From Freehold to Pennington — the NJ ice cream stops worth finding this summer

Every now and then on The Judi and EJ Show a topic comes up that reminds you why radio is still the best medium on earth.

Ice cream will do that.

It started a couple of weeks ago when we spent an hour on products that nobody makes anymore — the ones you miss so much that you find yourself doing late night internet searches hoping to find a closeout website or a forgotten store somewhere that still has a few left. Kyle Forcini — our on-air partner and producer — brought up Turkey Hill Graham Slam Ice Cream. A Turkey Hill partnership with the Phillies a few years back that landed at Acme Markets across New Jersey. Then the partnership ended. And the Graham Slam disappeared.

Kyle had not had it in almost a decade.

I had some extra time that day. So I drove over to Pennsylvania, found a Giant grocery store — the only place the research said still carried it — and came back with a carton of Kyle's all-time favorite ice cream.

I texted him when I got it. His response was one word.

WOW.

Later that day he sent me a photo of himself eating it. That made my whole day. Sometimes the smallest gestures land the hardest.

So today I went back to that same Pennsylvania Giant store to get him another carton.

Sold out!

Turns out Kyle is not the only one who remembers Graham Slam. That ice cream has a following — and right now they are all showing up at the same Giant store in Pennsylvania.

The phones lit up

We opened up the lines today and asked listeners to share their favorite New Jersey ice cream shops. The response was immediate and enthusiastic — which should surprise nobody because New Jersey takes its ice cream seriously.

Brenden from Delran pointed us to the Ice Cream Bar in Delanco, Burlington County. John in Helmetta had strong feelings about Causeway Ice Cream in South River, Middlesex County — his order is always soft serve with sprinkles. Christine over in Bensalem called in to represent Ice Cream on 9 in Howell, Monmouth County and specifically said get the pistachio. Dot in Nutley told us about Graham Central Station — found at Applegate Farm in Upper Montclair, Essex County. Fitting that a Graham-related ice cream came up given where the whole conversation started.

But the place that generated the most conversation was Halo Farm on Spruce Street in Lawrence Township — right around the corner from the station. There was some friendly confusion between Halo Farm and Halo Pubs until Susan from Trenton set everyone straight. Halo Farm is a longtime Mercer County institution — a micro-dairy that processes its own milk on site and produces dozens of super-premium flavors from simple ingredients. Founded in the 1970s. Old school dairy store feel — milk, juices, baked goods and ice cream all under one roof. The related Halo Pub locations throughout Mercer County serve the same ice cream in a more traditional scoop shop setting. If you are anywhere near Trenton and have not been, go.

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Three on my personal list this season

There are countless great ice cream shops across New Jersey — more than any single article could cover. But here are three that are on the personal radar for the season ahead.

Thomas Sweet in Princeton — a legendary Princeton institution that has been scooping since 1979. On the list and long overdue for a visit.

Evergreen Dairy Bar on Route 70 in Southampton — right on the edge of the Pine Barrens in Burlington County. A regular stop on Pine Barrens day trips and one of those places that feels like it belongs exactly where it is. Old school roadside dairy bar, the kind that reminds you what summer in South Jersey is supposed to taste like.  Learn more about Evergreen in the gallery below.

Jersey Freeze in Freehold — a Monmouth County institution and a name that comes up every time this conversation happens in New Jersey. Our thanks to Matt and Katie there who recently sent a box of creamy treats over to the NJ 101.5 crew through Kylie Moore. Jersey Freeze has clearly earned its reputation.

One more stop to add

Just up Route 31 in Pennington sits the Cream King. Drove past it back in January when New Jersey was locked in a deep freeze — the parking lot buried in snow, the picnic tables stacked and covered, the place completely shut down and surrounded by the kind of cold that makes an ice cream stand look almost poetic.

Well. Spring is here. The only freezing happening at Cream King now is inside their freezers. And soon enough — melting in our bellies.

Kyle — consider this your advance notice. We are going.