Fresh ice cream, homegrown flavors By MAEGAN CLEARWOOD Student intern | Posted: Thursday, August 2, 2012 12:00 am CHESTERTOWN Peach, s'mores, blueberry chip, cherry vanilla, apple caramel – ice cream lovers won't find these flavors in the frozen foods aisle. They're only available at Lockbriar Farms. The Ice Cream Barn, on Worton Road, opened two weeks ago, and its list of fresh, colorful flavors is ever growing. "I like being able to come up with different ideas and recipes. It's like an art project," said Jacqueline Lockwood, 16, as she scooped into a batch of blackberry on Tuesday. "It's fun, even if it doesn't work out." She is the creative genius behind many of the original flavors, but the farm's newest exploration into fresh, homegrown products is very much a family affair.
Ice Cream Girl Jacqueline Lockwood, 16, dips into a batch of blueberry ice cream for a customer at the Ice Cream Barn at Lockbriar Farms.
Jacqueline, her 13yearold brother, James, and parents Wayne and Marcella, are firm believers in the value of healthy, organic farming and agricultural education. Ever since they moved from Cecil County seven years ago, the Lockwoods have been dedicated to reaching out to the public about local, organic farming.
They sell fruits, vegetables, herbs, ciders, butters, sauces and more to five different farmer's markets a week and work with public schools to educate students about agriculture. They're also famous for being a "UPick" farm, where families can pick their own blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and more right off the vine. Making ice cream with fresh fruit and local dairy products made perfect sense. "We're a work in progress. We change every year and do something different," Wayne said. Father and daughter perfected their craft last February at Penn State's Ice Cream 101 weekend course. Inspired to make her own way in the ice cream business, Jacqueline applied for a grant through the Maryland Agricultural and ResourceBased Industry Development Corp. Although the Lockwoods were confident in their ice cream proposal, they were one of many farms hoping to gain funding for their business ventures through the organization. "The funding was perfect for us. We fit all the criteria, but we were nervous we wouldn't get it," Jacqueline said. The Lockwoods received a letter in the mail with news of a $20,000 loan. Lockbriar Farms was one of 13 awarded last year. Wayne attributes their acceptance to their innovative use of fresh produce and the recent push to support struggling dairy farms. Jacqueline's recipes combine premium ice cream mix from Cloverland Dairy with generous helpings of farmfresh fruits. The result is a totally unique, extracreamy frozen dessert. Although Jacqueline and Wayne learned about the science and art of mixing ice cream in class, they were unprepared for the work and supplies that go into running a successful operation. Along with
standard mixing equipment, the Lockwoods were required to purchase a $15,000 septic tank to meet health standards. "It's a bigger project than we thought it was going to be. We didn't know how much time, energy and effort we'd need to put into it. That was a surprise," Jacqueline said. Despite some obstacles along the way, customer responses to the original recipes were very good. "People are very excited," Wayne said. "They aren't used to flavors like this. Very few people have ever tasted blackberry ice cream." The first weekend open, the Ice Cream Barn offered six flavors. Now, the list has expanded to more than 16, and Jacqueline isn't stopping there. She said perfecting a new flavor is "all trial and error"; some, like Hawaiian Tropics, come out perfectly on the first try, but others, like peach, take a few tweaks before they're ready. "But the buyer's going to like it no matter what, because it's ice cream," she said. A senior at Ursuline Academy in Wilmington, Del., Jacqueline said she's looking to attend a local university and study agriculture after graduation. "I like living on a farm. I like knowing where my food comes from," she said. "I really like working with people. I love giving people a product they like."