Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/565724
170 At Richardson's Farm in Middleton, founded in 1695, visitors can check out grazing cows and goats, or maybe pop next door for a round of mini-golf. But let's be honest: The ice cream is the star here and has been for more than 60 years. The always-evolving menu of 85 flavors features classics like chocolate and strawberr y and more modern concoctions like coffee Kahlua brownie and green tea. Sometimes older, less popular flavors fall off the list, says Ned Bolth, part of the ninth generation to run the farm. "But we hope to replace it with something newer and better," he adds. The farm began at the ver y end of the 17th centur y, simply as a way to grow food for the Richardson family, some of the countr y's earli- est settlers. Cows have been a part of the operation since the ver y beginning—the company estimates that cows have been milked on the property ever y day for the past 300 years. Eventually, the farm ex- panded into a dair y-focused commercial farm. Then, in 1952, Hazen and Ben Rich- ardson decided to see if they could turn the farm's milk and cream into "one perfect ice cream." Within a decade, the ice cream stand was ser v- ing more than 50 flavors. Today, Richardson's ice cream is also sold at Jordan's Furniture in Reading and at dozens of independent ice cream shops throughout the state. But it is the original stand on the farm that has become a true North Shore institution. "The purpose of it is to be a day or afternoon of fun for a family," Bolth says. "It's the place where kids can visit the cows that make it all happen." Richardson's Farm 156 South Main St., Middleton, 978-774-5450 50 Walker 's Brook Dr., Reading, 781-944-9121 richardsonsicecream.com Clockwise from top left, owner Dave Daniels, on-site diary cows, "small" cup of ice cream with fresh fruit, and family member Ned Bolth photographs by Zoe Isaac Rousseau