We didn’t celebrate Jeff’s birthday much on his actual birthday, as we were just so busy preparing for opening day of market. But Jeff had already picked out something special that he wanted to do to celebrate (a place we’ve been wanting to visit for years) and we were just waiting for opening day. Well, yesterday we went for the first time to The Thyme Garden.
We ate a hearty breakfast and headed out early. We drove north on 101, along the coast, and watched the ocean glistening with sunshine. A little ways past Yachats, we reached Waldport and then headed inland on 34. The drive was beautiful and since we were excited to be on a road that we had never been on before, we exclaimed over seemingly everything- unique trees, beautiful houses, pastures with farm animals, picturesque valleys in the mountains….
The phrase “did you see that?!” was said many times. Bracken took a nap on the way there and woke up right before we arrived at the farm. And then there we were, a place we had heard about and wondered about for years.
What is The Thyme Garden?
In their seed catalog it says:
“The Thyme Garden is a family owned farm hidden in the magical coastal range mountains of Oregon. Visitors will enjoy strolling through our beautiful display gardens which provide the opportunity to experience one of the largest collections of herbs in the Northwest. They could discover our secret reflecting pond hidden in our forest of tall firs and old growth maples. The peaceful sound of water falling is ever present from our two year round streams as one pauses, enfolded in nature. Our small conservatory is an intoxicating experience with its aromatic collection of exotic plants. We are proud of our nursery’s selection of organically grown herbs and useful plants for sale as well as the salmon recovery projects we are doing in our streams.”
Jeff and I looked at all their plant starts, with our eyes full of wonder. We didn’t want to miss a single thing. We kept saying “What’s that one?” “Look at that one over there, I wonder what it is?” The selection was unlike anything we’d ever seen. Want peppermint? How about a bazillion different varieties of it? Many herbs we had never heard of before. We were filled with curiosity as we walked down their giant greenhouse. (When we entered there was a tree with lemons growing on it- yes lemons!) The other greenhouse was filled with giant tropical flowers and smelled incredible. We appreciated having knowledgeable people to ask which varieties were favorites and which ones grew the best around this area.
Jeff and I picked out some starts and seeds. We chose edible herbs, medicinal herbs, and herbs for dyeing (because we want to start growing dye plants for dyeing the wool we use.)
(These pictures were actually taken when we got home because- guess what? I realized I had left our camera at home and was a little bummed because I had wanted to take pictures to share with all of you. Oh well.)
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On the way home, filled with gratitude at the wonderful plants and seeds we were bringing home, we spotted a sign that said ‘Duck Eggs for Sale.’ Our day got even better. We pulled over to The Old Strawberry Farm and got some. Jeff liked the different colors of the eggs. Bracken’s pointer finger was steady on those waddling ducks, watching everything they did. They had Shetland Sheep there too and an orchard. It was our kind of place.
As we drove home, parts of the “new road” were familiar to us.
We enjoyed our adventure so much.
Sounds wonderful… I do LOVE herbs.xxx
Sounds like my kind of place too!
I love discovering new places:)
Oregon is so wonderful I am so grateful to live in such a beautiful place.
Awwww, what a FUN adventure! I love breaking the rut and going on adventures. What wonderful destinations, too! Looks like you brought home some awesome mints. Yummm!
Sounds like a wonderful outing! I also live in Oregon, I will have to add that to my “to visit” list for next time I am over that way. The herbs and Duck eggs look like fun. 🙂
Sounds like such a fantastic experience! Definitely something I’d love to check out someday. Too bad you forgot your camera (I’ve noticed I do that all the time now, with a baby in tow 😉