Review: Only 2 Of Salt & Straw's New Farmers Market Series Ice Creams Are Crave-Worthy

Well, Salt & Straw is back at it again — this time with the five-flavor Farmers Market Series that capitalizes on the bright flavors of summer produce, giving them a sweet, dessert-ified twist. The ever-inventive chain has quite a surprising lineup for its customers, and I have to say, I wasn't surprised at reading some of their names (which I'll get to in a minute). After all, Salt & Straw is somewhat known for its kooky concoctions. Its Thanksgiving series is known to feature savory flavors like turkey stuffing, while its annual Halloween selections frequently include actual bugs.

I got my hands on pints of each of the flavors to try soon after their initial release in August of 2025, and I have to say, these may be some of the chain's riskiest formulas to date (yes, including the bug ice cream). Should you have the privilege of living near a location, I'd suggest sampling all of them in-store before buying any in pint form. Each is intriguing, and I do think each will find favor with a certain audience; however, I expect opinions to be strong and to vary widely among consumers. Have I piqued your curiosity? Then, without further ado, here are all the dirty deets (and my personal opinions) on Salt & Straw's Farmers Market flavors.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Produce is at the heart and soul of each flavor in the Farmers Market Series, and many iconic summer fruits and veggies make an appearance in these scoops. As far as whether that's a good thing, I'll leave that to you to decide. It's no secret by now that 2025 is the summer of the pickle — Popeyes rolled out pickle-flavored menu items, California Pizza Kitchen is now offering pickle pizza, and Salt & Straw had to jump on board with its Pickled Cucumber Sorbet. Spoiler alert: I wasn't a fan (but I'll get into that more later on). 

I was the least surprised to see a pickled flavor in the lineup, so the other four flavors held my interest more. They are as follows: Tomato Gelato with Olive Brittle, Melon and Prosciutto, Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread, and Miso Blondies with Basil Peach Jam. Interesting enough to capture anyone's attention, and unique enough to have any customer a bit wary of trying it. Ultimately, while I enjoyed two of the flavors, the other three missed the mark for me.

If you're reading this in August 2025, the flavors are available — go in and try them while you can, as they'll only last through August 28. You can get the flavors in the scoop shop closest to you. If you don't live near a location, though, you can order pints through the company's website. Each pint is $15 before any additional shipping fees.

If you want exact nutrition specs for each flavor, check out the image above (each corresponds with the top photo of this piece, so you can figure out which flavor is which). Unsurprisingly, the vegan Pickled Cucumber Sorbet is the lightest option. Miso Blondies with Basil Peach Jam is also vegan, but has a higher caloric footprint due to its coconut cream; the other three flavors contain dairy and have similar nutritional specs.

Though this isn't a ranking piece, I ended up coincidentally listing the flavors in order of how much I enjoyed them, from my least favorite to most favorite. It's only fair that I start this review with the disclaimer that I'm not a pickle girl — in fact, I dislike most briny concoctions, so I am not the target audience for the Pickled Cucumber Sorbet. Still, I can usually be somewhat of an objective judge when trying briny foods. Perhaps it's just my distaste for this flavor profile in general, but I found it hard to swallow (well, if I'm being honest, I didn't swallow it. I spat it straight into the sink).

All that said, I don't think it would be fair to tell consumers to expect a pickle-flavored sorbet, which may be why the company named it the way they did. The pickled flavor stands apart from the cucumber flavor, which confused my palate a bit — while I quite liked the brightness of the cucumber, the salty pickled quality combined with the sorbet's natural sweetness ruined the whole profile. Were this a cucumber sorbet, I'd be all in. As it is, I think you'd really have to love pickled things to find this one pleasant, and even then, the sweet-salty combination might throw you off.

Up next is Salt & Straw's Tomato Gelato with Olive Brittle. I wasn't as scared to try the tomato gelato as I was to taste the olive brittle — as I said before, I hate briny foods (and I'd already spat out the above sorbet). So, imagine my surprise when the olive brittle ended up being my favorite part of the whole pint. That's probably due to the fact that the brittle didn't taste much like olives; rather, it was a pleasantly sweet, crunchy interlude to a somewhat confusing tomato-flavored ice cream.

