If you call certain parts of the American South home, winter’s embrace often means little more than crisp mornings and maybe a stray flurry.
But every once in a while, Mother Nature reluctantly sprinkles a few flakes, or even inches, on even the most snow-starved locations like Nashville, Tennessee.
That happened recently, prompting the usual dash for milk and bread, a tangle of traffic, and an eruption of frolicking in the white stuff by little people – and big people who, it seems, never really grow up.
One Nashville resident, award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, seized the opportunity of this mini-blizzard to whip up a batch of a beloved Southern winter treat: snow cream.
As Emily Heil reported this week in The Washington Post, Witherspoon shared a video of her recipe on TikTok, where it racked up nearly 5 million views in a matter of days. Almost immediately, dire warnings about the perils of consuming…snow? began popping up across the internet.
“No. No. No. Snow is not for eating. You can get seriously sick,” Heil quoted one poster as admonishing.
Let’s be clear: no one’s suggesting you dine on yellow snow here.
Snow cream is made with the freshest snow you can scrape off, say, the top of your backyard grill. Combine it with a bit of sugar, milk, and vanilla extract, and you’ve got yourself a treat not quite ice cream, but similar in texture and taste. Ms. Witherspoon added her own twist, using chocolate syrup and coffee to take her snow cream up a notch.
While concerns about parasites and pollutants are valid, as long as you avoid snow from the street or long-unmelted banks, you should be fine. Important disclaimer: this is not medical advice.
Turns out, the humble snow-based treat has a long history. Traces lead back to ancient Persia, where folks enjoyed frolicking with honey-infused snow concoctions. Even early Americans, in the days before iceboxes and ice cream parlors, whipped up “snow ice” with milk and flavorings.
More than just a sweet snack, snow cream is a dessert born of necessity, a playful defiance against winter’s frosty grip. It’s the shared laughter of children huddled around a frosty bowl of icy goodness. It’s the memory of sugar-dusted mittens, the taste of childhood winters condensed into a single, fleeting bite.
The next time snowflakes swirl outside, don’t just build snowmen. Whip up a batch of snow cream, a testament to our resourceful ancestors and a reminder that joy can bloom even in the coldest months. Remember, like a winter sunrise, it won’t last forever. So dig in, savor the chill, and let the sweetness of snow fill your mouth and your heart.
As for the skeptics? Studies have shown that laughter lowers stress hormones. And what’s more guaranteed to induce giggles than a face full of snow cream?
Now feel free go forth and embrace the frosty fling that is snow cream!