avocado ice cream
Flickr photo by joyosityMemorial Day weekend is the official kick-off to summer, which means it's time to bust out those ice cream makers.

Instead of the usual go-to chocolates and vanillas, be daring and venture into the realm of nontraditional flavors.

We found 10 odd, yet delicious, flavors that are sure to be a hit at your next barbecue:

  1. Avocado Ice Cream: Popular in Central and South America, this pretty green dessert is a great way to use up those avocados before they spoil.
  2. Maple Syrup Ice Cream: Maple syrup adds to pancakes and waffles, but as ice cream? The sugary sweetness was practically made for it.
  3. Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream: While in Paris, I tried this flavor at the famous Berthillon ice cream shop located on Ile Saint-Louis. C'est tres bon!
  4. Sweet Potato Ice Cream: A Southern secret -- if you like sweet potato pie, you'll love this.
  5. Olive Oil Ice Cream: I've had olive oil gelato before and it was ah-mazing. I can only assume the ice cream version would be just as good.
  6. Strawberry-Basil Ice Cream: Strawberry and basil -- the two flavors of summer mixed together for creamy deliciousness.
  7. Grape Ice Cream: Grape gets gypped on the ice cream flavor front, even though it's a favorite for Popsicles. Let's give grape some lovin'.
  8. Sweet Corn Ice Cream: You might actually get the kids to eat their veggies with this dessert.
  9. Peppercorn Ice Cream: You don't usually find pepper in dessert, but the pepper and sweet cream flavors complement each other surprisingly well. Try it with black or pink peppercorn.
  10. Sea Salt Ice Cream: There's a pepper one, so why not a salt one? 

Have you ever tried an nontraditional ice cream flavor? What's your favorite?