It is fairly common knowledge that marshmallow peeps, those sugary chicks and bunnies you can't escape this time of year, are made by a Pennsylvania company, Just Born. I was surprised, however, to find that the chocolate bunnies in the kids Easter baskets were also a Pennsylvania product, made by the R. M. Palmer Co. in West Reading. Looking at both corporate websites I didn't see any indication that either company is publicly traded.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
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5 comments:
Seems like PCN tours is always visiting some candy or chocolate maker
in Pennsylvania. :) There must be a lot more of them in our state than we realize. It's amazing how many of those "peeps" they make every day - millions of them! I wonder who can possibly eat them all.
BTW, "Peeps" are now out for every holiday. Halloween "peeps" and Xmas "peeps" among them.
I knew the peeps had branched out other holidays. Personally I've never developed a taste for them, but I know people who live for peeps of all kinds.
Interesting note about the all the chocolate makers in PA. What do you think is behind that: Hershey's people who started their own shop, something cultural (all those German settlers?), something about the area that had what chocolate makers needed?
Hmmm, I'll have to look into it.
Mmmm, I think it's because candy is something anyone can make since they buy the chocolate in already made bulk bars. Plus there's a steady market for it and it lends itself to the "mom and pop" type small business operation.
If you get the chance, read "Emporers of Chocolate". It's a parallel history of both Hershey and Mars and of chocolate itself, which was amazingly hard to figure out how to produce.
I'm not a big "peep" eater either, but I have friends who'd eat 500 of 'em, if that's what you set in front of them. IIRC, Wes Clark likes them, but only after they've gotten stale.
need something to do with all of those peeps? Take two peeps, give each a tooth pick and put them in the microwave on high for about 2 minutes (have them facing each other). The peeps expand and one will eventually hit the tooth pick of another causing it to deflate. Declare the still infated one winner of the peep jousting contest.
Note: Eat the warm peeps. They are tasty this way too, just make sure they aren't too hot when a kid tries to eat them.
Peep jousting?! Oh, I don't know, that sounds a little too wild and crazy for me. ;)
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