Bess the CowAt Herrell's®, we know that great artisan ice cream begins with great cows and real ingredients. For almost four decades, Herrell's® has supported local and sustainable farming practices. We believe that buying local helps keep our local community vital.

In our store, we have no food waste! We either bring overstocks to the local survival center or food bank, or we feed local farm animals. Nothing is sent to the landfill.

Herrell's® ice cream is made using rBGH hormone-free dairy cows, and the dairy is purchased through local co-ops. Additionally, we source and purchase many of our fresh ingredients from local farmers. We make our ice cream right in the store so that our customers have the freshest ice cream available.

Protecting our land, water, and environment is a continuing mission at Herrell's®.

Long before sustainability became a media buzzword, Judy was involved in the sustainable farming practices that Herrell's® still supports. As a young girl in the 1960s, Judy worked on her uncle's farm in Pennsylvania, milking the cows, exercising the horses, and maintaining the fields. One of her first riding experiences was not on a horse, but on a dairy cow named Bess. While a student at Hampshire College in the 1980s, Judy worked at a local dairy farm and at Hampshire College's Farm Center. Judy currently works with Green America on a project that would bring non-GMO feed to dairy farmers in New England, and with local and regional dairy co-ops to discuss costs and sustainable yield non-GMO harvests. She is active in farmland trusts and other land protection programs that help maintain land for agricultural use.

Even our hot fudge jars are completely recyclable. When Herrell's® began to sell jarred hot fudge sauces in the 1990's, the jars had a drippy chocolate-scented wax coating on the lid. Although the design was popular and sold well, it was determined that the wax top was not recyclable. We immediately discontinued this packaging to be environmentally responsible.

Former jar designCurrent jar design

Please note: Many of the terms in this dictionary are historical terms from the 1930s and 1940s. They were used by "soda jerks" at the time, and are not currently in use at Herrell's® or most other establishments. We present them for entertainment value only, and with no intention of sexism, racism, or discrimination of any kind.

B

Black and White

A milkshake, frappe, or malted made with vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup. Also applies to an ice cream soda.

Black Cow

An ice cream soda made by mixing root beer syrup and a small amount of cream in the bottom of a glass, adding soda water, and topping off with vanilla ice cream.

Bon Bons

French for candy in general, but in English, refers to various chocolates with ice cream inside.

Broadway, The

A cousin of a Black Cow, namely, an ice cream soda made by mixing chocolate syrup and a small amount of cream in the bottom of a glass, adding soda water, and topping off with coffee ice cream

Butterfat content

Percent by weight of fat in an ice cream mixture before freezing. Butterfat is the fat in cream, from the cow, and of course can be made into butter. Skim milk, 1% milk, 2% milk, whole milk (3.5%), half-and-half, light cream, medium cream, and heavy cream are all very similar except for the amount of butterfat they contain.

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C

Cabinet

In Rhode Island, a milkshake. (frappe)

Check the vanilla

A communication among ice cream servers to take a look at the plain, yet attractive customer who just came into the ice cream store.

Chocolate beans

Another name for what we call M&M's®. Not to be confused with cocoa beans.

Chocolate jots

Another name for what we call M&M's®.

Chocolate sundae

An ice cream sundae made with chocolate syrup (the syrup used for milkshakes and ice cream sodas), not hot fudge. See the entry, "Hot Fudge." While hot fudge sundaes are more popular, chocolate sundaes are delicious in a different way.

C.M.P.

In areas of central Pennsylvania, a sundae made with chocolate syrup, marshmallow, and peanuts.

Crowd

Three scoops of ice cream.

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D

Dasher

The large, turning mixer and scraper inside the canister of a hand-crank ice cream freezer. When homemade ice cream has just been made, and the dasher is removed, lots of fresh, luscious ice cream clings to it, and, according to legend, this is the best ice cream in the batch! It's a lucky person who gets to lick the dasher!

Decorettes

Sprinkles.

Dipping cabinet

A specialized freezer with multiple lids, heavy-duty insulation, and curved upper surfaces designed to minimize the effect of passing exterior air currents; specifically designed for the professional service of ice cream. Any dipping cabinet worth its rock-salt is usually massive, boxy, and imposing. Although boards of health may question the common practice, the lids may be left open indefinitely during busy times without compromising the texture or sanitation of the ice creams, surfaces of which are served too quickly to collect any possible air-borne bacteria in such a situation. However, many dipping cabinets are in the dark ages of development, since very serious issues remain relative to uneven temperatures throughout the interior of the cabinet.

