Small homestead style farm, working towards self-sufficiency and creating a well-rounded skillset

Vermont

88 reviews • Updated 7 months ago

This season will be our 13th year hosting and it’s getting better all the time! We are a small homestead style farm, working towards self-sufficiency and creating a well-rounded skill set to maximize use of our land. We focus on producing food for us and our family/community. We are looking for open minded, independent, artistic, good natured folk who want to help with our projects. The Frog Ranch offers guests a wide range of experiences in agriculture, farm building and maintenance. I, Kailen have wwoofed in Canada, New Zealand, Australia, HAWAII, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Nepal and loved the experiences the world has shown me. I live with my wife Laura, daughter, two border collies, goats, and chickens. The winters can be slow here, so we usually look for help from the Spring through Fall but feel free to reach out any time of year. Workday: A typical workday starts around 9am (although it might be earlier on forecasted hot days), either way, it’s not super early and you’ll have time to make yourself breakfast and coffee. Every day we do a variety of things. We never do more than an hour of weeding and hope to get people on tasks that they are into. We usually work for about 4 hours and then take lunch. We expect our WWoof crew to help with cleaning up after lunch and dinner. After lunch there is usually some down time for whatever suits you: hanging at your cabin, or better yet, exploring Southern Vermont - it’s beautiful out there! During the evening we will then reconvene at the main house to make dinner and do evening chores (if you wish). Screen Printing Studio: We have a full studio set up in our garage. We will do local orders for businesses and friends here and there and also make our prayer flags and original art pieces. I lost my brother who was a very gifted artist in a tragic shooting 8 years ago, so I have been focusing on taking his sketches and turning them into prints on t shirts and wood art. All wwoofers who have an interest in this can join in. Vegetables and Projects: We have a mix of raised veggie beds, fruit trees and shrubs, garlic, perennial herbs, hops, Shitake mushroom logs (plus other medicinal and oyster mushrooms), an outdoor brick oven (lots of pizza), greenhouses and much more. The fruit trees include: apples, peaches, plums, pears, and pawpaw. We also grow raspberries, cherries, elderberries, aronia, cranberries, and kiwis. We have grown a cold hardy variety of rice from Japan and look forward to expanding the harvest each year. We raise meat chickens as well as laying hens. A large focus is on root storage of veggies, fruit, garlic, and preserving our harvest. Some of our favorite preserves are: chutneys, jams, teas (from herbs that we grow and forage from the forest), hot sauces, tomatoes, fermented foods (sauerkrauts, kimchi, all kinds of pickles) and tinctures. This year we will expand our orchards and fruit shrubs to better fill our kitchen for the winter with jams, pies, wine, apple cider, hard cider, cider vinegar and dried fruit snacks. This past fall we started to build a root cellar to store root veggies for future winters. We work with West River Seed Company based in Windham, VT to acquire seeds. At the end of each season, we save seeds to use for the following year. As a part of developing our property, we have started blazing trails and hope to continue this work with WWOOFers. I have been certified in the forestry safety program, Game of Logging, developed by Sorren Erriikson. So anyone interested in learning to run a chainsaw or look into forestry will be able to. There are lots of carpentry opportunities as well. Animals: We have a constant laying chicken population of 20 or so at all times, 2 farm cats (they like to follow you around) and one very sweet but slightly neurotic border collie named Stevie who loves shadows and barking at buckets. In years past, we have milked our goats, had bees, made goat jerky, etc. If you want to make goat cheese, we have a great goat farm nearby that we can buy fresh milk from and Laura can teach you. We are always looking to expand our farm in new ways and to acquire new skills. Accommodations: we have a brand new WWOOF cabin on our property to house our crew. It sleeps 4-6 people. You’ll have space to relax and chill, watch an extensive selection of VHS movies, lay in the hammock, have a campfire, hang on the cabin porch, etc. There is very little cell phone service around here so plan on getting back to nature and unplug. We also have a big new beautiful swimming pond on the property! We do have WIFI and a landline at our house which you are welcome to use when you need to. If you’re addicted to your phone, this is not the place for you (or it might be if you need to detox). Food: We are a family of omnivores. We raise our own meat chickens, so expect to have some delicious chicken during your stay. All of our beef, sausage, and milk is from local farms. Obviously, pizza and bread are made a lot in our pizza oven (if you make bread or want to make bread, this is a great place to perfect your craft). Vegetables will be abundant! Our ideal WWOOFER: Someone who enjoys toddlers (we have a cool one), has their own transportation, enjoys unplugging and not glued to their phone or computer, excited about learning new things, has a sense of humor, ready to get their hands dirty, works and lives well with others, likes to cook and loves animals.