I think this concept as a whole would have fared better as a sorbet than a gelato. Something about the sweet dairy base didn't suit the tomato flavor very well, and I felt like they were fighting with each other in every bite. I wished that the company had incorporated parmesan somehow, as I was reminded pretty heavily of a frozen gazpacho soup when eating it. I didn't wholly dislike this flavor, but I can't give it high praise — however, if I were to have it again, I'd make some parmesan crisps in a skillet and use them as a vehicle for the ice cream. I could see that combo being a decent snack. 

I was excited to try the Melon and Prosciutto pint, and it almost lived up to expectations — but only almost. I'll start with the positives. The melon ice cream was absolutely delightful. It was bright, fruity, refreshing, and subtle, and the hints of savory prosciutto accented it perfectly. But the swirl of prosciutto ice cream wholly lost me (and this coming from a girl who adores prosciutto). 

"Meaty" isn't an adjective I ever thought I'd use to describe ice cream; yet, here we are. The prosciutto ice cream was overwhelmingly meaty. Sure, melon balances it out well if you happen to get the right ratio in a single spoonful, but I don't want to do mental math when snacking on some ice cream. Had the company stuck with the melon base and added in slightly larger prosciutto pieces, I think it would have been lovely — as it stands, this pint was just a little too unbalanced for me. 

Finally, onto the good stuff. I thoroughly enjoyed the Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread ice cream — it was both summery and indulgent, and made a great ice cream-ified version of a classic treat. I think this worked so well because the concept isn't foreign. Chocolate chip zucchini bread is already a sweet, familiar bake, so it's not a far stretch to turn it into a pint of ice cream (which, unfortunately, I can't say about the previous flavors). 

Squash comes through in the flavor, and it's not at all unpleasant — in fact, it makes this taste like a "healthier" ice cream, which only makes it more tempting, in my opinion. The base also seems to be lightly cocoa flavored, though not too intense. The chocolate flecks throughout are delightful to come across, as they add a dark, full body to the pint. So, while this won't taste like your average chocolate chip ice cream, it's a very fun and inventive take on the flavor (and its namesake quick bread). I don't think it will be pretty divisive, either, and I can recommend this to any consumer without hesitation. 

Last but certainly not least is my favorite flavor of the bunch: Miso Blondies with Basil Peach Jam. I had my suspicions that this would be a winner, and I was right. In fact, it might be too much of a winner for me — the ice cream was so decadent that I was fully satisfied with just one spoonful, and it fully delivered on every flavor listed in its lengthy name. Salt & Straw, can we add this to the permanent rotation, please?

Each element works together harmoniously in this pint, quite the feat considering that there are quite a few of them. The basil peach jam is bright and fruity, and adds a nice warmth to the ice cream overall. Coming across a chunk of chewy miso brownie is a sumptuous experience; it's full of umami, and it adds a nice interlude to the sweet, almost tart jam. Basil is just herbaceous enough to remind you that this is a summer offering, though I could also see this transitioning well into fall — which is to say, stock up while you can. There will be the odd consumer who finds this flavor overwhelming, but that certainly wasn't me.

This month's flavor lineup is definitely a mixed bag. While I'll be popping back into my store for the Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and the Miso Blondies with Basil Peach Jam, you'd be hard-pressed to get me to try the other three again. Then again, this could just be me, and I can see the occasional consumer liking even the Pickled Cucumber Sorbet. Before ordering pints, though, try to get your hands on some small tasters if you can.

I can, however, praise Salt & Straw (as I always do) for coming up with thoroughly unique flavors. Part of the allure of the brand is that anything is possible — no flavor combination is out of bounds. Of course, that means that not every release will be a hit, but I'll take that over a company that sticks rigidly to the tried and true any day.