Just in time for National Camping Month, one of America’s most unique ice cream shops is rolling out a collection of special flavors to honor the great outdoors and – the cherry on top – benefit the National Park Service at the same time.
The North Coast foraged trail mix flavored ice cream. Image by Salt & Straw
From now until June 27, in scoop shops from San Diego to Seattle, Portland-based mini-chain Salt & Straw will be serving up a camping-inspired selection that reimagines summertime eats in ice cream form. And, in keeping with the company’s ethos, there are plenty of unexpected combinations in the mix.
Riffing on West Coast foraging trips for inspiration, with touchstones like the deserts of Southern California and Washington state’s redwood trees, the series covers a truly wild range of flavors. Can’t get enough of Oregon’s towering pines? Try the Spruce Tips and Huckleberry Crisp, spruce-tip ice cream with huckleberry jam and hazelnut crumble. Or maybe go for the Campfire S’mores, a woodsy chocolate ice cream laced with graham crackers and smoky, toasted marshmallow fluff. That’s co-founder and head ice-cream maker Tyler Malek’s personal favorite, and one he predicts will be a big hit with the customers. “It transports you to sitting around a campfire with friends and family,” he says. “We’re betting on the classics like Campfire S’mores and Buttermilk Pancakes, Bacon & Eggs to be crowd favorites.”
Sample a mushroom-flavored ice cream. Image by Salt & Straw
Yep, that’s right. Buttery griddled-pancake ice cream with maple-praline bacon bits and sunny-side caramel, a full breakfast in a single cone. Even more unusual-sounding are the Berries, Beans, & BBQ Sauce, which marries dairy-free raspberry ice cream with molasses-rich baked bean ganache and zingy strawberry barbecue sauce, and the Skillet Cornbread with Candied Nettles & Pine Nuts, a savory brown-butter cornbread ice cream with pine nuts and nettle brittle.
Taking to the trails? Mushroom Muddy Buddies references that quintessential hiking snack, a pile of peanut butter-and-chocolate-coated Chex, with hazelnuts standing in for the cereal and scattered throughout a candied-mushroom ice cream base. This one “could be a sensation for the more adventurous types,” Tyler says. And what’s a trek without some trail mix? North Coast Foraged Trail Mix channels that old-school vibe, a sea-salt ice cream swirled with tart salal-berry jam and an inspired combination of seaweed, apricots, figs, and nuts.
Sample buttermilk pancakes, bacon and egg ice cream. Image by Salt & Straw
If a trip to the West Coast doesn’t mesh with your immediate travel plans, not to worry – the pints, clad in a classic Pendleton print for extra nostalgia, are also available by mail. And, with Salt & Straw putting a portion of the proceeds toward the parks, you’ll be doing good by treating yourself. “When we dreamed up this series, we all started sharing stories of our collective camping memories, the places, tastes, feeling of gathering around the campfire with friends and family,” Tyler says. “We wanted to celebrate summer and encourage people to get outside, but also remind them that our National Parks need our help more than ever. Our parks are such a treasure and a great reminder of what’s most important. We’d like to do our part in supporting them.”
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