Pup Cup

Trombetta's Farm in Marlborough is an ice cream shop that looks like it's trying to hide by pulling a garden center around itself like a blanket. Even the website shows more plants, minigolf, and event info than ice cream (to be fair, there is an ice cream-specific page but that's basically the catering menu.) We won't be distracted by the camouflage, as you see from the three serving windows in the above picture (if you ignore the Corn Husks and Pumpkins - it is Autumn in New England after all, they're kind of obligatory.)

It turns out that they also have an indoor counter and a bunch of indoor seating, plus four porch swings and at least half a dozen picnic tables - they're just not particularly near the serving window, but distributed around the multi-purpose building. Despite all that, they have an extensive ice cream menu and a wide range of related options: Sundaes (including a banana boat and a waffle bowl), a dozen flavors of soft serve, Richie's Slush, a Pup Cup¹, Raspberry Lime Rickey, Freezes Frappes and Floats, Frozen Yogurt, Sherbet and Sorbet. Didn't see any No Sugar Added² options, though there was a side panel of a handful of Vegan flavors on the Specialty Flavors chalkboard.

They seem to be open year round and, in addition to having rows and rows of pumpkins and other gourds in the garden shop areas, seem to be "Leaning In" to autumn with flavors like Pumpkin, Pumpkin Oreo, Apple, Cinnamon, and S'mores³ - plus they have Pumpkin Soft Serve.

Finally, they have two things I haven't seen on any previous menu - popsicles (maybe to go with their catering-ice-cream-truck service, since that includes Bomb Pops, an ice cream truck staple) and the Dirt Cup - soft serve with cookie crunch, gummy worms, and candy rocks - no mention if they serve it in the traditional flower pot, though.

First Visit

Despite the gourd-filled surroundings, I was not mislead, and got Dutch Chocolate ice cream - for a "pure flavor" ice cream (no mixins, no fudge swirl, just ice cream) it was surprisingly dark-chocolatey, I'd definitely pair that with a crunchy topping or some other chocolate-contrasting flavor next time (they do have Grapenut, my usual "pure crunch" choice, but Peppermint Stick or Black Raspberry would be interesting pairs as well.)

I paired it with one of the specials, "Peanut Butter Implosion" - mini peanut butter cups, peanut butter m&ms (or something like that) in what might have been a peanut butter ice cream base - but I'm not sure, it didn't stand up to the Dutch Chocolate (though I was happy with it as far as supplying extra crunch.) I might try it by itself or with something lighter on a future visit.

Future Visits

I'm definitely going to end up here again - it's less than ten minutes drive from The Fix Burger Bar, Gerardo's Italian Bakery⁴ - and it's also right near Lake Williams⁵ which is a great option if you want to balance your ice cream with some outdoor activity, especially on a sunny fall day.

As for ice cream choices - the Mocha Cappuccino Soft Serve sounds tempting (possibly because I'd started the day with an actual mocha from Sudbury Coffee Works) as does the Death By Chocolate (from the specialty menu.) I'd normally think of Salted Caramel as a good topping but they had it as a flavor; a friend tried it, it seems like it needs to be paired with something else but it could work.

(My inner twelve-year-old who isn't a Massachusetts-trained ice cream snob wants a Dirt Cup with vanilla/chocolate twist and walnuts and jimmies on top. Maybe next spring, I'll bring a mini-shovel...)

Just don't get distracted by the surrounding garden shop! (picture below suggests ordering Ice Cream Cakes... and firewood?)