Colonnade

Issue date: 4/23/10 Section: Focus On

Media Credit: Lissa Speer Visitors to Olive Forge peruse the herb garden, one of the only in the state.

Media Credit: Lissa Speer Owners Derryl and Marsha Herren opened Olive Forge in 1994 to provide herbs to Middle Georgia.

Media Credit: Lissa Speer Leah Corley, a senior chemistry major, examines the wares at Olive Forge

Nestled behind the trees of Brown's Crossing Road lays the home of Marsha and Darryl Herren. The Herrens run the Olive Forge Herb Farm, one of the last remaining herb farms in Georgia. They grow herbs like rosemary, lavender, coriander and cilantro, and sell their wares in their two-room shop. A sign for the Still Room beckons visitors into the shop.

As soon as visitors enter the shop, the smell of herbs fills the air. The teas are the centerpiece of the main room. Flavors vary from cinnamon orange and lemon ginger, to chai and other blends. And the Herrens make all the herbal tea mixtures with the herbs they grow themselves. They also sell natural remedies for stings and bites, candles and work by local artists.

"We just needed to stay well and that's what got us into growing herbs and using herbs," Marsha said.

In addition to the shop, the Herrens have made their property inviting for both humans and animals. Deer cross the narrow unpaved driveway, and a winding path leads to the door, lined with white hydrangeas and all types of flora and greenery. Their living room boasts a window where multiple bird feeders hang. Birds flock here, providing the Herrens and their visitors with a bird's-eye view of avian life. Even owls have perched in sight of the window.

The Herrens are the store's owners and sole employees, and greet every visitor as if they are not perfect strangers. The shop area is two separate rooms and is attached to the Herrens' house. They have visitors young and old, some old friends, some new faces, and from all parts of middle Georgia.

"I think that's our favorite part, getting to meet new people, seeing old friends. There's always a lot of new people." Marsha said. "We feel like it's such a gift, such a blessing. We never know who's coming up the driveway. Everybody that comes is just another gift."

Anyone can expect an offer of herbal tea like Rooibos African redbush tea, and cookies, such as their rolled oat cookies, with a sweet underlying flavor enhanced by the addition of coriander. They also make soft ginger cookies and lavender cookies, made with real lavender flowers.

It is easy to be drawn into conversation with the Herrens. They readily talk about life, nature, a little of everything. Arts and crafts fiends can find common ground with Marsha, and scientific minds can talk about all the natural products they make, like their lemongrass-based natural mosquito repellent.

Although the Herrens are in touch with their natural surroundings, they still embrace technology. They have a Facebook page to help them promote Olive Forge, and visitors can join their e-mail list to learn tidbits about herbs and nature. They also enjoy visually documenting their environment. Darryl, in particular, is an avid photographer.

"He wears the camera around his neck all the time. Darryl cuts the grass with the camera around his neck," Marsha said. "I'm thinking, 'Darryl, we paid more for that camera than the lawn mower.'"

The Herrens were married in 1959, and moved to Cleveland, Ga. in 1964, to attend Truett-McConnell College, with their children in tow. After finishing junior college, they transferred to GCSU. Darryl was among some of the first men to graduate from GCSU.

They are both former social workers, which Marsha attributes to their ability to welcome complete strangers into their home. Darryl is also an ordained minister and is a self-described "independent contractor for the Holy Spirit."

Their house was built in 1981. They started the business in 1994 after being asked to talk to various gardening clubs and horticultural groups about the herbs they grow.

"It was really hard back then to find any herbs, there were no herbs at nurseries and the natural things that we made, there were no shops around that made those things, so that just led us into the business," Marsha said.

They acquired the site for Olive Forge in an unconventional way. They knew the Brown's Crossing area because it was formerly home to a craft show, an event Marsha and Darryl both loved.

"We had never even seen this land. We saw an ad in the paper that there was land for sale on Brown's Crossing Road. We knew the road, we knew the area, but we bought the land over the phone," Marsha said. "I didn't see it until days after we bought it."

When Marsha and Darryl first started growing herbs in the late 1970s, herbs weren't readily available in the area and they had to order them through the mail.

"Nobody grew herbs in this area, there were none to have. When we go through town now and see a rosemary in somebody's yard, we say 'That's because of us,' " Marsha said.

Olive Forge is a great place to visit for someone starting an herb garden. The Herrens are knowledgeable about what plants to grow and how best to do so.

"Grow the things you like, especially for cooking. The bulk of our sales are culinary herbs," Marsha said.

Marsha also gives suggestions for those interested in growing their own herbs. While most herbs grow nicely in the Georgia heat, some do not fare so well. As many herbs are originally from the Mediterranean region, they are used to heat, but the humidity is something they are not adapted to deal with. Herbs like a lot of sun, but they also require shade in the afternoons, especially in the hot Georgia summers.

Olive Forge is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and is located at 161 Brown's Crossing Road. Visitors can stop by and spend an hour or two enjoying good food and tea, and socializing with good company.

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