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.

One really cool thing about selling ice cream at the farmers market is that we are surrounded by delicious ice cream toppings! Woodring Northwest Specialities is at most markets and makes tasty chocolate, caramel and fruit sauces, fruit butters and preserves–all of which are great as an ice cream topping. They also make incredible spicy pickles and pickled asparagus and beans, although those might not be as delicious on top of a scoop of ice cream. Unless you’re pregnant and really craving that ice cream and pickles combo.

There are several berry farms right now at the markets selling strawberries, raspberries, and I hear blueberries are on their way this week! There are also less-known, although no-less-delicious berries out there such as gooseberries. Cherries are also now in full swing and you can take your pick of Bings, Rainiers (our fave), Index, Chelans, Sour Pie Cherries…

One of our most loyal and favorite customers, Paolo Polintan, took this great photo of his scoop of Blueberry-Lemon Sorbet that he topped with market-fresh raspberries:

Or, instead of topping your ice cream with something tasty from the market, how about topping something tasty from the market with ice cream? Sugar Shack, which can be found at Lake City and Broadway Farmers Markets, serves up pies, brownies and cookies, all of which are wonderful accompanied by a scoop of ice cream.

Possibilities are endless, and coming up with new and exciting things to combine with ice cream is a good excuse to leisurely walk around, browse the market and see EVERYTHING. Can’t think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

This Saturday, the 4th of July, Half Pint will be serving up ice cream at the Valley Medical Center’s 4th by the Lake in Newcastle. This great family-oriented event begins at 6 pm, with games, food and live music, followed by a fabulous fireworks display. The event takes place in Lake Boren Park.

Half Pint has some 4th of July-themed treats planned for the big day! So, come on out, have some BBQ, some ice cream, hear some music, see some fireworks and celebrate America’s independence in style!

One of the benefits of working at the farmers markets is that all day long I get to look at the most adorable dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds.

Last year at the Broadway Farmers Market, I fell in love with Ginger, a Pomeranian-Keeshond mix who, because of her age and lack of mobility, cruised the market via a purse-like sack that her owner, Barabara would wear over her shoulder. Ginger looks like a puppy, but is actually quite old–14 years!

I eagerly awaited Ginger’s return to the market this year, and this time she showed up being pushed in her very own cart! Due to her arthritis, Ginger can only walk about a half a mile before she starts to limp, so Barbara decided it was time to find another means of transport. Ginger and Barbara love the farmers market, so they needed a way to make sure Ginger could still come every Sunday.

Barbara told me that Ginger came to live with her in a foster-care situation and has been with her ever since. She gets a spa cut every 4 months because her hair grows very long and bushy.

Last week Ginger tried some Half Pint ice cream for the first time! We’re thinking she’ll like the flavors this week, especially because one of them is, well, Ginger

Here is Ginger enjoying her first taste of Half Pint:

Ginger the Dog enjoying some Half Pint Ice Cream

Check out this great piece by The Seattle Times’ food writer Nancy Leson. It discusses several local ice cream establishments and features Half Pint! Nancy’s son, Nate, was one of my biggest fans at the Edmonds Farmers Market during the month that I was selling there. There is a lot happening in the local ice cream world here in the greater Seattle area, and Half Pint is very excited to be a part of it all. A huge thanks to Nancy for a fabulous article and for including Half Pint

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/allyoucaneat/2009301407_i_scream_about_ice_cream_–_an.html

It’s Sunday morning, about 10:15 am, and the farmers and other vendors of the Broadway Sunday Farmers Market are putting up their tents, setting out tomatoes, slicing cheese samples and firing up their grills. Some vendors have already been up for hours, traveling by van, truck and sometimes ferry from towns outside of the city to bring their fabulous homegrown products to Capitol Hill.

On a sunny morning, such as we’ve been having the past few weekends, spirits are high, everyone is smiling and antics ensue. Here are some photos from the Broadway Farmers Market–a little glimpse into the market world!

Basketball keeps the reflexes sharp at Olsen Farms.

Hungry? Hopefully organic burgers, tasty crepes, homemade ice cream or delicious pastries will suffice.

Molly Burke, Market Manager Extraordinaire!

A rainbow of tomatoes from Kittias Valley Greenhouse.

A chili chocolate ice cream cone from Half Pint.

Flavors of the week. Get 'em while they last!

Dylan, Master Chef of Green Go Foods.

The market is a lot of fun. Come and experience it for yourself every Sunday from 11-3! http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/markets/broadway

Local food writer, Nancy Leson, did a great segment on ice cream on her KPLU radio program “Food For Thought” this morning. Half Pint was among the local ice cream companies mentioned! Follow this link to hear the piece: http://www.kplu.org/leson.html. Click on Food For Thought “It’s Ice Cream Time”.

There’s a great new blog out there on the web…Monkey Around Seattle. Co-written by several owners of local small businesses, Monkey Around Seattle is an insider’s glimpse into some pretty cool places around Seattle. Posts cover everything from where to find the best tacos in the city to updates about the Penguin Exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo. One of the latest posts, written by Kristen Rask, owner of the downtown seattle shop Schmancy, features Half Pint Ice Cream! Check it out here: Half Pint Ice Cream.

Thanks to Kristen for a great piece on Half Pint! And be sure to check Monkey Around Seattle frequently for great recommendations of things to do and see around town.

These Philadelphians love their Half Pint. You can show the Half Pint Love too. Check out our gear at http://www.cafepress.com/halfpintic

Here at Half Pint, all of our ice creams are made completely from scratch. At the height of the summer, each week we will be crackin’ over 500 eggs, working with gallons upon gallons of milk and up to our elbows in sugar, cocoa, fruit, nuts…..you get the point.

There is a lot of time and lot of love that goes into making Half Pint ice cream. Here’s a few photos of the process, courtesy of photographer extraordinaire, Tiffani Jones:

It all starts with milk from local dairy Smith Brothers Farm.

Cracking eggs. Lots n' lots of eggs. Endless eggs. Infinite eggs...

Using the Hobart mixer to mix the custard base.

Pouring hot milk into the egg and sugar mixture.

Cooking the custard.

Straining the custard.

Adding cream.

The custard is then chilled and later poured into the ice cream machine for churning and freezing. Photos of the machine to come…

Now that you’ve seen a little bit of the ice cream-making process, come sample the goods at your local farmers market! Spring is in full swing and ice cream weather is upon us. See you there.