Grab a spoon. There’s ice cream!

There’s nothing like a scoop of old-fashioned, homemade ice cream in the heat of the summer. If you have yet to experience the real deal – creating hand-cranked ice cream from a generations old recipe including rich, fresh milk, cream and eggs, sugar, a dash of vanilla and other secret family ingredients – then the next best thing this summer in Chicago is Nice Cream. Kris Swanberg, sans the old hand-crank device, hand crafts ice cream, changing flavors each season, using only fresh, organic, dairy ingredients from local farms within 100 miles. This summer’s creamy concoctions: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Blueberry Pie, Chocolate and Sweet Basil, Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream with Angel Food Cake (yes, an entire angel food cake gets mixed into a batch with hand-picked organic strawberries right off the vine), and Peaches and Cream. Find a pint or two of Nice Cream at these specialty food markets: Green Grocer, Provenance, Dill Pickle Co-op, Southport Grocery, The Goddess and Grocer, and Oak Park’s Marion Street Cheese Market, also at two city Whole Foods Markets. For additional locations and information: nicecreamchicago.com.