What's in your cart, chef? This week, we ask Karen Klemens, the master preserver behind Mothercluck's vibrant seasonal canned goods and jams as well as chef/owner of Mother Moo Creamery. Open for a year and a half in a location that formerly housed a Domino's Pizza, Mother Moo has quickly become known for its variety of ice cream flavors, from simple (three milks) to sublime (medlar), and for serving excellent Plow & Gun coffee.

“I've got these good, good, good, good, good, good — that's six goods — Seascape strawberries from McGrath. Right now I'm getting from them but over the course of the season I might get some from Harry's, too — just whoever has the most flavorful, least watery berries. I'll macerate these for a couple of days to intensify their flavor and make sure there's no iciness,” she told us on Sunday at the Hollywood Farmers Market, one of nine markets McGrath sells at throughout the Southland.

Thursday morning, the ice cream is ready (Klemens announces exciting flavor updates on her Facebook page), and we enjoyed a scoop as soon as the Creamery opened its doors. A full flat of berries and three days of prep goes into a five-gallon batch of ice cream.

And the ice cream? It's creamy but not overly rich, bright but not tart, pure but not dull, and not too sweet. You can taste the sunshine that ripens the berries in Phil McGrath's Oxnard fields, and the clean, sweet Strauss organic dairy.

Mother Moo ice cream; Credit: A. Broder-Hahn

Mother Moo ice cream; Credit: A. Broder-Hahn

See also:

– What's in the Chef's Market Cart: Beets from Coastal Organics

– What's in the Chef's Market Cart: Eggs from Schaner Family Farms

– What's in the Chef's Market Cart: Green Garbanzo Beans

– What's in the Chef's Market Cart: String Beans from Tamai Farm

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