Well back on the home front I continued with the unofficial review of area Ice Cream stands. A good friend recommended Peaceful Meadows on Rt 18 in Whitman. I definitely knew where that was. I drive by it quite often. What I didn’t know was that this is only one of 3 Massachusetts locations.
There’s a Peaceful Meadows Ice Cream stand at 109 West Grove St, Middleboro, Ma and another at 170 Water St, Plymouth, Ma. The correct address of the one in Whitman is 60 Bedford St, Whitman.
Peaceful Meadows started out as a dairy farm in Whitman and that is still the main location and there is still a dairy there. In fact all of the ice cream served at all 3 locations is made right there on the farm in Whitman.
I can see the appeal of the place for a family with children too, at least the Whitman location. I have not been to Middleboro or Plymouth but I think they are just Ice Cream Stands. The Whitman location is the farm and it is really a working dairy farm.
When you pull into the good-sized parking lot you see cows grazing in the pasture that backs the ice cream stand. The barn itself is open to the public and the day I was there contained a “pre teen” calf. You know what I mean..not a cute little baby but not fully grown up yet either. The mother cow was in an enclosure next to the calf. I hesitate to call it a stall as it was more like a mini corral . The sides were open. Children were picking up handfuls of hay and feeding both cows. They were gentle and let the little ones pet and scratch their heads while they munched.
Also located on the grounds is a little store with packaged ice cream, milk, homemade cookies and wonder of wonder, maple syrup and maple syrup candy. Be still my heart. That is a major weakness of mine. I left quickly before temptation could sway any resolve.
Having explored a bit it was time to taste the wares. I stood in a short line until it was my turn. I’m not very adventuresome when it come to eating so I am normally happy with a simple dish of chocolate but today I decided to try a sundae. Pretty basic…vanilla ice cream with hot fudge. Whip cream and nuts of course , hold the cherry.
You can’t fault the serving size. This didn’t come in a dish. This was in a large plastic cup. There was plenty of hot fudge too, not like some places that give you a little dot of hot fudge and call it a day. My treat in hand I looked for someplace to sit back and enjoy.
There were no little tables with bright umbrellas, no picnic tables on the grass under the trees, only one small bench and a few boulders. Most people were sitting cross-legged on the ground. Perfect for little kids and maybe me about 10-15 years ago but now my joints might let me get down there but I’d never get back up!
Eventually one of the kids left the bench to go look at the cows and I quickly claimed the vacant seat. Time to dig in.
Hmmm. Very strong vanilla flavoring. I’m not sure I like it quite that strong. Also the ice cream, being homemade fresh from the dairy was very, very rich. That’s not a bad thing unless, like me all that butterfat tends to upset the digestive track. The hot fudge had a slightly burned flavor like someone hadn’t cleaned out the old before adding the new. So far I can’t give them high points. It certainly wasn’t the worst hot fudge sundae I’ve tasted but I wouldn’t put it in the top 10 either. I didn’t finish it. Most of it landed in the trash container.
Bottom line…I can see why it would be a favorite place for families with the cows to watch and the open barn to explore. Another Plus is that this is not a seasonal stand. It is open year round. There’s ample parking but not enough seating unless you like the ground and I’d only rate the ice cream a C.
So to my friend who loves this location all I can say is sorry. It isn’t to my taste. Maybe it is to yours and that’s good too. It’s why there are many choices out there. If everyone liked the same thing we’d only need one and where’s the fun in that?