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Dairy farming

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Seed saving or production

Cheesemaking

Meat processing

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Traditional crafts

Methods or systems

Permaculture

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

12.1 Hectares | 30 Acres

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Bedroom

Camper / RV

Campsite

Cabin / Mobile-home

Children accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Length of stay

1 day (local)

Weekend

Less than a week

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Kailen

Member since 2014

Languages spoken: English, Spanish Response rate: 93% Response time: typically within 2 days

November 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Vermont

Reviews

Jasper

United States • October 2025

I spent a wonderful month at this ranch this fall! I'd highly recommend this farm to anyone looking to learn a bit about homesteading while surrounded by down-to-earth people and some incredible natural beauty. The work was enjoyable and nothing too strenuous, and we never spent too long on just one thing. We worked 4-5 hours a day, Monday-Saturday. Kailen would write out a list of tasks for the day each morning, and he often gave options to choose whatever I was most interested in doing. During my time there, we did lots of wood splitting + stacking, harvesting veggies, food prep and preservation, pruning, mulching, prepping beds, and planting garlic. We even got to press apple cider which was super fun! The cabin was lovely, and I enjoyed spending afternoons reading or playing cards on the porch and working my way through their movie collection in the evening. Be prepared though-- if you visit in October it does get quite chilly in the cabin so bring lots of layers! There's plenty to explore in the area during your free time, tons of hiking opportunities and charming little towns. Kailen and Laura (and Jae!) were fantastic hosts, they had some great stories and always made the most delicious meals. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention their adorable dog and kittens, some of the sweetest fur balls I've ever met! Overall, this is a really great spot for new and experienced wwoofers alike, and I hope to visit again someday!

Katya

United States • September 2025

This was my first time wwoofing and it was truly incredible. Kailen has a beautiful farm and family. Everyone was extremely kind and welcoming, and I already felt settled after a few short days. They grow so many different types of fruits and vegetables, along with raising chickens, studio printing and so much more; I was really able to learn so much in only a week. If I was able to, I would have loved to stay longer and I really recommend Kailen's farm for anyone looking to explore the world of WWOOF!

Rachel

United States • August 2025

This was a great start to my wwoof journey! This was my first experience wwoofing and I learned a lot. You spend time learning and working on the farm, participating in family meals, and have lots of time to explore. Kailen and Laura are lovely folks & very experienced in hosting, lots of knowledge to share with those staying with them. If you’re looking to unplug, learn and experience the lifestyle and beauty of Southern Vermont I’d definitely recommend this spot.

Danielle

United States • August 2025

I had the most fabulous 2 weeks at this ranch! In terms of farm work, I helped water greenhouses and baby fruit trees, harvested cucumbers, green beans, tomatoes, lettuces, and more. I also loved the opportunity to help with food prep! I made fruity hot sauces, pesto, salads, and lots of other yummy food. I ate such delicious meals prepared with farm fresh ingredients and soaked in the beauty of Southern Vermont in the summer. The property is absolutely stunning, my favorite parts being the swimming pond and the walking trails. We also have an adorable cabin with an amazing collection of VHS tapes that I loved watching on my off time. I also loved the opportunity to disconnect from my phone and have a digital detox. In addition to teaching us and taking great care of us, Kailen and Laura also gave us lovely recommendations for what to do around Vermont. It was also so cool to be part of the screen printed art vending, and I loved having quality time with my fellow WWOOFers and the snuggly animals on the farm. Can't wait to come back!

Katherine

United States • August 2025

I stayed here for about 2 weeks in late July, and participated in a wide variety of farm and homesteading tasks. We typically started each morning with watering the greenhouses, garden beds, or fruit trees, and harvesting raspberries and vegetables. We turned over 5 whole rows of garlic while I was there, and I got lots of hands on experience with harvesting and braiding garlic, weeding the empty beds, and preparing it for the new plantings! Other tasks included weeding, mulching, and kitchen clean up, with standout experiences being picking blueberries at a neighboring farm, log splitting for the winter, and removing silt from the property's swimming pond pipe on a hot day. Kailen is very organized with a daily list of chores, and I learned a lot from him about how to care for and tend to your land, and appreciated hearing about his life experiences and travel stories. Southern Vermont is absolutely gorgeous during the summertime, and I had plenty of time after lunch wrapped up around 2pm to explore local swimming holes that felt like magical oases. I spent the evenings offline, unplugged, and relaxing in the cabin with my fellow WWOOFers Jeanette and Danielle, with many thought provoking conversations and VHS movies. Thank you to Kailen, Laura, and baby Jae for being such great hosts!

Jeanette

United States • July 2025

My time here was very abundant. I learned so much from everyone there, did a variety of farm tasks, and ate delicious meals! The land is beautiful and the pond, as well. I will remember the past week.5 very positively, and much thanks to Kailen and Laura for their generosity of hosting me!!!