Huckleberry Swirl has been chosen by students as the best Ferdinand’s ice cream flavor, which might not come as a surprise due to its popularity.

Eric Needham, Ferdinand’s Ice Cream Shoppe food supervisor, said huckleberry is the shop’s best seller, though it hasn’t always occupied the top spot.

“Oddly enough, vanilla used to be our number one,” Needham said. “But now Huckleberry is our most popular flavor.”

Huckleberry Swirl is composed of two parts — huckleberry-flavored ice cream and huckleberry jam, added to make the swirl. The milk, which comes from WSU’s Knott Dairy Center, arrives every Wednesday and the ice cream is made the next day.

After the milk is delivered to Ferdinand’s it is pasteurized to eliminate bacteria, then the milk is homogenized so it doesn’t separate into cream. When it’s ready, it is pumped into a flavor vat and made into either vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Then the ice cream is pumped into the freezer. The final process begins when it is brought to the mixer, where candy and other ingredients are added. Now ready for sale, the ice cream is stored in a freezer and kept at minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Huckleberry Swirl was first introduced as a flavor about 10 years ago, Needham said. Before this it was sold only as a milkshake flavor.

Huckleberry Swirl is available in dish, on a cone, as a milkshake or as a “Grabber,” in which the ice cream is sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies.