The Herb Crib, Blairsville, Georgia

 

“The secrets are in the plants. To elicit them, you have to love them enough.”

George Washington Carver

While staying at Trackrock Campground between Young Harris and Blairsville, we noticed the sign for The Herb Crib and knew we needed to stop. This area, in the north eastern Georgia mountains rests in a beautiful and tranquil valley in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We pulled in and drove up the gravel driveway, passing the chicken coop, and came upon a barn where two large gorgeous dogs came out to greet us. Then we spotted Karin as she came out of the barn to greet us.

She greeted us with a smile and welcomed us to her charming and serene farm. She pointed out the plants she had for sale and then asked what we would like to see. I told her that we would love to see her retail shop. As we walked the path up the shop, we talked about her and the property. She explained how her husband had made her dream come true by clearing the land for her herbal garden. When her garden near her home got established, she started dreaming of a larger garden and opening a shop with her herbs and her homemade organic products.

Later her husband, Cliff with the help of a local carpenter, built a replica of “Spycher” or a corn crib or pantry, like the ones in Switzerland, his homeland. She opened her shop in 2001. This is where her shop is located and it looks charming next to her garden. She explained she learned about herbs and gardening from her family in Germany and then picked up more and more knowledge by herself.

She wanted to get the word out about her business so she started bringing her products to local farmers markets, farms, and local art and craft shows. Now word of mouth, her web page, and many repeat customers help to make her business a success.

She unlocked her shop, opened the doors wide open, and all the lovely scents came flooding out. There were herbs hanging from the ceiling and homemade soaps of many scents made from olive oil, goat milk, honey and beeswax and essential oil or fragrances making walking into this shop a delight. She sells culinary herbs as well as medicinal herbs. She makes herbal teas, salves and tinctures, as well as natural products like hand lotions, insect repellent, dog shampoos, honey, dipping oils, and more. As we looked around the shop, she was out tending to her garden and was nearby if we had any questions. She likes to give her customers space to really have a chance to feel and see what her shop has to offer.              

                                                                                        

After making our selections, we walked through her garden area. Karin loves what she does and shows it and is very knowledgeable about all her plants. She told us what all the plants were and how they can be used medicinally. She has a biodynamic garden which means organic farming with a twist. It is a holistic approach to gardening where they follow the biodynamic calendar as far a preparation, cultivation, planting and harvesting crops and being in sync with the rhythms of the sun, moon, and stars. This enhances the health, vitality, and success of their crops. Off to the side of her garden is where her bee hives are located. She also raises chickens and sells the eggs. 

She told us she does workshops and seminars throughout the year. She offers workshops on how to make Beeswax candles, herbal remedies, herbal first aid, Medicinal mushrooms, pollinator gardens, wildflowers, and more. You can check out her calendar on her web page: www.herbcrib.com.

Karin Rutishauser is the owner/operator of The Herb Crib and is a member of the United Plant Savers, The Native Plant Preservation Committee, and is certified as an organic grower by the Georgia Department of Agriculture. She is also a member of Georgia Organics, a member of United Plant Savers, and a member of American Herbalist Guild.

Walking around her little piece of paradise, you feel a connection and serenity with nature, the mountains, and Karin herself. We came in as strangers and left that day as friends. If you are in this area, this is must stop. You will be glad you stopped in for a visit.

She is open from May through October on Wednesday through Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm. The Herb Crib is located at 2998 Trackrock Church Road, Blairsville, Georgia.

Till next time. Bye for now.

Saint Croix, Virgin Islands

 

“A simple life is good with me. I don’t need a whole lot. For me, a T-shirt, a pair of shorts, barefoot on a beach and I’m happy.”

Yanni

Beautiful Saint Croix. This was our first visit to this amazing island and will not be our last. We were pleasantly surprised by how gorgeous this island was and how friendly all the people were. This island is located in the Caribbean Sea and is an unincorporated territory of the United States. This island is only 22 miles in length and 7 miles wide and has a total of 84 square miles. This is the largest of the territory’s islands. One interesting fact about Saint Croix is that seven different flags have flown here. This island was colonized by Spain, England, Holland, France, the Knights of Malta, Denmark and the United States. We loved this laid back tropical location that was rich with culture and beauty.

We got off the ship as soon as we could and walked out of the port and across the street where we saw three ladies sitting with a Budget Car Rental sign. We had heard it was easy to rent a car here but warned to make arrangements ahead of time. So glad we did as there were no cars left to rent if you didn’t have a reservation. Budget has no office in the town of Fredericksted but they work with the cruise ships for car rentals. We walked over to three ladies, gave them our name, and they looked up our reservation. These ladies were lovely and such a joy to deal with. They went over all our paperwork and then let us know we had been given an upgrade and told us we were issued a Ford Bronco for the day. We were lucky to get that upgrade as come to find out, the roads were not very good. One of the ladies walked us over to the parking lot where the rental cars were located. That worked out very well. We looked it over and took off.

