Yikes! White Mountain Ice Cream Makers have suddenly disappeared

White Mountain Ice Cream freezers once were king of the ice cream makers for centuries ever since they were originally introduced in 1853. Now in 2022 White Mountain has seemed to suddenly stop making ice cream makers-freezers. They haven’t officially announced this but when calling the White Mountain phone number their support staff are telling people that they are no longer being made. This leaves a huge void in the family ice cream maker options for those looking for a mid-range priced ice cream machine as well as parts for existing units.

The Amish ice cream freezers are filling the void left by White Mountain’s sudden departure from the market.

For centuries the Amish also grew up with and enjoyed White Mountain ice cream freezers to make frequent batches of ice cream for their large families.  Like so many other products that became obsolete or less dependable over the years, the Amish began manufacturing reproductions making them stronger and longer-lasting as well as replacement parts to keep what they had going.

Within the past decade, two different Amish companies developed their own brands of Ice Cream freezers to replace White Mountain Freezers. Both started off just making better replacement parts as the quality of the White Mountain parts began becoming less dependable.  Simple things like the tub centers, tub, ears, tub latches, and for the hand crank freezers higher quality USA-made stainless steel gears.  Then followed stainless steel freezer cans and dashers and complete gear frames and motor units.  As the wooden staves on the White Mountain freezer become thinner leaking tubs became a problem so the Amish started making poly-insulated tubs that didn’t leak.

Finally, the Amish companies realized that since they were already making all the parts they might as well make a complete ice cream freezer and so Lifetime and Immergood Ice Cream Freezers were born.

Immergood has also developed an ice cream freezer that operates off popular tool battery packs making it very popular for those who frequent picnics and camping adventures. Most who are outdoor adventurers already own a Dewalt, Makita, or Milwaukee tool battery-powered drill with battery packs and a charger, so it is a natural fit.

Now with White Mountain Freezers no longer available consumers are finding nothing between the small plastic ice cream makers being sold in discount stores and these Amish-made brands. During the pandemic, the Amish companies couldn’t keep up with the demand and even in 2022, there is often a wait for some of the electric models. 

You will likely pay twice to three times as much for one of the Amish brands that you may have paid for a White Mountain unit 5-10 years ago. However, inflation would have also increased the price on the White Mountain products.  At the end of 2021 those who still had a stock of the White Mountain units set premium prices. At that point, you would have been ahead to purchase one of the Amish brands because of the better all USA-made quality. The Amish build things to last and be passed down to the next generation.

Cottage Craft Works.com carries the Amish ice cream freezers-makers in both hand crank and electric models. They are also one of the main referrals for White Mountain parts as people call the White Mountain number looking for replacement parts.

 

Country Store | General Store | Old Fashioned | Country Home | Products

Cottage Craft Works .com brings back the old fashioned products that you might remember from the old country store visits.

The old fashioned country store was the main stop for a Saturday trip to town.

It was the one place that as a kid you enjoyed browsing the glass jars filled with liquorish and hard candies.

A bottle of pop could be had for just a nickel, and the cracker barrel was always open for a quick snack.

Dad  was always glued to the new shot guns and hunting gear.  That brown hunting jacket with the patch elbow protectors and extra pockets would come in handy for the upcoming hunting season.

 He would always end up at the meat and cheese country to take home fresh sliced meats, today it would be a huge hunk of thick sliced bologna, 1 lb blocks of different cheeses, and a slab of bacon.

Mom always toured the fabric isle as she headed over to the dry goods and garden tool section.  The Planet Junior hand push cultivators, sure looked fine.

As she stood in front of the sewing section her hand would brush over the top of the new treadle sewing machines as if she was sending a mental thought over to dad that perhaps this might make a great Christmas gift, but then she would always turned to the mixers behind her as if she couldn't really decide.

It was decided before we left the house that this day would be when we would take home the new set of wash tubs along with a yard and a half of fabric to make Anna a new Sunday dress.

The old wash tubs had been passed down from our grandparents and the one tub sprung a leak that dad just couldn't keep them sealed.  Anna had just out grown her current dress.

