her pick for the Broadway Sunday Market? “A cone of homemade ginger-peach ice cream from Half Pint, made with market fruit.” Peaches are finally in season, so check the Half Pint website to see when ginger-peach ice cream will be available.

Once the Sunset website is updated with items from their September issue, I will post the link. For now, you can pick up a copy of the magazine at newsstands to read about farmers markets near you and to see what gems to look for there!

Starting this Friday, August 15th, you can get your ice cream fix at the Phinney Farmers Market from 3-7 pm.

In addition to incredible fruits, delicious veggies and beautiful fresh flowers, you can also find fresh pasta, cheeses and wood-fired pizza! Come by after work, browse, have a slice of pizza and enjoy some ice cream.

See you there!
Half Pint

One of the most common questions I get at the farmers markets is “where do you make your ice cream?” The answer to that is: Cookspace!

What is Cookspace, you ask? Cookspace is a commercial kitchen space in lower Queen Anne where lots of culinary entrepreneurs make their goods. Owners Sam and Wendi have created a fabulous kitchen space that is open, spacious, well-equipped and very conducive to the sharing of culinary knowledge and ideas. There are six workstations, lots of fridge/freezer and dry storage space, as well as Hobart mixers of various sizes, a fully-equipped dish pit, lots of ovens and ranges. For me, it’s been an ideal space to work in and to meet other culinarily-minded small business owners.

I work at Cookspace a few days a week. Typically the first day is spent making the custard base for all of my ice creams for that week. This process involves cooking down a mixture of eggs, sugar, and milk or cream (and, depending on the flavor: coffee grounds, cocoa powder, shredded ginger, coconut milk–you get the point), and then chilling the mixture overnight. Over the next couple of days, I spend hours in the kitchen with my four–yes FOUR–ice cream makers making batch after batch of ice cream. The ice cream is made in 1.5 quart batches, so it takes almost an entire day to make ice cream to last the week. While ice cream is freezing, I have great opportunities to talk with the other business owners in the kitchen. Many of them have been doing this much longer than I have and they have great ideas and advice for me as I begin to grow my business.

Working in a kitchen with a communal atmosphere has been so exciting. Business at all stages of growth exist here and it is so cool to watch as someone lands a new wholesale account or is booked for a great catering gig. Plus, hardly a day goes by that someone doesn’t use me a guinea pig for a new recipe they are trying out. I never leave the kitchen hungry.

Thanks to Tiffani Jones for some great photos of Cookspace!!

Starting this coming Saturday, August 3rd, Half Pint Ice Cream will be scooping up cones and cups at the Fremont Outdoor Movies on Saturday nights. This weekend’s feature is The Omega Man. There are some great films coming up over the next few weeks, so grab your blanket or lawn chair, get yourself a scoop or two of ice cream and enjoy a movie under the stars.

Check out info about the Outdoor Movies at:

http://www.fremontoutdoormovies.com/

What better way to spend your Sunday morning or early afternoon than strolling through the Broadway Sunday Farmers Market? On all sides you’ll be surrounded by beautiful produce in all colors of the rainbow; delicious, fresh-from the oven baked goods; tasty smoked salmon; the most gorgeous bouquets of flowers; incredible pasta and ravioli. And what’s even better is the smiling faces of the folks that are selling it all.

It has been having a blast selling ice cream at the Broadway Sunday Farmers Market and the Thursday Lake City Farmers Markets this summer. It’s been such a wonderful experience to get to know the regular customers, the other vendors, and the hard-working folks who put the markets on. I always leave with with armfuls of veggies, fruit, pasta, cheeses. And sometimes with a basket of tasty fruit to use in ice cream or sorbet. Just a few of my favorite farmers market finds include:

–Farmers Cheese from Samish Bay Cheese
–Gorgonzola and Walnut Ravioli from La Pasta
–Raspberries from Hayton Farms
–Classic French Baguettes from Heavenly Pastry and Cake
–ANY of the truffles from Trevani Truffles
–Polenta cakes from Green-Go Foods

The list goes on. And on.

You can stock your whole kitchen at the farmers markets. And while you’re there–pick up a pint or have a scoop of ice cream. Nothing makes me happier than seeing someone strolling through the market, one hand carrying a bag overflowing with carrots, cherries, cheese, and bread, the other hand holding an ice cream cone.

You can find additional information about markets in the Neighborhood Farmers Market Alliance at:

http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/

One of the most fun parts of having an ice cream business is deciding what flavors to make each week. Inspiration comes from everywhere. Many flavors are favorites from my childhood, which ice cream played a large role in. Some are adaptations of other desserts I’ve had. For example, I had a molten chocolate cake that was infused with earl gray tea. And so became Earl Gray Chocolate Ice Cream. Other times it is dependent on what’s in season and what delicious ingredients I can get from the farmers at the markets I sell at. Wherever the ideas and combinations come from, it’s always exciting to figure out what four flavors will make a killer line-up for the farmers markets.

What is your favorite flavor? Let us know your suggestions, ideas, requests. You just may get a Half Pint ice cream flavor named after you…