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The Tip is 'Before You Buy' Made in America Secrets tries to send you to internet stores that sell the Made In USA products you searched for. We try to link you directly to only Made In USA products, however sometimes this does not happen. When you click our banner / link ads the store we link you to may show you products that are imported alongside those that are Made In USA. We all know most retailers sell products that are made and come from all over the world including the USA. Therefore, our tip is look at the details before you buy the product. This is true for both brick and mortar stores and internet retailers. Any Made in America store that represents selling only Made in USA products can be believed but check them anyway. They will appreciate your help. Here is a great example of a very reputable Made in America Store. Our site is similar to a few others that I call "Indexers". These sites offer lists like an index. These indexes relate companies to the products they sell. There are a few, like this site, that provide an index of Made in America companies and their products. You can use the indexes (like I have done at times) to find a particular product and the companies that make it. Our site has many features like our buy tips that are unique and valuable. We add buying tips regularly so don't forget to check them out, as they will help you find and buy great Made In America products. Some of these sites are a good resource if you are looking for the manufacturer of a specific product. However you should first check their accuracy because some are not maintained as well as others. Some allow inaccurate and inappropriate ads, others like Made In America Secrets maintain the accuracy of their indexes and do not allow inappropriate advertisements. We continually try to improve our links and we solicit your help and ideas to make our site even better. You can contact us by email, mail, or phone and we will try our very best to respond promptly. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Eva Gates In 1949, Eva Gates' strawberry patch was unusually abundant. Instead of letting all those strawberries go to waste, Eva made jam. Well, preserves actually. Equipped with the recipe handed down to her by her grandmother and her wood cook stove, she set about putting up all the strawberries that her garden produced. The jars she gave away were so well liked that friends and neighbors began asking for them-even offering to pay! When she mentioned to her husband, George, that she wished she could make a business out of it, he told her that if something was good enough, people would buy it. They began cooking the preserves in their two-room log home on a wood cook stove, five pints at a time. By 1954 they had built a new log home and turned the original over to the business, but continued to use the wood range until 1966 when they had an electric range custom-built to duplicate the operation of the wood stove. That electric range is the same one that all Eva Gates products are still cooked on, and still in five pint batches! Today, Eva's grandchildren and great-grandchildren carry on her tradition of excellence, making six kinds of fruit preserves and three syrups (all added to the line by Eva between 1950 and 1956). These regional varieties capture the most distinctive flavors of the wild Northwestern Montana Rockies. We haven't forgotten what made that first batch sell so well in 1949. Everything is made from the exact same recipes, without additives or preservatives, with the same methods used for over 56 years. Two cooks prepare, cook, bottle and label every jar by hand. All of the preserves and syrups are still truly homemade, just like your grandmother probably made in her own kitchen. Ownership and management of Eva Gates Homemade Preserves has remained in the family. After Eva retired, Maxine Gates ran the business (1973-1985). Eva's granddaughter, Pamela Gates Siess took over in 1985. Today, Eva's granddaughter, Gretchen Gates oversees daily operations. Many other family members also contribute to the business. Even though we are no longer in the two-room log house, having moved to downtown Bigfork in 1979, we still have the same homey atmosphere. You can still stop in for a visit, watch the preserves being made and taste the delicious results. So next time you're in Bigfork stop in, or call to discuss your special order with a member of our family. |
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