The ice cream jury has handed down its decisions

and, to my amazement, none of the five "Straight from the Dirt" strange flavors proved to be at all nasty. In fact, all were at least tasty, and some I quite liked. I have to hand it to the folks at Jeni's Ice Creams: they make good flavors even from ingredients, such as beets, that I strongly dislike. Here's how the flavors measured up:

Carrot Cake

Probably the weakest for my palate, it tasted like a really great carrot cake turned into ice cream. Chunks of walnuts and candied carrots helped sustain the impression.

Celery

Imagine the flavor of green. Now, make it subtle, blend it with a superb sweet cream, and you have this taste treat. I expected to hate this one and instead quite loved it.

Cucumber Honeydew with Cayenne Yogurt

The Uma Thurman Kill Bill ninja warrior of the bunch, this one starts out all pretty and nice, charming you with its sweetness and hints of cucumber and melon, and then, wham!, the cayenne kicks the shit out of the back of your throat. Each person reacted the same way: at first wondering where the cayenne was and enjoying the smooth flavor, then reaching for some water.

Of course, if it were actually Uma Thurman kicking my ass, I'd still be downstairs (semi-)defending myself.

Red Beets with Lemon & Poppy Seeds

I am not a fan of the noble beet. I know it has its admirers, but so does Dick Cheney; it's a big world, and there's more than enough weirdness in it to go around. This ice cream, though, won my vote as second-best of the bunch by using the lemon to tame the beets and the poppy seeds to impart a wonderful earthiness.

I can't believe I'm saying this about anything with beets in it, but I might well order this one again.

Sweet Corn & Black Raspberries

I'd had this one before, so I had already gotten to know it. I like it, but I don't love it. The sweetness is good, the corn taste is minimal, and the raspberries are delightful--but it's only merely good, which is rough for a flavor sitting in the freezer next to so many stronger treats.


As usual when discussing Jeni's, I should conclude with this piece of unsolicited advice: If you're an ice cream fan and you can afford to pay the hefty price without breaking your bank, order some Jeni's now. It's that good.