Can You Make Snow Ice Cream With Michigan Snow?

I'm not originally from Michigan, so my experience with snow is much more limited than the average Michigander. But- when it did snow back home, I remember one of my favorite things to do with my mother was to make "snowcream" or snow ice cream.

But as I've gotten older, we've all learned a lot more about what we should and shouldn't do when it comes to consuming water from outside. They say due to the increasing pollution found in our air and water, it's not always safe to consume untreated water or precipitation.

So I did some digging to find out... is it okay to still eat and enjoy this old school treat?

Can you make snow cream using Michigan snow?

According to accuweather, the answer depends. While a lot of snow is safe to consume, you have to mindful of where you're getting your snow from.

They say that fresh snow is your best bet. That means snow that isn't on something dirty, or potentially contaminated by chemicals or road salt. You also want to be mindful of yellow snow too...

But, if you can source your snow from somewhere clean and safe, or if you can think ahead and leave out a bowl, most fresh snow should be safe to consume in small amounts.

Now, just in case you need a recipe to try this for yourself:

All you need is:

• Milk
• Sugar
• Vanilla
• Snow

First, get your snow from outside, and put it into a bowl in the freezer. Fresh snow melts fast- so you want to make sure it stays frozen while you prepare the rest.

Grab a cup of any milk (plant based is okay too!) and add one cup for every full cereal bowl sized serving you have. You can eye the milk, just don't add too much. Next, add your sugar/sweetener of choice. I generally do at least two table spoons.

Then, you want to add a spoonful of vanilla for flavor. but you don't have this, it's still good without.

Stir all of these in your bowl, add sprinkles for some flare, and enjoy!