Sweet and Salty

Clover is one of the Zoo’s two miniature zebu, a smaller breed of cattle. Recently, on March 11, Clover turned five years old! Chef Yohn decided to craft a spin on one of his favorite childhood frozen treats, the Screwball, which is a sweet ice cream treat with a surprise in the middle. While the human version ends with a bubble gum ball, Chef Yohn made some modifications to his treat for Clover while keeping her dietary needs top of mind.

The main ingredient in this dish? Water, which turns into an icy popsicle when frozen. Chef Yohn mixed some green food coloring into the water and froze a large block of ice but left the middle of the treat hollow and added fresh chard greens harvested from Zoo grounds. To keep it all together, he froze an apple-flavored salt block in the middle of the treat!

A salt block? That doesn’t sound very tasty, but it is for a cow! Salt is an essential mineral for many animals, as it helps to absorb calcium and keeps their nervous system and muscles working efficiently. Sounds like this treat is both hearty and healthy, and Clover didn’t hesitate to start munching away.

Of course, no birthday party is complete without your BFF by your side, so Cool Hand Luke was able to enjoy the ice block cake as well! Take a peek at some of these pictures of the party, snapped by Chef Yohn himself!

zebu standing over ice block

zebu licks ice block

two zebus lick ice block