Dusty Miller

A chocolate sundae with malted milk powder sprinkled on top.

Dusty Road

A dish of ice cream with malted milk powder sprinkled on it.

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E

Egg cream

In New York, a plain soda (see below), made with soda water, syrup, and cream. This drink was originally called "soda et crème" (from the French, "soda and cream"); New Yorkers dropped the "soda" in the name, and instead of saying "et creme" found it easier to say "egg cream." Ever since, everyone has wondered why there are no eggs in it—which there are not. An egg cream is light and refreshing, has somewhat of a following among New Yorkers, and is made only in vanilla or chocolate flavors.

Essemets

Sprinkles.

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F

Frappe

In Boston and eastern Massachusetts, this is what the rest of the country calls a "milkshake," which is a drink traditionally made with ice cream, milk, and syrup, and beaten on a milkshake mixing machine.

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H

Handful

Five of anything. "Handful plus one" means six; "handful plus a pair" means seven; "handful plus a crowd" means eight.

Hot Fudge

A very warm, thick chocolate sauce used as a topping for sundaes (not to be confused with "chocolate syrup"—see entry, "Chocolate Sundae"). Too often these days a just-barely warm or even room-temperature sauce is passed off as "hot fudge." When making actual fudge candy, the ingredients are of course heated together to over 200 degrees F. Originally, hot fudge for ice cream sundaes was literally "hot fudge." Until just recently, this was still the case at "At The Hop" ice cream parlor in Bath, New Hampshire, which obtained its hot fudge from the fudge-making operation next door in The Brick Store (itself the oldest general store in the country).

Hundreds and thousands

British for sprinkles.

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L

Ladybug

An attractive, dapper male ice cream server around whom female customers like to gather.

Leaning Tower of Reeze-a

A very tall pile of boxes of Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups, which is beginning to lean but has not fallen. Occasionally such a pile can be found in Herrell's®.

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M

M&M®

Included in the Dictionary only because we need a clarification on the singular and the plural. The singular is "an M&M®." Note that "an M" is not generally used by literate society as the singular. The plural is "M&M's®," of course, and spelled that way too. It is not a possessive; however, this spelling is based on the grammatical rule that if a word ends with a single capital letter that stands for something else, such as in an acronym, then an apostrophe, in fact, and an "s," are used to make it plural.

Malted milk (or just “malt”)

Powdered milk with malted barley. It is added to milkshakes or frappes to make a malted milkshake or malted frappe. It has a hefty, thick flavor. (Beer is also made with malted barley). At Herrell's®, we add it directly to vanilla and chocolate ice cream to make Malted Vanilla ice cream and Malted Chocolate ice cream.

Milkshake

1. In most of the country, this is a drink traditionally made with ice cream, milk, and syrup, and beaten on a milkshake mixing machine (see also "frappe").
2. In Boston and eastern Massachusetts, it is a drink made with milk and syrup (no ice cream), and beaten on a milkshake mixing machine. It is light and frothy, not creamy and thick like the drink described in definition #1.

Milkshake or frappe float

A milkshake (in sense #1 above) or frappe made normally, with another scoop of ice cream added to it after it is removed from the mixer. (See "side car").

Mix one with legs

Make a beverage to go.

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N

No-Moo

Herrell's® specially made line of trademarked non-dairy frozen and confectionary products.

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O

One on the city

A glass of water.

Overrun

The percent by volume of unfrozen, liquid, ice cream mixture by which the finished ice cream has increased during freezing due to the incorporation of air. Most bulk half-gallons from supermarkets are about 100% overrun (half air). Herrell's® is much lower than that. A low-overrun ice cream is richer, creamier, lingers longer in the mouth, is more filling, melts more slowly, stands up better to hot fudge and soda water, and makes for thicker milkshakes (frappes).

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P

Plain soda

In the Boston area, a drink made with soda water, syrup, and cream and/or milk. It is like an ice cream soda without any ice cream. It is similar to an "egg cream" (see above).

