John and his late wife Carol became hosts in 2013 as John needed help managing the property due to some now resolved health issues. During the following three years we hosted 23 Wwoofers . Sadly, Carol passes away in March 2024, and John is in need of help again. The property has been neglected to a degree, and the woods have been heavily impacted by storms over the years and by the ravages of the Emerald Ash Borer which killed off a massive number of trees nationwide. He has maintained a reduced vegetable garden and been able to keep the immediate area around the house well maintained. John wants to be able to live at Shamblewood as long as possible. This plan has been aided by Lindsey Nelson, a younger person and former Wwoofer who now lives in the house and has been assisting John. Lindsey works as a land steward at a nearby property and has had training in permaculture, and other farming activities. She will also be interacting with Wwoofers.
John is British, a trained Rutgers Master Gardener, retired industrial chemist, former martial artist, outdoors person, and world traveler. He still rides motorcycles and enjoys traveling using classic 1960's and 1970's motorcycles as well as more modern models and lectures on his traveling experiences.
We do not keep livestock but have two inside / outside cats.
Frenchtown is a very welcoming and inclusive town just 1.8 miles from Shamblewood along a quiet county road following a creek. It is often voted one of the top 10 towns in New Jersey and sometimes mentioned in nationwide destinations. It's one of several picturesque towns along the Delaware River. It boasts many fine restaurants, art and music venues and a good vibe night life. There are a number of festivals such as Riverfest, Bastille Day, The Witches Dance and Zombi Crawl as well as others in nearby towns. There's also a number of open mic nights in Frenchtown and nearby towns.
For the 2026 season, we are aiming to reclaim the areas of the vegetable garden not in current use, replanting berries and currants. We will be planting vegetables for our own use and harvesting, processing and freezing them. We generally do not sell our produce but give excess to neighbors and friends We also will be working to remove invasive species from the woods, opening up trails, felling dead trees and log splitting for firewood for the winter. We are also attempting to establish pawpaw trees that we have grown from seeds and need to plant out.
John has lived on this spectacular 18-acre property in W. NJ since 1992. He tries to maintain an ecofriendly lifestyle without becoming a boring eco-aesthete. He is definitely not a tree hugging fairy duster and enjoys many of the better things in life. The property is farmland assessed but mainly woodland and comprises three distinct zones - riparian, almost old growth and naturally regenerated woodland. We have a large organic vegetable garden for our own use, make maple syrup in season to sell locally, we can and preserve food and forage and collect mushrooms. John is a Rutgers certified master gardener, home brewer, motorcyclist, traveler, camping enthusiast, martial artist, and retired industrial chemist. We are looking for help in maintaining our property and leaving it in better condition than when we found it. The property was damaged by hurricane Sandy. Reforestation, harvesting of firewood, removal of invasive species and collection and propagation of native plants is a goal. Also help in maintaining our vegetable and berry garden is requested. We offer in return good accommodation, good company, excellent food, and a wealth of hard-earned knowledge. We can accept weekend help or longer periods on request. About four - six hours per day would be required. We have two spare bedrooms and a private bathroom for visitors. We have wi-fi also. John speaks some French and Spanish and Lindsey some Spanish also. We both want to improve. Native Spanish speakers would be most welcome. The local area is a mecca for wildlife, kayaking, bicycling, hiking etc. but only 60 miles from New York City and Philadelphia.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
7.3
Hectares
|
18
Acres
