Thursday, December 29, 2011

Rosemary, Lavender, and Basil - Oh My!

"Ah me, love cannot be cured by herbs." ~ Ovid

Destination: Local, organic herb farm in Haddock, Georgia! I got up this morning and trekked through the back roads of Jones County and found a neighbor of sorts.14 miles away there is the perfect little farm - Olive Forge Herb Farm, owned and operated by Darryl and Marsha Herrin.

As most day trip travelers, I typed "Olive Forge" on my GPS tracker, and followed the meandering road to a more remote area.  As I was looking for my turn off of Brown's Crossing, I was so caught off guard by this:.
 I almost missed my turn! If you look carefully, you will see a deer, however, there were several more blocking the road. I stopped and dug through my bag for my camera. By the time I snapped a pic, most of the deer had scurried off into the woods...I did catch one...

I finally made the proper turn and drove on down a dirt driveway, through one of the most beautiful patch of woods I have seen in quite some time.

This picture came out a little blurry...

When I drove up, it was so quiet! I knew someone was home because - 1. Their hours of operation were from 9am until 5pm -Thursday thru Saturday, and 2.  There was smoke coming from a chimney!


The first thing I noticed was several "winterized" green house contraptions out back. I assume this is where they do most of their "gardening" during the colder months.


Their house was a beautiful, rustic abode!


All of the details outside were adorable and welcoming...

As I approached the door, I could not help but smile. There was a sign about Hippies being welcomed (or something to the effect.) I really should have taken a picture. I opened the door and the most wonderful aroma was drifting through the air. *sigh* I could have stayed in there just BREATHING!

After a few minutes, one of the owners, Darryl, came into the store and we chatted for quite some time. Then his lovely wife came in and they shared their story. I asked how long they had been out there, and if memory serves me right, they said they came out to that piece of land back in 1981.

Immediately after we had chatted enough to feel like old friends, Darryl offered some warm, hot cider. DIVINE. I sipped and took my time going through the store. Here is a sneak peek of some of the wonderful items I found:


They even have various local artists on consignment!





The Pain Go Away is a hit among customers. PS - They are certified organic!

This is their own recipe!! One of their most popular items!




After shopping for a bit, Marsha shared with me some of her certified organic ginger chews. They were sincerely divine. Free of sulfates.

Later, they took me on a tour of their personal home! They built the entire thing, and you could tell immediately it was a labor of love. If a home can contain energy and a vibe - this place has a very positive feel, very pure of spirit. Cleansing, perhaps?

I fell in love with this window. Marsha informed me that it was their bird watching window. They actually record their findings for Cornell.

Can I say -fascinating???


She even pointed out high above us, they have a wonderful sleeping porch for the summer. The back yard, which I did not take pics of, had an amazing outdoor patio area. You can only imagine!

One more thing, Marsha will share her lavender cookies with you! ;-)


Two of the most genuinely nice, and definitely most interesting couple I have met in a long time!

Now... want to see what I got??


First of all, Darryl handed me some freshly cut sprigs of Rosemary. The smell is amazing. It was a simple gift for visiting, but one I will not soon forget. He told me Rosemary is good for memory!

THEN - I picked this out, BUT - I was given it for free!!! We had a long talk about the middle east and all of the wonderful, healthy cuisine, and Marsha said this would also be a gift. MY GOODNESS!

I was very excited about this blend! The price - is oh so right!

How could I not try their very own special recipe for dry feet!

You guys know I am CRAZY about soaps - well this is made from a lime, and I believe you can see it inside of this. The rind works as a scrubbing agent. I think I found my new hand soap!!

This photo did not come out clear - but it was the organic olive oil soap. Talk about great skin! (Also - only $2)

Finally - a perfect solution to my neck pain! Smells great too!

Now.. you will be shocked to know, I got out of there with all of this for under $26. Yep! Where else would that happen for organic items. Those soaps alone (in a place like World Market, etc - where they are not necessarily organic, go for $6 etc.)

I am believer and I assure you a return customer.

Everything is grown and created there!

PS - You can order by phone also!

Make sure to "Like" their page on FB. They have recipes, new items and other great info on that page.

Overall - a wonderful day spent with wonderful people!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great place! that Chai Tea looks amazing! Hope you have a great new year

scrapwordsmom said...

I LOVE going to these kind of places. How fun!! And meeting people like this makes it even better. So happy you enjoyed yourself.

Happy New Year!!!

Anonymous said...

Just so you, their last name is spelled Herren. It's just as unique as they are :) all of us Herrens have a pretty strong bond.

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