Skip to navigation | Skip to content

Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

Jaarsma Bakery- Delicious Dutch Letters and Much More!

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 11 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #1774 in Food, #47698 overall

Donates to Squidoo Charity Fund

Rated G. (Control what you see)

A Taste of Holland Delivered to Your Door

 

When I went to Central College in Pella, Iowa back in the 1980's, one of my favorite destinations was Jaarsma's Bakery. It was a wonderland of pastries and other goodies.

My friend Mary and I used to try to get to Pamida and back without being seduced by the other-worldly aroma of yumminess hanging in the air. We even tried passing by on the other side of the street, but it was an exercise in futility. We always surrendered and were swept away on a cloud of sweet whipped cream and almond paste.

For many years I missed the enjoyment of Jaarsma's and my all-time favorite pastry, Dutch Letters, when I discovered that I can order them online and have them delivered to my door anytime!

Read on to find out more about Jaarsma's and how to order your own Dutch bakery delights online!

Pella Tulip Festival 

Pella, Iowa hosts a Tulip Festival every year...Yes, I still have my wooden shoes!

This town is also home of the Pella Window Factory, and the birthplace of Wild West legend Wyatt Earp! ~ BadMsM

Pella Iowa Tulip Festival

Kevin and Sue McCarthy take you to the Pella Iowa Tullip Festival. Sue gets the details and Kevin takes you to the Wyatt Earp House. Our web site is kevinandsuetravel.com

Runtime: 3:43
422 views
2 Comments:

powered by YouTube

The History of Jaarsma's Bakery 

A new immigrant from Holland, Harmon Jaarsma started his bakery in 1899 in Pella, Iowa, using recipes he brought from his homeland. His creations were baked in two wood fired brick ovens. The bakery also served as a coffee shop and a home to Harmon's family.

In the beginning, Harmon's famous Dutch Letters were made only as a special treat for Sinterklaas Day (the Dutch Santa Claus Day), December 6th. The pastries were shaped into an "S" for "Sinterklaas". They are now available year round.

Harmon's son, Frank took over the business in 1948. He and his two sons, Howard and Ralph, helped run the business. After a tragic fire in 1973 destroyed the original location, a new bakery was built on the same site.

Four generations after Harmon began, Jaarsma's is still providing quality pastries, breads and cookies to a very grateful clientele. Order some online today and see for yourself!

Click here to order from Jaarsma's online

Store Hours: Mon-Sat: 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Closed Sundays
Phone: 641-628-2940
Email: sales@jaarsmabakery.com

You may order from Jaarsma Bakery by Fax 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Simply choose your items and print the check-out page, then complete it and fax it to:

FAX: 641-628-9148

Or you may send your order via regular mail. Choose items, print the check-out page, complete it and send it to:

Jaarsma Bakery
727 Franklin Street
Pella, Iowa 50219
USA

Dutch Letters- Jaarsma's Specialty!

Try Your Hand At Baking On Amazon 

Dutch Baking and Pastry

Amazon Price: (as of 10/07/2008)

Solo Apple Pie Filling ~ 6 Pack

Amazon Price: $24.00 (as of 10/07/2008)

The Dutch Oven Dessert Cookbook

Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 10/07/2008)

Jaarsma Bakery On Google 

After-Church Goodies
PS - Reader Nancy of SewManyDays blog looked up the Jaarsma Bakery website and found the origin of the Dutch letter pastry's "S" shape........it stands for "Sinterklaas"........(the Dutch Santa Claus). Thanks! ...
Meme: 100 Things to Eat in Iowa before you Die
Dutch letters, Jaarsma Bakery, Pella 79. Cast-Iron Seared Filet with a Blue Cheese Crostini, Carmelized Mushrooms and a Maple-Bourbon Demi-glaze, David's Milwaukee Diner, Perry 80. Fajitas, Sabor Latino, Postville ...
Walkin' In Pella
Ah, yes.......at last, I spy the Jaarsma Bakery! Before leaving Pella, a stop there is essential! *. And, to be fair........there is another bakery in town.......Vander Ploeg's. I once perused a Pella phone book. ...
Jaarsma Bakery - Pella, IA
I grew up near Pella and try to get to Jaarsma whenever I can. The pastry cases are piled high with traditional favorites you won't want to miss. The Dutch letters are my favorite. They come in only one letter, an "S. ...

Don't Forget To Try Other Treats Like Spice Cookies!

Jaarsma Bakery Link List 

Jaarsma Bakery
Our family owned-and-operated bakery, located in historic Pella Iowa, has been baking delicious "Dutch Treats" for over a century.
Jaarsma Bakery - Iowa - tribe.net
Reviews and ratings for Jaarsma Bakery
Road Food.com
Restaurant Logbooks - Roadfood Insider - User Reviews
The Boston Globe
Rural Iowa serves up a `Dutch treat'
The New York Times
Iowa, Where It All Began

Tell me what you think! 

LilliputStation

Yum! Banket and Spekulaus! Nobody makes desserts like the Dutch do. Ofcourse, being 100% Dutch, I might be a little bit biased. LOL!

Posted September 09, 2008

mulberry

mmmm, shouldn't look at such lenses after 9:00 pm. I'm just thankful we don't have "aroma" included.

Posted July 29, 2008

stargazer00

I grew up near Pella! A fun place to visit. Thanks for the memories.

Posted July 25, 2008

Frankster

Wow, do those letters look yummy. Great idea for a lens and well executed. 5 stars.

Posted July 24, 2008

Christopher_Scott

Great lens. I'm a Squid Activist too!

Posted July 24, 2008

 
1 of 2 pages

This Lens Supports The Squidoo Charity Fund! 

100% of profits go to help charities supported by Squidoo

 

This Lens Constructed By A Bonafide Squidoo Activist!

Click here to start building your own lenses on Squidoo!

X
badmsm

About badmsm


Bette Miles-Holleman is a retail merchandiser, customer service analyst, model and stylist with over 25 years experience in the fashion industry. Her online name, BadMsM, is an old nickname derived from a song by Danielle Dax called "Bad Miss M".


Bette discovered Squidoo in February 2007, after the launch of her online magazine, Beauty Culture . She was elevated to the title of Giant Squid in September 2007, and hopes to progress toward her goal of 100 quality lenses in 2008. She received an Honorable Mention in the Squidoo Superhero Project, and became a Squid Activist in July 2008.


In her spare time, Bette writes, knits, teaches, cooks, sings, lives and loves on the West Coast of the USA. She is blessed by every day God sends.


 

Read more great articles from Bette at HealthyFoodForHealthyLiving.com
and DealingWithLearningDisorders

View my page on Promo Models

badmsm's Pages

See all of badmsm's pages

X

Gold Star

This is a certified gold star lens, which means it's the best of its kind on Squidoo (or shows some serious potential for getting there!)

Read more about gold stars »

X

badmsm is a Giant Squid!

Giants are distinguished by their exceptional skill for making top-notch lenses, and lots of them. Whenever you land on a Giant Squid's lens, you know the person behind it is passionate about the topic and is hard at work making the lens worthy of your time and attention.

Learn more about what it takes to be a Giant »