Snow Bacteria???

When I originally told some family members about my Snow Ice Cream post, they were quick to point out that snow has harmful, disgusting bacteria in it and the idea of making ice cream out of it was gross!!

I did some research and learned a little bit about the relationship between bacteria and snow. Fascinating information...

In a nutshell:

• in order for snow to form, it must have something to "hang on to"
• most of the time, snow latches on to bacteria in the atmosphere when it is forming
  
• this bacteria is in no way harmful to people -- not at all
• we eat things covered in bacteria all the time
• not all bacteria are harmful/bad/gross

To learn more, read the full article, "Bacteria, Eating Snow, and Climate Change."

That said, you should still avoid dirty and/or yellow snow. :P I like the idea of putting out a bucket to catch fresh snow in when it is snowing -- and use that snow for your ice cream.

So go out and make some Snow Ice Cream before the snow is gone! :)