Today we’d like to introduce you to Aimee Gaines.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Hello! In a nutshell, I am a regenerative farmer with a passion for sustainable living, land stewardship, travel, wellness, outdoor recreation, and DIY construction. I currently own and manage Fruitdale Farm, a small sustainable living farm in Bainbridge, Ohio. I must say, it has been an adventurous journey in getting back to my Ohio roots. I was born and raised in southern Ohio, graduating from Piketon High School and then attending Shawnee State University in Portsmouth. After college, I was off to Haiti, where I spent 27 months as a Peace Corps Volunteer. My time in Haiti hugely impacted my worldview and has informed many decisions on how I live my life. My path has since led me to an interesting mix of places (including Hawaii, Costa Rica, S Korea, Thailand, Nicaragua, and all around the contiguous United States) where I have immersed, worked, volunteered, studied, and explored. My career history includes working as an activist and organizer for environmental and social justice, a teacher (of Haitian Creole literacy, English as a Second Language, and a k-12 substitute), a disaster relief volunteer, an agroforestry volunteer, a horticulturalist, farmer and yoga instructor. I eventually gave up my nomadic lifestyle and moved back to Ohio in 2016 to pursue my dream of becoming a homesteader and to live closer to nature and family.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
This venture has been a labor of love, for sure, and not without some challenges. Being a solo female farmer has forced me to become quite capable as a carpenter and handywoman. I really love to learn new skills of all kinds and that contributes to my goals of self-sufficiency. However, there are some tasks that require an extra person or two. To address this challenge, I started hosting farm volunteers through the WWOOF program and I’ve also gotten better at asking for help and learning who to ask. My greatest struggle, I would say, is the lack of infrastructure on the property and lack of financial capital. I am quite resourceful, though, and, thankfully, strong enough to salvage some old barns for needed materials. It’s a difficult road and I’m slowly piecing things together but I’m absolutely enjoying the process. I receive so much support from my community and am ever grateful.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Fruitdale Farm was established 2017 as a sustainable living and learning farm. This is a woman-owned business that is all about local, native, organic, wild foraged, and low impact. It all began with 15+ acres of undeveloped land where I first built a small cabin and dug a pond. I am having so much fun designing my dream life. On the food production side of things, I use regenerative and organic farming practices to produce a variety of vegetables, fruits, and herbs which I sell locally via a weekly shares subscription, online sales, and a little roadside farm stand. I receive so much joy from stewarding my little slice of land in beautiful southern Ohio. I am working to restore the wooded acres by removing invasive plant species and I am establishing a pollinator habitat in the meadow. I also began hosting campers on my land in 2017 through a platform called Hipcamp and it’s going great! I was voted #1 and #2 Best Hipcamp in Ohio in 2020 and 2021. Lodging options currently consist of 5 primitive campsites and three tiny off-grid cabins.
Any big plans?
I plan to continue developing infrastructure which includes bringing water and electricity to the food production side of the property and building a multi-use barn. This year I will be hosting the very first wedding at Fruitdale Farm and I will also be kicking off a small annual folk festival. In the future, I hope to host a variety of workshops and retreats each year.
Pricing:
- Primitive Camping ($35/night)
- Off-Grid Cabin Stay ($50+/night)
- Sauna session ($10/hour)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fruitdalefarm.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/fruitdalefarm/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/fruitdalefarm
- Other: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/ohio-fruitdale-farm-3xryhlvr?adults=1&children=0
