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SO Ref
Citizen
Username: So_refugee
Post Number: 2011
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 4:56 pm: | 
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I was flipping through the pages of New York today looking for something interesting to do this weekend and stumbled across the Saturday market at Union Square. Included was a little map of all the vendors and it seemed kinda cool, so I skimmed through to see who would be selling. As it turns out, Martin's Pretzels [www.martinspretzels.com] of Maplewood has been selling what McCall's deems "the best pretzels in the world" for over 24 years... So, I search their site to see where they sell pretzels locally, but, it seems, they only vend at several of the NYC markets. What's up with that?!?! Does anyone know if they participate in the local weekly market?
I wish I'd never read it... |
tom
Citizen
Username: Tom
Post Number: 5352
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 5:14 pm: |
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You can order them online. Worth the wait.
The owner of the company lives here in Maplewoood, but the pretzels are made in Pennsylvania. |
Pippi
Supporter
Username: Pippi
Post Number: 2682
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 5:26 pm: |
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SO Ref (Tom, too)
If you want to try them, PL me. I work 2 blocks from Union Square and can stop by the greenmarket and pick some up for you!
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themp
Supporter
Username: Themp
Post Number: 3115
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 5:50 pm: |
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All the best pretzels are made in PA, case closed. From Tom Sturgis (too floury) to Backman to Snyder, and all other major preztels of note, we see the Keystone state at its finest. My wife, a PA girl, can eat a wagonload of pretzels. She hits them like an Amish farmhand after a barnraising. |
tjohn
Supporter
Username: Tjohn
Post Number: 4579
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 7:52 pm: |
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Hammond's Pretzels of Lancaster are the best. |
Alfred Milanese
Citizen
Username: Alfredmilanese
Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 11:42 am: |
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A friend directed me to MOL telling me that Martin's Pretzels had come up as a "minor topic" so I figured out how to get here. To clear up the information about Martin's Pretzels.
Twenty four years ago I partnered with Martin's to bring their pretzels to Greenmarket where our/my stand has been ever since (M, W, F, Sat near the northeast corner of the Union Square market--along with a couple other Greenmarkets.) Over the years, we've gotten a lot of very flattering attention from the media. There's a Food Channel piece that you can link to from my website (www.MartinsPretzels.com) that tells the whole story. Most recently (2006) we were named to the Saveur 100 list as "perfect" and the "standard against which all pretzels should be judged." Well, it may sound exaggerated...but while I'm happy to quote it, please know that I didn't write it. The 2007 Zagat (about to come out) rates us in the excellet to perfection quality category.
For those of you who want to know more/the facts about Martin's and me, and the pretzel world read on. You can also go to www.MartinsPretzel.com.
The Martins are a Pennsylvania Dutch family, two brothers each have a bakery, one in Lancaster, and a more recent (11-year-old) bakery north of Watertown, NY. Martin's, like Hammonds (mentioned above), are totally hand-rolled, hand-twisted, etc. The difference is that Martin's uses no shortening (which makes a slightly softer texture), and also boils the pretzels in a caustic soda bath--which seems to bring out a heartier more robust pretzel flavor. It's a matter of style, but it seems that the more fanatical pretzel lovers gravitate toward the harder, richer, and less delicately textured Martin's.
We don't sell at the local farm markets--the "Jersey Fresh" program means just that--the stuff is fresh from NJ not NY or Pennsylvania. Also, various other factors require a much larger customer base for a stand to be viable--over the years we've built a very large, very faithful client base in the city.
Because production is limited, and because of the price that we would have to charge middle men and therefore what would be a very high retail price for our product, because of the difficulty of handling and a lot of other factors, we cannot do any large scale distribution...therefore our pretzels aren't available at NJ stores (and most of NY for that matter. Fresh Direct in NYC is our only significant wholesale account.) I'll admit that I've contemplated a "pretzel coop" idea--when I've given pretzels to friends in Maplewood, they end up wanting more...but I have other pursuits, and have resisted so far. (Though if you're interested in joining the Maplewood Little Club...small bags of Martin's are available there.)
This is probably more information than anyone was looking for.... There's even more at MartinsPretzels.com, if you're hungry for it, along with the 6-minute piece from "Food Finds"that is very informative.
About me, briefly, I moved from lower Manhattan (where I had lived since 1976) to Maplewood about four years ago with my wife Eve and daughter Ava (entering Jefferson this year)--not sure if I'm supposed to go incognito on MOL, but I've blown it. In the past two years I joined John Harvey (Freeman's) in conducting a workshop on "transition" (www.TransitionWorks.org--in about a week we'll have a completely new site up). Enough....
Alfred
PS We love Maplewood. |
bella
Citizen
Username: Bella
Post Number: 618
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 11:46 am: |
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Alfred,
Welcome to MOL. What a lovely, well written second post. |
SO Ref
Citizen
Username: So_refugee
Post Number: 2020
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 12:03 pm: |
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Thanks Alfred!!!
I look forward to sampling your widely acclaimed snacks...
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swishliquor
Citizen
Username: Swishliquor
Post Number: 6
Registered: 7-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 12:03 pm: |
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When I was a child, I remember sometimes going with my father to work in Irvington on Saturdays, and the best soft pretzels were sold by a vendor from a basket on Springfield Ave. Five for a quarter! And sometimes the vendor had to use the facilities in a nearby store, and would leave the basket on a folding table, and people would take a bag themselves and leave a quarter. |
Camnol
Citizen
Username: Camnol
Post Number: 431
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 1:02 pm: |
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You can count us as big fans of Martin's Pretzels. My 15-year-old has dubbed Alfred, the "Prince of Pretzels."  |
Jersey_Boy
Citizen
Username: Jersey_boy
Post Number: 1549
Registered: 1-2006
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 1:47 pm: |
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Martin, can be get these pretzels at the pool? Or any other local venue?
J.B. |
Letters
Citizen
Username: Letters016
Post Number: 747
Registered: 5-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 29, 2006 - 1:55 pm: |
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I lived in Pa. when I was a kid (late 50's/early 60's) and I fondly remember the "pretzel guy" who came around on Fridays with his baskets of hot pretzels. They were they greatest I have ever had. |
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