Blue Bell’s new flavor for National Ice Cream Month 2012 is Summer Strawberry Pie Ice Cream

BRENHAM - Just in time for National Ice Cream Month, July 2012, Blue Bell Creameries is introducing Summer Strawberry Pie Ice Cream, a superbly luscious strawberry ice cream combined with sweetened strawberries, flaky piecrust pieces and a whipped topping swirl. What could be more refreshing on a hot midsummer day?

Blue Bell has long been famous for outstanding Strawberry Ice Cream. Both Strawberry and Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla are standard Blue Bell Ice Cream flavors, available year round because they are so popular. In 2011, among Blue Bell’s 17 standard flavors, Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla was #7 in popularity and Strawberry was #14 across all Blue Bell markets. In 2001, Forbes magazine named Blue Bell Ice Cream one of 50 of America’s best products and featured a photo of a pink carton of Strawberries & Homemade Vanilla.

The strawberry was known as far back as the days of the Romans, but there is little mention of the fruit in recorded history for hundreds of years because they grew wild in profusion and, therefore, were not actively cultivated. In the early years of the 1800s, farmers began to cultivate strawberries because strawberries and cream had become a popular luxury dessert. Even today strawberries and cream are traditionally consumed between tennis matches at Wimbledon in England. It was a natural leap from strawberries and cream to strawberry ice cream.

Strawberry ice cream has a long and impressive pedigree in the United States. Dolley Madison, wife of our fourth president James Madison, was a charming and innovative hostess. According to tradition, Dolley heard of a freed slave named Sallie Shadd who had gone into the catering business in Wilmington, Delaware, and achieved fame for a marvelous new dessert sensation combining frozen cream, sugar and fruit. Dolley went to Delaware to sample the new dessert and ordered a “magnificent pink dome” of strawberry ice cream to be served at President Madison’s second inaugural ball in 1813. After that, affairs at Dolley’s White House were renowned for the strawberry “bombe glacee” centerpieces.

The most popular flavors of ice cream in America came to be known as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, in that order. Blue Bell has made many varieties of strawberry ice cream over the years, including, in 2012 alone, Strawberry Banana Pound Cake (introduced this year), Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Summer Berries, which includes strawberries, blueberries and raspberry and blackberry sauces in a citrus-flavored ice cream.

Summer Strawberry Pie Ice Cream is the latest addition to the list—a delicious, tangy treat that is perfect for Fourth of July get-togethers, outdoor barbecues, hot dogs while watching a baseball game, and all summer festivities!