These are the mental images that many may have remember of the Old Country Store or what others called The General Store.

It was a place where people could find almost anything for the home, farm, or ranch.  From home gardening, canning, and making home cooked breads and jams.  The old country store had it all.

Amazingly they were not that big, but the shelves would be packed from floor to ceiling with merchandise.

In fact there were ladders on rolling racks down both sides of floor to ceiling oak cabinets.  

As a kid you would want to jump on and take a ride down the rails when no one was looking, but never could seem to pull that one off in such as wide open space.

Most of the food items that were bought and sold were just the staples needed to take home to cook and bake from scratch.

The home garden supplied the fresh vegetables, excess vegetables  were canned and stored away for the winter months.

Chickens provided fresh eggs and when the hens became past their prime would end up in the stew pot.

Fresh milk was as close as the morning walk out to the barn, and fresh meat would come by slaughter or wild game.

Back at the country store a kerosene can would be filled for the oil lamps, and another can would be filled with white gasoline for the clothing iron and Coleman lanterns used for outside chores after dark.

The old country store today is mostly gone but not forgotten.  It was a time and era where things like the old wash tubs were just made to last for generations.

Planed obsolescence was not even in the thoughts of manufactures.  Plastics hadn't even been invented.  Products were either made of wood, metal, or ceramic.

Cast metal was used for kitchen mixers, with stainless steel mixer blades and whisk.  Galvanized metal used for buckets and wash tubs.

Even the kids toys were made of either wood or metal.  Hunting calls and gun stocks were also made of wood.

There’s a real feeling of wanting to turn back time for many who want to escape back into this early era  of time when self-sufficiency was the way of life.

Even if it’s a desire to live more healthy self sufficient or to decorate a country style home, these old vintage products that use to line the shelves and walls of an old country store are in high demand.

While the old country store is no longer a source back-to-basics online stores like Cottage Craft Works .com are fulfilling the self sufficient living dreams for many.

With over 5000 products of everything under the sun for the home, garden, farm and ranch people can once again find the type of stuff that was all American made just like it was in the early to mid 1900s.

Many of the items like the Singer treadle sewing and Hoosier cabinets are reproductions of the originals.

The blue stripe pottery crocks, bowels, and churns are still made in a small family owned business. Each item is hand turned and fired just like it would have been made in the early times.

Self sufficient kitchen products include all the popular hand crank kitchen gadgets from that era and new Amish made hand crank mixers that are powerful enough to make several loafs of bread at a time.

American made garden tools include four styles of hand push cultivators from the past, including a reproduction of the famous Planet Junior Cultivators that were considered the Cadillac of garden cultivators ever made.

If you just need some new replacement cultivator handles to fix up granddads old cultivator you will find them at Cottage Craft Works as well as many other replacement parts for ice cream freezers, Heller Aller water pumps, Aermotor Windmills, and so much more.

Off-grid living products such as hand water pumps, solar panels and even a wind powered air compressor are available.

Cottage Craft Works carries the ever popular roller egg chicken nesting boxes made of thick galvanized metal.  As the chickens lay their eggs they actually roll forward into a protected compartment until they can be picked up.

You can still purchase the old fashioned oil and gas lights, as well as butane and gasoline clothes irons.

If you're into horse and tack Cottage Craft Works carries Amish made bridles, harnesses, and pads.  You can also purchase buggies and wagons or just the hardware kits to build a pony cart or a wagon box.

The authentic Amish buggy lap robes are very popular for anything outdoors from camping to fall and winter outdoor ballgames.

The buggy and wagon seats are very popular for either  a working wagon or for bench seating.  You can purchase the complete seats or the hardware kits to build your own.

If hunting is your joy, you will find one of the largest selections of Amish made hunting and game calls on the market.

Replacement gun stocks are a specialty as well as both leather, nylon custom holsters and gun cases.

For rugged outdoor gear Dan’s hunting gear offers some of the toughest coats, chaps, and bibs made of 420 denier briarproof nylon.

So log on to www.cottagecraftworks.com and sit back for a trip in time back to the old country store.