Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream


August weather decided to arrive on Memorial Day weekend!  So the strawberries I purchased at Weaver's Orchards to make strawberry shortcake are now headed to for the ice cream maker.  This recipe uses whole milk instead of heavy cream.  It's just as good with less fat!

Ingredients

3 cups sliced strawberries or 3 heaping cups whole berries
1 2/3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

If needed, put the bowl of your ice cream maker in the freezer a day in advance or whatever the manufacturer recommends.
Clean strawberries and remove leaves and any bad spots. If you are using a blender, you may want to slice the berries one or two times to make blending easier.
Put strawberries, sugar, and milk in blender or food processor fitted with the blade. Process until smooth. Add vanilla and process very briefly to blend. Taste to check for sweetness and add a bit more sugar if needed. If you started with warm berries, refrigerate the mixture until cold. It will keep for up to a day, which makes this a great dinner-party recipe.
Pour strawberry mixture into ice-cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions.
Serve at once. Freeze any remaining ice cream in single-serving container. Thaw frozen servings for about 20 minutes before eating.