I have never liked strawberry ice cream.  As a kid at the ice cream shop, I would never have wasted my order on a strawberry cone – not with chocolate peanut butter, mint chip, and rocky road all calling my name.
But this strawberry ice cream is the real deal.  Not just the best ever strawberry ice cream for a strawberry ice cream lover, but the kind of flavor that makes you a believer.  That converts a fruit-does-not-belong-in-my-ice-cream stalwart into a born-again ice cream chowhound.  No joke.  I bought four gallons of strawberries in two weeks.  I made a lot of ice cream!  I had an almost three-year-old helper the first time, and this is definitely a recipe little ones will enjoy.  Strawberry season is coming to a close for us here in North Carolina.  You need to hit the farmstand and make this ice cream!Best Ever Strawberry Ice Cream
1 quart of local strawberries
sugar, to taste, between 1/2 and 3/4 cup (but you won’t need any if your berries are very ripe)
a dash of kosher salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Smash the strawberries (we used clean hands).  Add any sugar you are using, and stir until the sugar dissolves.  This will yield about three cups of strawberry juice.  In a separate container, combine the buttermilk and heavy cream.  Add the dairy mixture to the strawberries and stir together.  Freeze in your ice cream maker, and serve right away or store in an air tight container.  If you make it ahead and leave it in your freezer, it will need up to ten minutes at room temperature to be soft enough to scoop.

For a really decadent treat, mix in a cup of dark chocolate chunks before the ice cream finishes freezing.