We really didn’t have a plan for the day but knew we wanted to see some of the island. We pulled out of the parking lot and headed west of the port. You drive on the left side so that took a little adjustment but Joe managed well. The road went from a paved road to a paved road that had major run offs and holes that we zigged and zagged to avoid the pot holes. The roads were rutted badly and we were tossed around like crazy in the car. We rode till the end of that road and parking a lot where we found a hand painted sign that said lighthouse with an arrow painted on the sign aiming towards the path.

We decided to hike up and see what it looked like since it didn’t look like the hill was that high. We parked in the parking lot and locked up everything and headed to the trail for our great adventure. This path was also deeply rutted from major rainfall and headed steeply uphill. It was a tough trail but had beautiful tropical plants to view on the way up. It wasn’t easy but we made it to the top. We found the lighthouse and discovered it was all rusted out and abandoned. It looked as though it hadn’t been used for ages. The views of the ocean from there were incredible. We didn’t see another sole on our entire hike. After taking in all the beautiful views, we slowly headed back down the steep path back to the car.

We loaded back up and headed back down the deeply rutted road till we found a sign for Rain Forest Road. We turned and started driving on this road and it was stunning. The road wound around the mountain with dense bush and forest on either side of the road. As we drove along this beautiful road, we passed areas where the trees formed a canopy over the road. This road was in good shape and we took it slow and took it all in.

We drove till we came upon Mt Pellier Hut which we had seen a video on the internet about it and were thrilled we just happened upon it. When we got there, our first impression was to not even stop as it was just a rough looking building. But we changed our mind and decided to go in and give it a try. A lady and a man were sitting outside of the bar and when we walked over to talk to them, we found they had just fumigated the bar and had to sit outside for a short time. The lady was from Jamaica and the man ended up being from Alabama. He came here about 3 years ago and fell in love with the island so much that he never left. They were both very nice and gave us great information on the island and where we should got to the beach.

They offered us a drink while we waited to go inside and we drank it while talking with them. The owner was in the bar setting things up for the day. This bar is rustic to say the lest. They told us to try Mamajuana aka Mama Wanna which is a local drink that is made with rum, red wine, and honey and then allowing it to soak in a mixture of tree bark and herbs. The locals drink it and is said to be good as a cure all medication and aphrodisiac. We tasted it and didn’t like it at all but at least we tried. What makes this such an interesting stop is their world famous beer drinking pigs. They used to give the pigs regular beer but some people complained so now they get ginger beer. How it works is, you buy a ginger beer and one of the workers walk you over to where the pigs where located. They tell you how to hold the beer for the pig. The pig raises his head and grabs the can of beer, crunches it with beer squirting everywhere, chomps on the beer can for a bit, and then spits the can out. It is quite the sight and just plain fun. The pigs are super sweet and seem to smile after they got a special treat.

After a great recommendation from the staff at Mt Pellier Hut, we were told to drive to Crane Beach and The Landing. It was a pretty drive from that bar to the beach and not too far. The beach was beautiful and the water was crystal clear. We brought our snorkeling gear and enjoyed swimming and snorkeling for quite awhile. Then we ordered a couple of drinks from the bar across the street and sat on the beach enjoying the view. We met some lovely people who were also on vacation from the US. From the beach, we could look up and see the rusted old lighthouse we had climbed up earlier that day. What a lovely day we had enjoying the beach and our new found friends.

After our beach time, we got back in the car and headed back towards the town on Fredericksted where our cruise ship was docked. We turned the car back in and then headed over the Tails End Bar and Restaurant which was also recommended by the lady we met a Mt Pellier Hut. It didn’t look like much but we saw only locals heading inside. This restaurant is buffet styles where you just order what kinds of meat, vegetable, and bread, from the counter. The food was great. I would recommend this restaurant.

After a nice meal, we walked around the town some and took some pictures. Fort Frederik is a vibrant red painted fort that was built in the mid-18th century that stands guard over the Eliza James-McBean Clock Tower and Emancipation Park. We walked around the park and looked at the wares that many vendors in booths were selling like jewelry, paintings, and many other items. The waterfront area is lovely with cute shops, restaurants, and small paths lined with mahogany trees. We both agree that this is our favorite island so far.

Till next time. Bye for now.