The past few years I have been visiting all the dairies on the Maryland Ice Cream Trail. The trail, a promotion by Maryland’s Depart of Agriculture, highlights family run dairy farms in the State. With Deliteful Dairy in Williamsport Maryland, I have been to them all.
I started visiting the trail in 2021 when I visited the farms in Northwestern Maryland. In 2022, I visited ice cream trail locations in both Northeast Maryland and the Eastern Shore. Deliteful Dairy is in Northwestern Maryland, but was not on the trail until 2022. The Dairy is located on the Long Delite Farm, which opened in 1831 and is operated by the 6th, 7th, and 8th generation of the Long family. The farm’s dairy opened in 2019.
Ice Cream and Sandwiches
Unlike the other places on the ice cream trail, Deliteful Dairy does not serve hard scoop ice cream. Instead, the ice cream served at the counter is soft serve. They have three flavors: Vanilla, Chocolate or a Twist. The sizes are kiddie, regular, and large plus the option of a cake cone. Parfaits and Floats are also available.
I had the twist. It is good soft serve, having a nice, creamy texture without being overly sweet. But it’s not something I would go out of my way for. They also sell prepackaged cups and pints of ice cream from their freezer but those are from nearby Misty Meadows, also on the trail.
But Deliteful Dairy serves far more than ice cream. The menu features their “Signature Paninis.” There are 9 types with names such as The Shipwreck (crab), The Ham-Varti (Havarti cheese with ham), The Bovi-lone (roast beef with Provolone), and Rye Not (roast beef and Provolone on Rye bread. All of the cheese is made in house at the dairy. If none of the specialty paninis suite you, there is also a build your own option.
I wanted something with a lot of vegetables and decided that the Cow-ifornia was the best choice. It contains avocado and tomatoes. Other ingredients are bacon, turkey, and Swiss cheese. The bread options are sourdough, whole grain, or marbled rye. I chose the whole grain. My Cow-ifornia i was chuck full of ingredients, including a thick mound of turkey and a big, juicy tomato. The bread was thick and very, very greasy. It reminded my of a grilled cheese. I loved it.
Additional, prepared food can be found in the freezer section. This consists of sides and desserts. I was not interested in a side, but the selection of cheesecakes interested me. Passing over White Chocolate Raspberry and Coffee Brownie Bottom, I choose the Butterfinger cheesecake. It is fabulous: smooth and creamy with plenty of chocolate and Butterfinger crumbles. Highly recommended.
Farm Market
As mentioned above, Deliteful dairy has refrigerated and frozen food products. These consist of a variety of meat and dairy items. Meat offerings include both pork and beef while dairy products include milk, cheese, and cheese curds. Except for the hard scoop ice cream, all products appear to be made on the farm.
Outside of the freezers are other products for sale. These include a variety of salsa, preserves, sauces, honey, maple syrup, and pasta. Most, if not all, of these items are not made at the Long Delite farm, but seemed to be from nearby farms. I did buy some flavored vinegar which was made by Highbush Farm in West Virginia.
Farm grounds
When I arrived at Deliteful Dairy, the parking lot was full and the place was packed with people. It turned out that the day I went was the day they were holding their Milk fest. There was live music, a petting zoo, hayrides, outside vendors, and food trucks. I walked around for a bit and listened to the music. I was not able to stay too long, but it I enjoyed my time there. It’s a great place to spend a sunny summer afternoon.
Final Thoughts
While the lack of hard scoop ice cream was disappointing, Deliteful Dairy’s other products and atmosphere make up for it. The sandwiches are fantastic and the cheesecake is even better. The farm market has a good selection of products with reasonable prices. The farm itself has plenty of activities to occupy the kids. If you are in the area, it is a good place to stop at.
Jim's Dining Guides 