Welcome to July, also known as National Ice Cream Month. The month is so icy-treat centric, in fact, that it also claims National Ice Cream Day on July 20.

But ice cream can't claim all the credit for helping take the edge off of summertime heat, as our Fun Five guide to chilly, locally made goodies will now demonstrate.

Azu, 457 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai. 640-7987 or http://www.azuojai.com. Open for lunch Tuesdays through Saturdays and for dinner from 5:30 p.m. daily, with happy hour in between.

In addition to tapas and other Mediterranean-inspired fare, the restaurant offers made-on-the-premises gelatos and sorbets.

The former are a more dense form of ice cream. The latter are dairy-free variations on sherbet. Both are made by Jeremy Haffner with an assist from wife Elizabeth Haffner, daughter of Azu owner Laurel Moore.

The Haffners whip up fresh batches of vanilla, chocolate, pistachio and coffee gelato every Thursday, adding specialized flavors like Thai coconut, blood orange with chocolate chips and mint-chip cookies and cream as the spirit moves them. Also on the ever-changing menu are sorbets in such refreshing variations as ginger ale, rootbeer and Arnold Palmer (lemonade mixed with iced tea). Each is available by the scoop ($3 for one, $5 for two and so on) and by the take-home pint ($12).

Jungle Ice Cream, http://www.jungleicecream.com.

Its makers call it the "healthiest ice cream on earth," thanks to its use of such anti-oxidant packed "superfoods" as raw maca, a Peruvian root vegetable thought to impart certain, uh, physical "benefits."

Of equal if not greater importance is that Jungle Ice Cream tastes good. And it's made in Ventura by a quartet of Ojai-area friends that includes natural-foods chef Ian Robertson.

Well, it was made in Ventura until recently, that is. Robertson and company are looking for new commercial kitchen space, and, as a result, have taken a sabbatical from their usual "retail" outlet, the Sunday farmers market in Ojai. Look for them — and flavors ranging from Fennel Mint Honey Malt to Raw Chocolate Maca Mousse — to return sometime in August. When that happens, you'll be able to sample before you buy one of the $6, 9-ounce containers of "pro-biotic" ice creams.

But here's a healthy-earth claim that doesn't need quote-mark qualifiers: When you've eaten the last of your Jungle Ice Cream, the container, which is made of sugar cane paper, is ready for composting.

Shave It, 11-B E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. 496-4800 or http://www.shaveitnation.com. Summer hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Not quite snow and most definitely NOT a snow cone, Shave It is akin to soft, melt-on-your-tongue Hawaiian shave ice, with a twist: It's available not just in the usual flavors (cherry, strawberry, vanilla) but also in green tea, watermelon and passion fruit. The price starts around $3 per cup; for a taste-texture sensation, pay the extra 79 cents to have some ice cream added to the bottom of your cup before the shave ice goes in.

Sweet Retreat, 525-G Los Angeles Ave., Moorpark. 552-0773 or http://www.sweetretreatmoorpark.com. Hours are noon to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, noon to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Ice creams, sherbets, sorbets and shave ice are available at this parlor owned by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff Wong and Jennifer Mar. What sets the place apart is its soft-serve yogurt, which is blended to order.

Patrons first choose between two "base" flavors: vanilla tart, which is 96 percent fat-free, and vanilla sweet, which is fat free. Next comes deciding what to blend into the yogurt. Options include fruit (strawberries, bananas, raspberries) and chocolatey add-ins (Reese's Pieces, other candies).

Strange but true: Patrons who order the vanilla tart usually ask for the fruit, while those who prefer vanilla sweet typically go for the candy. Go figure.

Ventura Limoncello Co., http://www.venturalimoncello.com.

Their industrial-park space isn't set up for visitors. So the founders of Ventura Limoncello Co. instead take the locally made lemon liqueur to a variety of off-premises events for tasting. That can be a little tricky, given that limoncello is best served ice-cold, right out of the freezer.

July 12 will find James Carling pouring samples at the Concern Foundation's 34th annual Block Party at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. For ticket information, click on http://www.concernfoundation.org.

On Aug. 16, look for James and wife Manuela Zaretti Carling to be on hand at Limoneira Ranch for the Moonlight at the Ranch fundraiser for the Santa Paula Police and Fire Foundation. For tickets and information, visit the Web site at http://www.santapaulachamber.com.

But you don't need the excuse of a fundraiser to sip the tangy-sweet liqueur, which in Italy is considered an after-dinner drink. For a list of stores and restaurants that carry Ventura Limoncello all the time, go to http://www.venturalimoncello.com.