This Is Some Cool Trivia

Some fun facts for National Ice Cream Month, courtesy of the International Ice Cream Association:

* More than 1.5 billion gallons of ice cream were produced in the United States in 1996, which works out to 23.2 quarts per person. China was a distant second, at 490 million gallons, followed by South Korea (346 million), Japan (220 million) and Italy (164 million).

* Ice cream and other frozen desserts are eaten in nine out of 10 American households; one out of three goes through at least a gallon every two weeks.

* Regular ice cream accounts for 57 percent of sales, followed by low-fat/nonfat (27 percent), frozen yogurt (8 percent), sorbets (4 percent) and sherbet (3 percent).

* Vanilla is the top-selling flavor, at 29.5 percent, well ahead of chocolate (10.2 percent), nut (10.1 percent) and Neapolitan (8.4 percent).

* Portland ranks first in supermarket sales of ice cream, at an annual 2.87 gallons per person. Seattle places third, at 2.63 gallons. (No figures are available for Spokane, but personally, we’re doing our part to up the average.)

Smoke and fire

Cooks from across the United States and Canada will congregate in Wallace July 18-19 for the Idaho State Championship Chili Cook-Off on Saturday and the Idaho State Championship Barbecue Cook-Off on Sunday.

Grand prize in each contest is $500, with winners qualifying for the world finals. Entry fees are $30 for chili and $50 for barbecue, which includes lamb ribs.

For more information, call Janis Steading at (208) 772-9419.

Sweet and sauer

For those with more tart tastes, Steinfeld’s is again looking for creative sauerkraut concoctions in its annual recipe contest.

Recipes can be entered in five categories — appetizers, soups, entrees, breads and desserts — and must include Steinfeld’s sauerkraut, winekraut or red cabbage. Grand prize is $250.

Send recipes on regular-sized paper, including your name, address and telephone number, by Aug. 1 to: Steinfeld’s Sauerkraut Recipe Contest, 10001 N. Rivergate Blvd., Portland, OR 97203.

Meatless meeting

Practically everything except animal products will be on the menu at The American Vegan Society’s annual convention July 28-Aug. 2 at Evergreen State College in Olympia.

Morning, afternoon and evening sessions include lectures, workshops and cooking demonstrations. Registration per session is $15 at the door; for information, call (360) 786-8883.