A Scoop of the Past: Ice Cream, Imagination & Island Time
- Ginger North
- Jul 7
- 5 min read
#30CanadianFoods: A simple way to make delicious ice cream inspired by the world’s most famous fictional ginger
Prince Edward Island may be Canada’s smallest province, but its red cliffs and sea-salted breezes have a knack for creating oversized legends—like red-headed heroines with wild imaginations and a deep love of desserts. From Mi’kmaq origins to Acadian survival, this island holds layers of history deeper than a potato trench.
This stop on the #30CanadianFoods heritage adventure takes us to a place where fact and fiction blur, where farmhouse kitchens still churn vanilla ice cream, and where history doesn’t just whisper—it giggles through the trees.
PEI’s got stories to tell. And lucky for us, some of them are edible.
Where History Has Layers (and Red Soil Underneath)
Before it was a postcard-perfect island of gabled roofs and literary pilgrims, PEI was Epekwitk—the land cradled in the waves. Home to the Mi’kmaq for over 10,000 years, it’s a place where shoreline stories still echo, especially with new discoveries like the ancient jawbone unearthed near Stanhope—a reminder that Islanders have been eating well and living deeply here for millennia.
Then came the French. Then the British. Then the potatoes. Through colonization, resilience, agriculture, and literature, PEI has evolved into a cultural patchwork as rich as its red soil. And like all great heritage, some of its best stories are told at the kitchen table.
Where Imagination Took Root: Green Gables Heritage Place
If you’ve ever dreamed of standing where Anne Shirley once did, you’re not alone—and yes, you can walk Lover’s Lane and get lost in the Haunted Woods without once checking your phone.
Green Gables Heritage Place is more than just a literary landmark. It’s the actual 19th-century farmhouse that sparked L. M. Montgomery’s world-famous novel, and it still casts a spell.
Visitors describe it as “tranquil, peaceful, utterly enchanting,” and “shockingly emotional.” The home is restored to match Montgomery’s descriptions, from Marilla’s kitchen to the crisp white linens, the world’s most famous fictional ginger would have probably spilled raspberry cordial on.
Walk the trails, explore the barn, take in the interpretive centre, chance encounters with costumed Anne guides and—if you’re lucky—you can help churn old‑fashioned vanilla ice custard cream by hand, just like Anne did in the book.
The Quieter Side of the Story: L. M. Montgomery’s Cavendish
Think Green Gables is the full Anne experience? Not quite. Just across the way, tucked beyond the crowds and costume play, is the real heart of it all—the Cavendish homestead. This is where a young Montgomery came to live with her grandparents after her mother died.
The original house—and the kitchen where Montgomery wrote the earliest drafts of Anne of Green Gables — is gone, but the foundation remains, along with walking trails through the woods she wandered, fields she drew inspiration from, and what’s left of the family’s old post office (where Maud once sorted the village’s mail and probably imagined far grander correspondence).
While Green Gables brings the story to life, the Cavendish site lets you breathe in the life that created the story. No reenactments. No velvet ropes. Just you, the wind, and the ghosts of big dreams rooted in red earth.
Privately owned and still operated by Montgomery's descendants with a bookstore on site, fans often say this is where they feel Montgomery most clearly—where the boundary between biography and fiction softens.
[Parks Canada’s L. M. Montgomery’s Cavendish National Historic Site are officially made up of the two properties— Green Gables Heritage Place and the Site of L.M. Montgomery’s Cavendish Home.]
“Oh, Marilla! It’s Just Sublime.”
There’s a moment in Anne of Green Gables where Anne has her very first taste of ice cream. It’s not just a snack—it’s a full emotional event.
“I guess ice cream is one of those things that are beyond imagination.” – Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables
Parks Canada interpreters lean into that magic. They make vanilla ice cream on-site, letting visitors help churn and taste it just like Anne might have. It's simple, sweet, and downright timeless.
I should probably confess: as a redhead from the Maritimes, I grew up daydreaming in tree branches, quoting Anne, and have attempted making a batch of raspberry cordial (without the punch that Anne's version had). I was asked more than once to portray her at community events in my younger days and I can still recite the “kindred spirits” monologue from memory. So, coming across this recipe from Parks Canada was simply sublime. And yes—homemade vanilla ice cream still tastes like childhood wonder. And yes, I have hand-churned cream, although I turned it into butter (wait for my King’s Landing post for more on that.) On to the ice cream!
Recipe: Old-Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream
From L. M. Montgomery’s Cavendish National Historic Site (Parks Canada)
Ingredients
6 cups (1.4 L) light cream
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
1½ tsp (7.5 mL) vanilla extract or a 3-inch vanilla bean
Pinch of salt
Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, warm the cream until almost boiling.
Remove from heat, stir in sugar until dissolved. Allow to cool.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean (or add extract) and add to the cream with the salt. Stir well.
Chill the mixture thoroughly.
Pour into a hand-cranked (or electric) ice cream maker. Stir until thick and firm.
Freeze for a few hours to “ripen,” then serve with joy.
Notes:
Green Gables staff invite visitors to help churn and taste—transforming you into a part of that storybook moment. And yes, generations of Islanders and tourists still clap when they taste it!
A Few More Island Heritage Gems
🧺 Orwell Corner Historic Village (Vernon Bridge)
Less polished than Green Gables but just as magical, Orwell Corner drops you into 1890s farm life: blacksmithing demos, potato-planting, and yes—archeological digs you can actually take part in. It’s a warmly honest glimpse into real rural PEI life; Avonlea without the costume. 🔗 Visit Orwell
🏛️ Acadian Museum (Miscouche)
Small but mighty, this museum tells the story of the Island’s Acadian community—its survival, cultural resilience, and delicious cuisine. Visitors praise its clear, welcoming storytelling of the Acadian experience, calling it “charming and heartfelt.” 🔗 Explore the Acadian Museum
💡 Beacons of PEI: Lighthouses & Living History
Continue your journey with a visit to the rustic Point Prim or Cape Tryon Lighthouses—mirror images of settings beloved by Montgomery fans. Parks Canada and local guides share heartfelt stories of maritime life, fishing culture and Island resilience across the Islands' 61 lighthouses. 🔗 Discover the lighthouses at Tourism PEI
One of Canada’s newest protected heritage areas, this Mi’kmaq-led national park reserve tells the story of ancient shorelines, fishing grounds, and living traditions. While it’s not yet ready to receive visitors, once opened, this will be the place to experience PEI beyond the postcards with community tours, history lessons, and a perspective that predates Confederation by thousands of years. 🔗 More on Pituamkek
Last Scoop: Kindred Spirits & Cold Treats
From ancient Mi’kmaq shores to Acadian homesteads and the beloved world of Anne, PEI’s past is as vivid as its red cliffs. Some might see heritage sites as dusty relics but history doesn’t have to be heavy and it's far from dull. Sometimes, it’s a walk in the woods, a whiff of salt air, a dive into archaeological digs, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream that tastes like it came from a storybook.
PEI reminds us that heritage isn’t just what we preserve—it’s what we live. So grab a spoon, find your own Lover’s Lane, and remember what Anne said:
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
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