A NEW APPRECIATION FOR NATURE

FOREST GULLY FARMS

By Kathy Fox

Whether you are an adventurer, nature enthusiast, enjoy camping, or the luxury of a hotel, an awe-inspiring getaway awaits you at Forest Gully Farms in the rolling hills of Santa Fe, Tennessee. This agroforestry farm is similar to renting out a country shire homestead and will keep your entire family engaged while you go back to basics — in a good way of course. And before we go any further, for those not originally from around here, it is pronounced Santa FEE!

Forest Gully Farms is sixty acres tucked away in Middle Tennessee and showcases a tranquil forest begging to be explored with distinctive gully huts used for guests’ lodging. No matter what season, guests can discover waterfalls, walk along a winding creek, find wildlife, and listen to all of nature’s sounds in an undisturbed setting. What’s unique about the Forest Gully experience is it encompasses a sustainable food forest and ecosystem made up of fruit trees and beneficial perennial plants. Owners Jon and Mandy Giffin became interested in permaculture and food forestry as one big experiment. “We wanted to find a way to use the knowledge we were learning and start living off the land,” said Jon. “We wanted to keep the experiment alive and that is how and why the gully huts (a.k.a. hobbit holes) came to be. It was a way to educate people and rent out space to generate income at the same time.”

Jon and Mandy Giffin

GUESTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO EAT OFF THE LAND AND IMMERSE THEMSELVES IN A UNIQUE HOMESTEAD EXPERIENCE DURING THEIR STAY AT THE FARM.

The Giffins are hands-on and operate and manage the property together as their full-time jobs. There are two individual homesteads on the property, one where the Giffins reside with their two boys, ages eight and ten, and the other is fifteen acres they rent to guests. Mandy’s responsibilities include managing reservations, taking care of the guests, and keeping the huts spic and span for visitors. Jon on the other hand continues to build and maintain the ecosystem, with the goal to live off the land in mind, by establishing a self-sustaining ecosystem using plants, trees, animals, and bees. The private residence and the rental homestead each have a vegetable garden, orchard, and chicken coop. Guests are encouraged to eat off the land and immerse themselves in a unique homestead experience during their stay at the farm.

To make the ecosystem long-term and sustainable, requiring minimal maintenance or employees managing it, Jon continues to plant a wide variety of wild native plants and fruit-producing trees in the forest. This diverse balance in his plantings helps maintain the holistic edible ecosystem. Although the farm is not certified organic, they practice as if it was and do not use chemicals or manufactured fertilizers, but organic ones.

THE PAWPAW TREE GROWS WILD IN TENNESSEE AND IS THE LARGEST NATIVE FRUIT TO NORTH AMERICA.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOREST GULLY FARMS

While guests are visiting Jon is happy to give them a guided tour to educate them on the plants and vegetation. He explains how he intertwines wild fruit with other useful plants to help make a sustainable long-lasting ecosystem of food producers. Jon said, “The pawpaw tree grows wild in Tennessee and is the largest native fruit to North America. I have planted several patches of pawpaw trees and there are also wild spots on the farm. The farm has other edibles we encourage guests to eat such as persimmons, hazelnuts, mulberries, black walnuts, jujubes, blueberries, blackberries, mayhaws, serviceberries, chokecherries, muscadines (Americas’ first grape), apples, pears, figs, goumi berries, and the flowers and tender seed pods from redbuds — yes they are both edible.”

THE FARM HAS OTHER EDIBLES WE ENCOURAGE GUESTS TO EAT SUCH AS PERSIMMONS, HAZELNUTS, MULBERRIES, BLACK WALNUTS, JUJUBES, BLUEBERRIES, BLACKBERRIES, MAYHAWS, SERVICEBERRIES, CHOKECHERRIES, MUSCADINES (AMERICAS’ FIRST GRAPE), APPLES, PEARS, FIGS, GOUMI BERRIES, AND THE FLOWERS AND TENDER SEED PODS FROM REDBUDS — YES THEY ARE BOTH EDIBLE.

During the spring and summer, guests can make and sip on sumac lemonade. The wild sumac, which was discovered by Native Americans, can be harvested and sumac lemonade is simple to make Jon said, “You harvest a large bowl of sumac berries and soak them in water overnight. The sour juices are on the outside of the berry and in the morning you strain the berries out, add sugar to taste and you have wild sumac lemonade. It’s delicious!”

AFTER A DAY OF EXPLORING THE OUTDOORS, GUESTS RETURN TO THEIR RUSTIC GRASS-COVERED GULLY HUTS WHICH IS ANOTHER FASCINATING EXPERIENCE.

There is plenty of wilderness fun and adventure to create a new appreciation for nature on the farm. However, after a day of exploring the outdoors, guests return to their rustic grass-covered gully huts which is another fascinating experience. Since the Giffins are big fans of The Hobbit, the four whimsical gully huts were designed to look like real-life hobbit holes or Smials. Two are sleeping huts, one is a small kitchen and dining hut, and the fourth is a playhouse hut for the kids. Each quaint and cozy earth home was handcrafted onsite from white cedar and looks like something out of a storybook. Although the temperature in the huts stays constant because they are mostly underground, the huts do have a ductless HVAC system if needed. Each sleeping hut is furnished with a queen and two twin beds and the modern bathhouse is close by with all the conveniences of home.

For those looking for an authentic experiential getaway, Forest Gully Farms creates a peaceful encounter in natural surroundings where guests can disconnect from the world (by design, there is no wi-fi or TV) and connect with the ecosystem while exploring the land. Who knows, you may just see a shooting star on the way to the bathhouse one night or a deer run by. For additional information or to book a stay at Forest Gully Farms, visit forestgullyfarms.com and follow them on social media at @forestgully.