There's no ice cream like snow ice cream.

Contrary to suburban myth, the white precipitation that comes down in wet and powdery forms can be eaten. So long as it's free of contamination, be it animal - yellow or brown snow - or chemical - gray or black snow - snow is not hazardous to your health. After all, it's just grains of ice crystals.

Research by Brigham Young University recently found that recently fallen, fresh snow is nutritionally safe. There's no need to caution children not to eat it.

But boring old snow is no treat for the taste buds. Sure, it's fun to fall off your skis or sled, faceplant on the snowy floor and take a bite of the stuff while you catch your breath. But that fun only lasts as long as it takes the snow to melt in your mouth.

That's where you can get creative by making snow ice cream.

The Chinese are credited with creating the first snow-based desserts from frozen syrups, sugar and snow. Makeicecream.com notes that the Roman emperor Nero's cooks mixed fruit pulp, nectar and honey with snow retrieved from the mountains by his slaves in A.D. 62. Explorer Marco Polo added yak milk to the recipe in 1295, and ice cream has evolved ever since into the ubiquitous dessert it is today.

Snow ice cream can be made from milk, white sugar, vanilla extract and, of course, snow. Start by collecting about a gallon of snow in a clean container where it will be free from contamination. While the snow is still cold, add about a cup of sugar, a tablespoon of vanilla extract and two cups of milk. Then stir everything together.

The sugar and vanilla amounts can be adjusted to taste and the milk can be added until you achieve the desired consistency of the ice cream. How much milk you add hinges on the type of snow you collect. The same amount of milk may make ideal ice cream with powdery snow but mush with wet snow.

And with that, you've prepared your own vanilla ice cream.

Creating unique flavors could be somewhat trickier. You could add strawberry juice concentrate, a small handful of tiny chocolate chips or chopped peanuts.

Trying to find other tasty styles of snow ice cream could result in your kitchen turning into a food laboratory.

Aside from the satisfaction of preparing and perfecting your own snow ice cream, the experience is also nutritionally preferable to eating the packaged alternative. You can measure the ingredients yourself and make healthy substitutions (such as skim milk for half and half) when desired.

And it sure tastes better than plain snow.

Snow Ice Cream

1 gallon snow

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups milk

When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency. Serve at once.

- From www.allrecipes.com