This Monday Review is brought to you by Mary's Gone Crackers, a manufacturer of wheat and gluten free products. First, I must say, you gotta love the name of the company. Mary Walder created Mary's Gone Crackers when she and her son were forced into a gluten free diet. Having spent nearly a year baking wheat free for my wheat allergic son, I know it is no easy task to create breads, crackers and pretzels without wheat.
Mary began creating gluten and wheat free foods and has moved her business from her kitchen into a 54,000 square foot dedicated facility. That means there's no risk that wheat protein will find its way into your cracker. This is especially critical for those who deal with a serious wheat allergy.
I tried their "Sticks and Twigs" . They resemble a pretzel, but have a bolder flavor. They are nice and crispy and yummy paired with a dip. Mary is adding a cinnamon flavor to the "Sticks and Twigs" line which I think will be a big hit with children who may find the other flavors of chipotle tomato and curry too strong. You should also note that "Sticks & Twigs" are a great source of omega-3s at 550mg per serving. This may be beneficial to those allergic to fish and nuts who are looking to get omega-3's elsewhere.
I also tried several flavors of Mary's crackers which are shaped like a traditional cracker for cheese or other toppings. I tried the herb and caraway flavors and found them to be full of flavor with a crisp cracker texture. If you have friends or relatives who need to avoid wheat or gluten, these crackers make a great addition to your party table. Just keep in mind that for your wheat allergic friends, these crackers can't be mixed on a tray with wheat crackers. We don't want to risk cross-contamination.
You may appreciate, like I do, that Mary's products use organically grown ingredients with no added oils or fats. The company plans to roll out new foods in the near future. I hope to see more "children friendly" products as the current flavors such as onion, black pepper and curry may be a bit much for a young palette. According to a source at Mary's "we do not particularly have any “kid-friendly” products in the works, however we find that many kids like the Original and Onion flavor crackers and the Sea Salt Sticks & Twigs.
Wouldn't it be great if Mary's products would be an option in vending machines so people with food sensitivities or allergies have a safe alternative? I'll keep you posted.
