After visiting friends in La Porte, we wanted to stop into Garwoods on the way back to Chicago, but…read morethey have limited hours during the winter months. So that dashed that plan.
We found that Remus Farms was open and on our route home to Chicago, so that is why we stopped. Upon arriving, we saw that they have been open since 1932, and we love to see a business survive for so long.
Outside there were huge bins of pumpkins, squash and gourds. It had been extremely cold the week before, so they had all froze. And sadly, now that they were thawed, they were soft and moldy. They should have been tossed instead of left out for customer to see.
Inside, there was a huge area of produce, baked goods, jams, jellies, salsas and other farmer's market canned products. In another room, they had evergreen boughs that they were making into wreaths, swags, and grave blankets.
Since we visited during December, we assumed that most of the produce came from somewhere else, and was not "farm fresh." But everything looked okay.
There was a plentiful array of canned goods, but all of them had a layer of dust, and looked like they had been sitting undisturbed for a long time. Most of products still had a good expiration date, but the dust did not make them look appetizing. If I recall, the retail area has a dirt floor, and that may account for the dust. But they should have their employees use a feather duster to keep the cans clean.
There were plenty of baked goods, too--pies, breads, muffins, etc. But a lot of them looked like they had been sitting for awhile, and without an expiration date, they looked suspect. We took a pass.
We did find a big, lovely evergreen swag for $20, and we bought a bag full of small gourds that were priced at $1 apiece. We also bought off Remus-branded cherry salsa, and it was really delicious.
I cannot comment on the nursery area because most of it was closed for the winter.
I applaud Remus for being open for over 90 years, and there are a lot of good things to say about this place, but they would do well to tidy up. I am sure that it would help their business, and make their product more appealing to their customers.
