Seacow Confections

Sorbet entered my consciousness many years before it entered my mouth. The posh restaurant scenes in the movies of my youth would regularly conclude with some not-too-exotic flavor of sorbet, pleasurably consumed by an assortment of rich and beautiful characters. And therefore sorbet always conjured up images in my young mind of wealth, exclusivity, and bow ties. Can you imagine my delight when, as a teenager, I was presented with the opportunity to taste this delicacy of the demigods? Though not a defining moment in my life, I think I can list this occasion as one of the many that shattered my childhood illusions about the world. It was horrid stuff. An overly sweet, syrupy ice concoction with a flavor quite unlike the fruit listed on the label. Sorbet then left my consciousness for many years.

Late last year we were fortunate enough to be invited to a dinner hosted by Cari, the intrepid foodie blogger and business manager at Intuition Ale Works. There was plenty of incredible food and, of course, great beer. Among the various small samplings of sweets comprising dessert were a couple dollops of sorbet. Knowing the crowd, I had high hopes despite my tragic experience many years prior. I can't quite remember the flavors, being that it was so long ago, but I do recollect being completely blown away. I had finally found the famed and fabled sorbet that had graced so the dessert plates of so many characters in dramatizations about wealthy people at restaurants, courtesy of some guy on a bike.

My first in-person encounter with the Seacow Confections stand was outside of Intuition Ale Works. The first thing you'll notice about this small stand is that it's attached to a bike and you'll wonder how he managed to pedal all the way up to Jacksonville from St. Augustine. The second thing you'll notice are the exotic and imaginative flavors on offer. But the odd flavors are certainly no gimmick, each one being supremely delicious in its own right. On this particular visit we had the cucumber mint and peanut butter. The flavor of the cucumber mint: crisp, clean, and vegetal; was subtle and delicate at first. But the flavor grew as I ate more of it until, tragically, I had consumed the lot. The peanut butter, which may seem an odd choice for sorbet, was far more enjoyable and better balanced than most peanut butter ice creams. Seacow's sorbet is never overly sweet and the texture is uniformly smooth and gives you the sensation that you're eating frozen velvet.

I'm not sure if he frequents Intuition anymore which is a bit of a shame. As much as I love Intuition's beer, I would go just for the sorbet. Instead, you'll need to head down to the Farmer's Market in St. Augustine on a Saturday morning or over to the Beaches Green Farmer's Market in Neptune Beach on a Saturday afternoon to get your fix.


Seacow Confections

Old City Farmer’s Market
St. Augustine
8:30AM-12:30PM, Every Saturday

Beaches Green Farmer’s Market
Neptune Beach, Jarboe Park
2PM-5PM, Every Saturday