Let's face it: Eating snow is delicious and super-duper fun. From opening your mouth and letting flakes melt on your tongue to scooping up fistfuls of the stuff and chowing down, eating snow is one of the best parts of every snow day.
What could be more fun than eating clean, white, soft snow gathered in our own yard? Or what 
could be more delicious than a big bowl of snow cream? Not much, unless you still buy into some of the negative information and urban legends about the serious dangers of letting children eat snow.
The fact is, there are plenty of warnings to be found — but very little research to prove — that letting your children eat snow ice cream will stunt their growth. Unless, of course, you are scooping up yellow or dirty snow. According to snow research done at Brigham Young University, there is no need to tell children not to eat snow as long as it is fresh. The pristine snow that has just fallen through the air and landed on the ground is not going to be dangerous or unhealthy according to the BYU study. 
Snow is crystallized water, meaning it's actually purer than most types of precipitation. If you think about how snow forms in the atmosphere, it's essentially frozen distilled water, crystallized around a tiny particle, so it might even be purer than the stuff coming out of your faucet. Campers and mountaineers all over the world use snow as their primary water source without incident. Even if you live in a city, you can eat clean snow. But there are a few rules for safe snow eating you might want to familiarize yourself with first before you start eating nature's frozen dessert.
Don't eat pink snow. Sure, you know to steer clear of yellow snow for obvious reasons, but pink snow is bad too. Also called watermelon snow, that pink hue means the snow contains algae, which can give you wicked diarrhea. The same goes for brown snow. As snow sits on the 
ground, it can get mixed with dirt and pollutants that can be toxic. Never eat plowed snow Researchers warn that plowed snow can contain high levels of toxins since it gets all mixed up with who knows what, including chemicals used to clear the roads. Find piles of freshly fallen snow to eat instead. Skip the snow if it's really windy. Under windy conditions, snow gets mixed with dirt and pollutants as it nears ground level.
City snow is dirtier than country snow. Snow falling in urban areas will contain more harmful chemicals — like benzene from car exhaust — than snow in rural areas, where there is less air pollution. Other colors to avoid include black, brown, gray, and any snow containing obvious particles of grit or grime. The snow that falls around smokestacks, active volcanoes, and radiation accidents (think Chernobyl and Fukushima) should not be ingested
. But, the most common warnings about eating snow concern eating snow near roads. Exhaust fumes used to contain lead residues, which would get into the snow. Toxic lead isn't a modern-day concern, but it's still best to collect snow away from busy streets.
Now that we have establish that snow is pretty much safe to eat, there is nothing better on a snowed in day than a big bowl of snow cream. There are several simple ways to make snow ice cream. Every recipe begins with using a clean container to collect clean, fresh snow. Then, in a smaller bowl combine one cup of milk or Half & Half, one-half cup of granulated sugar, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, a dash of salt and then 
blend it until the sugar is melted and mixture is smooth. My personal favorite or for anyone counting calories, another recipe calls for stirring in sugar and vanilla to taste, along with just enough skim milk for the desired consistency.
Other recipes call for using evaporated milk or condensed milk. Some add chocolate or bananas. The possibilities are endless. Whatever you do, nutrition specialists agree it is best to stay away from some of the old-time snow ice cream recipes that included raw eggs. The concern is over salmonella from raw eggs. Other than that, you will create life long memories for you and your family and pass on the tradition of eating snow cream when you are cooped up on snowy days. Happy snow day, and bon appétit! Feel free to leave comments and be sure to hit the “Like” button at the bottom of this post.