P’s & Q’s

Pints and quarts. (Well, okay, the phrase, "Mind your P's & Q's" probably originally comes from the printing trade during the age of movable type, when it was easy for printers to confuse p's and q's in the lower case since the small pieces of type themselves were, of course, reversed from their appearance on the printed page. But we in the ice cream business enjoy obfuscating the issue by suggesting the phrase refers to something more a part of our daily life, namely, pints and quarts. And what fun would it be to call them liters and half-liters? Tradition need not be dash(er)ed to the ground! What words sounds more familiar, more comforting, than "I'll have a quart of Vanilla"?).

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R

Reese's®

Included in the Dictionary because we need a clarification as to pronunciation. The last syllable does NOT rhyme with "me," as though the word were spelled "Rees-ies." The name rhymes with "nieces" or "ceases."

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S

Scoop well

A very small, usually rectangular basin holding scoops and spades through which water constantly flows to clean them. It is not an appeal to ice cream servers to do a good job. Also known as a "dipwell." The Dipwell Company, which makes thousands of scoop wells for companies large and small, including Baskin-Robbins and Dairy Queen, recently moved from Erie, Pennsylvania to Northampton, Massachusetts. Officials of the company frequent Herrell's® Ice Cream to make sure their equipment works properly.

Scooperpunk

A rude ice cream server wearing a stocking cap. (There are no scooperpunks at Herrell's®.)

Shots

Sprinkles.

Side car

The scoop of ice cream floating in a root beer or cola float, or in a milkshake or frappe float.

Skirt

Ice cream which hangs out and over the edge of an ice cream cone.

Smarties

What the British call M&M®-type candies (also a type of American candy, unrelated to M&M's® or Smarties).

Smoosh-in®

(noun), A dish of any flavor of ice cream at Herrell's® into which is mixed, according to the customer's choices, any of the nuts, candies, and fruits displayed, by manual use of a scoop and spade on a special board on the front counter. (verb), To mix goodies into ice cream per above, as, Would you like that smooshed-in? This concept was first popularized by Steve Herrell at his first ice cream store in 1973 near Boston, and is now widely imitated by national chains.

Spade

(noun), An ice cream tool shaped something like a windshield scraper or a small, flattened shovel used to push down ice cream remaining behind on the inside walls of a tub after previous scooping from that tub; also used to hand-pack pints and quarts, and to Smoosh-in®. (verb) To use a spade, as, Could you please spade that tub of Peanut Butter Paradise?

Suds

Root beer.

Suds with a side car

A root beer float.

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V

Vertically-packed

An unadvertised specialty at Herrell's®, it is a method for hand-packing a pint or quart which has two flavors in it, skillfully packed side-by-side and not just one on top of the other, so that either flavor or both may be accessed and enjoyed without having to finish the top one first.

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W

White and Black

A milkshake, frappe, or malted made with chocolate ice cream and vanilla syrup. Also applies to an ice cream soda.

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See also: Kosher Information

Herrell's® Ice Cream:

Contains: milk, corn, soy.
May contain: soy, palm, or coconut oil as a emulsifier.

Nutrition Facts

Approximate values for vanilla ice cream. Other flavors may vary.

Serving Size	1/2 cup (106g)
Calories	255
Calories from Fat	150

		% Daily Values*
Total Fat	17g	26%
Saturated Fat	11g	55%
Trans Fat	0.5g
Cholesterol	75mg	25%
Sodium	80mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate	21g	7%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	20g
Protein	4g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Herrell's® Low Fat Frozen Yogurt:

Contains: milk ingredients, corn, soy.
May contain: soy, palm, or coconut oil as a emulsifier.

Nutrition Facts

Average data for all flavors. Flavors may vary.

Serving Size	1/2 cup
Calories	110
Calories from Fat	15

		% Daily Values*
Total Fat	2g	3%
Saturated Fat	1g	5%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	5mg	2%
Sodium	75mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate	21g	7%
Dietary Fiber	0g	0%
Sugars	17g
Protein	4g
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		10%
Iron		0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Herrell's® NoMoo® Non-Dairy Ice Cream

Approximate values for chocolate No-Moo. Other flavors may vary.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size	1/2 cup
Calories	180
Calories from Fat

		% Daily Values*
Total Fat	9g	14%
Saturated Fat	1g	5%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	80mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate	24g	8%
Dietary Fiber	2g	8%
Sugars	17g
Protein	2g
Vitamin A		0%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		2%
Iron		4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Herrell's® No Sugar Added Ice Cream

Contains: milk.

