'Only in Jersey' ice cream flavors come to Windy Brow

By Laurie Gordon
FREDON — A five year anniversary has spawned the creation of “Only in Jersey” ice cream flavors at The Cow's Brow, the dairy arm of Windy Brow Farm, and the first of the flavors just came out. Taylor Ham and French Toast ice cream anyone?
Owned by the Hunt Family, five years ago Jake and Linda Hunt decided to pursue an idea that their son, Jake, had come up with for his senior hypothetical business at college. Far from being simply speculative, his idea to add a dairy to the farm became a reality and is now thriving so much so, that it's a huge draw and features staple as well as seasonal flavors of ice cream.
“'The Only in Jersey' collection kind of came about as a way to celebrate our five year anniversary of the Creamery,” Jake Hunt said. “I had been toying with the idea of doing some sort of curated collection of ice creams that all tie together in some way, and in doing so the Only In Jersey idea played strongest, and seemed to really be the best place for us to experiment with some super weird flavors, but also highlight everything that New Jersey.”
He added, “Agriculture has to offer. I’m a born and raised New Jerseyan, and my family has been here for over 350 years, so it only seemed fitting that we do something that is so very distinctly New Jersey—and what better place to start than with Taylor Ham and French Toast ice cream?”
Yes, it's true. This think-outside-the-box ice cream flavor contains pieces of caramelized Taylor ham and swirls of house-made challah french toast, all wrapped up in a base of locally-tapped maple syrup ice cream.
“Over the course of the next few months, we’ll release one new flavor about every 4 weeks,” Hunt said. “They will build on the 'Only in Jersey' theme, culminating in a big celebration during our Summer Fest in August.”
The Cow's Brow is located within the Windy Brow building and is still operated solely by Jake Hunt.
“It’s still pretty much a one-man show, from a creative and processing stance,” he said, “But we are currently in the process of trying to hire a few production assistants.”
Named for it's windy location on the brow of a ridge in Fredon, Windy Brow was originally operated as a dairy farm dating back to the late 1800s. The first fruit trees were planted in 1920 by the Inslee family. When the original dairy barn was destroyed by fire in the 1940s, the Inslee’s decided to concentrate on fruit growing.Many of the original trees are still bearing fruit today. The packing house and farm store established in 1946 are still in operation. The Hunt's purchased the farm in 2000, and look to their local roots in agriculture to guide them as they continue the family tradition of farming in New Jersey.
The farm is also famous for its homemade pies and breads as well as it's scrumptious apple cider doughnut which you can literally smell baking from outside the building.
The Cow's Brow ice creams can be found at Windy Brow, at the Sparta Farmer's Market and at events throughout the area.
For the spring, the farm is open on Fridays from 11am-7pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9am-5pm. Once the weather warms up, they will extend hours and will likely be open seven days-a-week by early June. Windy Brow is located at 359 Ridge Road in Fredon Township. For information, call 973-579-9657, visit www.windybrowfarms.com or find them on Facebook or Twitter.
Presenting "Only in Jersey" Taylor Ham & French Toast ice cream.