A retired 1970s horse ranch transitioning into a wild tended food forest.
Ohio
My name is Jen! Alongside my partner Kaine, we live on my family’s retired horse ranch just outside Grove City, Ohio with our barn cat Oatmeal, our dog Lincoln, and our three rescue cockatiels—Cricket, Hopper, and Pigeon.
The horse ranch has been in my family since the 1970's, though it was retired long before I was born. For the last decade, we have practiced holistic land management throughout the overgrown pastures for food forestry and wildlife habitat, wild tending the indigenous edible plants and mushrooms that are already here.
Some of the wild edible or medicinal plants we steward include groundcherries, grapes, black cherries, black raspberries, plums, strawberries, walnuts, hickory nuts, acorns, sunchokes, honewort, mayapples, pippins, jewelweed, yarrow, eastern white pine, shrubby saint John's wort, heal-all, wild licorice, woodsorrel, sweet cicely, amongst many more!
Some of the wild edible or medicinal mushrooms on our landscape include morel mushrooms, chicken of the woods, hen of the woods, woodear, turkeytail, common puffballs, meadow mushrooms, American parasol, and others!
Some of the produce gathered from our landscape will be shared with locals through our farmer's market this year.
We encourage the natural seed bank to replenish the landscape with the indigenous plants that thrive here. We have also added hundreds of local ecotype plants along our trails over the years.
Supporting wildlife whenever possible is a priority for us, including considering the needs of bobwhite quail, American woodcocks, chimney swifts, opossums, deer, coyotes, skunks, shrews, tree frogs, native bees, and a variety of other animals.
I am currently open to half-day visits with the possibility of overnight camping. My local park services offer limited overnight campsites with reservation. You would be able to stay fully immersed in nature along one of the Midwest's most biologically diverse aquatic ecosystems, Big Darby Creek, which I would be happy to give you a tour of! Campsites are not designed for long term stays, so longer visits would require doing a bit of back and forth between available camping areas. Lodging can also be provided by local motels, Airbnb, etc. WWOOFers might be allowed to camp at StagPath Sanctuary for future visits. Please reach out to learn more. We can have a video call to go over what kind of experience to expect here.
Species ID, trail creation, citizen science research opportunities, wild tending and foraging the edible and medicinal plants or mushrooms throughout the landscape, and invasive species removal are ongoing projects here. The old barns also need a lot of help, as well as our deck and patio area around our vegetable garden bed.
I am affiliated with research done for iNaturalist as well as with entomologists at OSU.
I spend a lot of time teaching ecological literacy, ancestral skills, and holistic land stewardship practices, working with a variety of individuals, schools, organizations, farms, podcasters, campgrounds, and educators in need of guidance related to foraging, natural history, land stewardship, etc. A podcast is also in the works. :)
I'd be happy to share a home-cooked meal out on the patio or feast around a bonfire further out back. Common meals are slow cooked meats and vegetables, soups, or breakfast bowls. Foraged teas, herbs, mushrooms, fruits or roots are seasonal inclusions. I can try to accommodate to your needs if informed ahead of time.
Toiletries and sleeping conditions for future overnight stays are RUSTIC. A camping toilet with a composting setup is available outdoors. Numerous camping areas are available for overnight stays. I can provide extra bedding.
I'm closer to Grove City than I am to London, about 30 minutes south of Columbus. There is plenty to do and see around here. Kayaking, fishing, hiking, and backpacking trails are all accessible. Gas stations, the fire station, the hospital, grocery stores, and restaurants, are not far.
Please reach out for a video call to chat more. You will learn things here that you're unlikely to learn anywhere else. :)
Read more
Learning opportunities
Fruit or nut farming
Forestry
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Traditional crafts
Green Building
Methods or systems
Community-supported agriculture (CSA)
Holistic management
No-till farming
Permaculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
4.1
Hectares
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10
Acres
Jennifer
Member since 2026
Languages spoken:
English
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Mon
Tue
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Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Ohio
Rickenbacker International Airport
My past WWOOFers
Matt
April 2026
•
Ohio, United States
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