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Community Corner

Bittersweet Ridge: A Collinsville Farmers Market Profile

Herbal Creams and the Softest Fibers

Rose Garbien has always loved herbs from the garden, especially those with medicinal qualities. Garbien actually remembers a seventh-grade book report on her first herb book about wild foods. So, after many years of research and coursework, it’s not surprising that she would devise a line of natural creams, made with herbs, which not only moisturize, but which she believes may also have medicinal properties.

Garbien has also always loved working with her hands to create beautiful things. She eventually learned to spin wool and has expanded Bittersweet Ridge beyond herbs, to include fiber, yarn and felt from her own angora rabbits and Shetland sheep. In addition to her work at Bittersweet Ridge, Garbien now teaches fiber arts, spinning, needle felting and locker hooking, at a regional adult education program.

In terms of what visitors to Bittersweet Ridge’s booth at the Collinsville Farmers Market can expect, Garbien’s selection will reflect her passion for creating products from nature. “We raise the sheep and rabbits. We hand spin the wool and fur. We are responsible for the workmanship and the quality of the yarn. We’ll be offering yarn in colors that are natural to the beautiful Shetland sheep and English angora rabbits on the farm; soft and ultra soft yarns; and roving - for those who want to spin their own yarn or artists who needle felt in their work.”

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About Town spoke to Rose Garbien from Bittersweet Ridge about what’s new.

AT: How did you come up with the name Bittersweet Ridge?        

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I have bittersweet up on the ridge where we are located on some of the outcroppings. I like bittersweet, which happens to be an invasive berry plant. But, it’s very pretty.

AT: What trends are you seeing in farmers markets?

We meet a lot of people who, like myself, want quality, non-mass produced soap and lotions. They want products that are chemical free and that only use plant-based essential oils not fragrance oils, preservatives or other weird chemical-based ingredients that they can’t pronounce.

AT: What’s your philosophy/practice regarding natural ingredients in the products you sell?

Even though Bittersweet Ridge does not use certified organic plants, we try to get the purest ingredients we can. These ingredients may cost a little bit more, but we know they are of high quality.

AT: What’s new at Bittersweet Ridge?

We have some new needle felted sheep figurines. We’ve done birds, bees and santas in the past, but sheep are the new thing this year. 

AT: What’s the future look like for Bittersweet Ridge?

We want to expand our natural herb creams to a larger audience throughout Connecticut. And, I would like to get back into showing our rabbits. We had a grand champion in the past!

AT: How about a knitting project?

Here’s one for an angora scarf:

Angora Scarf - Double Moss Stitch

150 yards Angora

No. 9 needles

Cast on 22 stitches (sts)

Row 1- *Knit (K) 2, Pearl (p) 2, repeat from * to last 2 sts, K2

Row 2 - *P2, K2 repeat from * to last 2 sts, P2

Row 3 –Same as row 1

Row 4 – Same as row 2

Repeat these 4 rows

Here’s the Deal:

Collinsville Farmers Market, Main St. Collinsville; Sundays, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 12 to Oct. 23, 2011: www.collinsvillefarmersmarket.org. (Bittersweet Ridge will be there every other Sunday)

Bittersweet Ridge 62 Garnet Road, Roxbury; 860-355-2644: www.bittersweetridge.com, rgarbien@bittersweetridge.com.

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