Michelle

Travel information

I am currently

Activities i am interested in:

Looking for farm/homestead stays in the USA. Currently available until at least the end of February 2026.

Description

Hello! My name is Michelle, and I own and operate a 5-acre organic market garden/mini farm/homestead/teaching and learning farm in Central Ohio. Each summer, we hire 5-12 paid student interns (high school and college students who are interested in a future in agriculture) and teach them how to grow good food the old-fashioned way: using organic, no-spray, chemical-free, sustainable, and regenerative growing practices.

Our little teaching and learning farm is in full operations from early March until mid October of each year. This leaves me free to travel, explore, work on other farms, and trade information, skills, and techniques with other farmers, homesteaders, workawayers, and nomads the remaining months of the year.

Interests

Sustainability

Self development

Pets

Farming

Culture

Charity work

Plant care

Hitchhiking

Languages

Gardening

DIY & crafts

Cooking & food

Books

Animals

Yoga / Wellness

Winter sports

Sailing / Boating

Outdoor activities

Nature

Mountain

Hiking

Fitness

Camping

Beach

Adventure sports

Languages

Languages spoken
English: Fluent

More details about my language interests
Many years ago, I studied abroad in Xalapa, Mexico. My Spanish is probably best classified as a rusty beginner at this point. I would welcome any opportunities to practice and improve my Spanish language skills or learn any other languages!

Find a language buddy

Skills and knowledge I'd like to share or learn

I'm interested in:  

Charity Work

Languages

Eco Projects

Being an elderly companion

DIY and building projects

Hospitality/Tourism

General Maintenance

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Some knowledge of:  

Animal Care

Life at a Farmstay

Creating/ Cooking family meals

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Able to teach about:  

Teaching

Gardening

Helping around the house

More details about your skills

Prior to starting the teaching and learning farm, I had a previous career that began with teaching elementary school, high school, and college students, then eventually grew into training teachers and working in the educational publishing industry.

I took advantage of a 7-month break from my traditional career in 2021 to fulfill a lifelong dream of thru-hiking all 2,193.1 miles of the Appalachian Trail. I supplemented my travel budget by working and volunteering at hostels and small farms along the way.

After the freedom of living outside, hiking and camping my way along the AT for 199 days, I could not imagine returning to a desk job. And so, the tiny farm was born!

What started out as a way for me to earn a little extra money from my homesteading efforts each summer to fund my travel/hiking plans during the off seasons has now blossomed into a fully functional teaching and learning farm that helps support the next generation of farmers. As a mostly self-taught farmer/gardener who has been playing with soil, seeds, orchard fruits, and various perennials since I was 5 years old, I always love to meet other farmers and homesteaders and learn from them a variety of skills, techniques, systems, and methods that I can take back home and share with our growing community of learners.

I am no stranger to long days and hard work. During our busiest months of the year, I work 18+ hour days, staff 3-4 busy farmers' markets per week, manage the field crews, manage the market crews, operate the on-farm store, and manage the social media accounts/payroll/accounting work, among other things.

I can manage my own time, manage a schedule, and manage tasks and teams if needed. I am also happy to be the helper and follow someone else's lead. I am always looking for opportunities to learn new skills, crops, and animal groups and am always happy to share any of the information, knowledge, and skills I've acquired over the years if it pertains to your farm/homestead/situation and is something you're interested in learning.

Age

39

What else ...

I am a lover of all things nature and outdoors, and I love living a simple life in nature. I've been known to spend long stretches living out of a tent/backpack, so long as it's not TOO cold at night!

I don't care much for technology. I can use it when needed, but also okay with off grid and offline situations. I enjoy having long breaks from internet and device connectivity.

I love cooking, baking, gardening, learning new crops and animal groups, hiking, backpacking, exploring, meeting new people, hearing people's stories, skiing, shopping the local farmers' markets, thrifting, and crafting. I'm always up for a good challenge!

I am also very interested in foraging for mushrooms and medicinals, learning how to grow mushrooms, learning about grape and orchard fruit production.

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies
  Cats

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  Special dietary requirements
  Prefer local/organic/homegrown if possible