Nutrition Facts

Average data for all flavors. Flavors may vary.

Serving Size	1/2 cup
Calories	130
Calories from Fat	80

		% Daily Values*
Total Fat	9g	14%
Saturated Fat	5g	25%
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	35mg	12%
Sodium	40mg	1%
Total Carbohydrate	14g	5%
Dietary Fiber	5g	20%
Sugars	4g
Sugar Alcohols	5g
Protein	2g
Vitamin A		6%
Vitamin C		0%
Calcium		8%
Iron		0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Herrell's® Sherbet

Contains: milk.

Nutrition Facts

Average data for all flavors. Flavors may vary.

Serving Size	1/3 cup
Calories	110
Calories from Fat	13

		% Daily Values*
Total Fat	1g	2%
Saturated Fat	1g	5%
Trans Fat
Cholesterol	1mg	0%
Sodium	34mg	1%
Total Carbohydrate	22g	7%
Dietary Fiber	1g	4%
Sugars	18g
Protein	1g
Vitamin A		1%
Vitamin C		3%
Calcium		4%
Iron		1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Herrell's® Sorbet

Contains: corn.

Nutrition Facts

Average data for all flavors. Flavors may vary.

Serving Size	1/2 cup (96g)
Calories	130
Calories from Fat	0

		% Daily Values*
Total Fat	0g	0%
Saturated Fat	0g	0%
Trans Fat	0g	0%
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Sodium	95mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate	32g	11%
Dietary Fiber	2g	8%
Sugars	25g
Protein	0g
Vitamin A		10%
Vitamin C		10%
Calcium		0%
Iron		0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Other Ingredients and Treats

Sugar Cones (vegan):

Enriched wheat flour (niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), brown sugar, vegetable oil shortening (soybean oil or canola oil, modified palm oil, soy lecithin), oat fiber, salt, caramel color, artificial flavor, soy lecithin. Contains: wheat, soy.

Cake Cones (vegan):

Enriched wheat flour (contains niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), tapioca flour, sugar, vegetable oil shortening (soybean or canola oil, modified palm oil, soy lecithin), leavening (Sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate), salt, natural flavor, annatto (vegetable color). Contains: wheat, soy.

Waffle Cones (vegan):

Bleached wheat flour, sugar, pure vegetable shortening (soybean oil), oat fiber, soy lecithin, salt, artificial flavoring. Contains: wheat, soy.

Rainbow Sprinkles (vegan):

Sugar, corn starch, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (cottonseed and/or soybean), soy lecithin, dextrin, confectioner’s glaze, natural and artificial flavor, red 40 lake, carnauba wax, yellow 6 lake, blue 1 lake, yellow 5 lake, red 3, blue 1, red 40. Contains: soy, corn.

Chocolate Sprinkles (vegan):

Sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa (processed with potassium carbonate), soya lecithin, confectioner’s glaze, corn syrup, vanillin (an artificial flavor). Contains: soy, corn.

Toffee Bar (not vegan):

Milk chocolate (sugar; cocoa butter; chocolate; nonfat milk; milkfat; lactose; soy lecithin; salt; vanillin, artificial flavor); sugar; palm oil; dairy butter (milk); almonds (roasted in cocoa butter and/or sunflower oil); contains 2% or less of: salt, artificial flavor; soy lecithin. Contains: almonds, soy, milk.

Oreo Cookies (vegan):

Sugar, unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, thiamin mononitrate [vitamin B1], riboflavin [vitamin B2], folic acid), high oleic canola and/or palm and/or canola and/or soybean oil, cocoa (processed with alkali), high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch, leavening (baking soda and/or calcium phosphate), salt, soy lecithin, vanillin, chocolate. Contains: wheat, soy, corn.

We make all of our ice cream in small batches, one 3-gallon tub at a time. We use a very low overrun (dasher speed) to create a smooth, dense, and creamy, well flavored ice cream. All of our ingredients are added to each flavor by hand, and mixed in by specially trained Herrell's® Ice Cream makers.

It takes time to make ice cream using this method, but we think it is the best way to produce a great ice cream.