(Please read the disclaimer at the bottom)
We are a small subsistence farm on 20 acres just outside the city limits of the happening town of Eugene, OR. We've been hosting WWOOFers for 14 years now, over 200 wwoofers, and we are addicted to wonderful relationships we have enjoyed over this time. Mostly wooded, our farm consists of 7 goats, a big flock of chickens (27), a 1/4 acre garden and a small orchard. We're (still) building our permanent home "on the knoll" while we're living in a funky old mobile home. My husband, Glenn, has his own sawmill and is busy building the home and keeping up with repairs on the property. I oversee cooking, animal care, gardening and landscaping.
The job: Gardening, animal care, milking, cooking, construction, painting, working at the farmers market, etc. 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. It's all fun, and a workout. Our ¼ acre garden was carved out of a north-facing, clay slope, so it comes with its challenges. Thanks to amazing wwoofers, the garden beds have been leveled and they are irrigated by a drip system using rain water from our rain catchment system. There is a tiny polycarbonate green house and a bigger green house. Amending soil is non-stop for us, and mulching is a big job in May, in anticipation of the dry season. We treat pest problems with beneficial nematodes, home remedies such as garlic/dish soap insecticidal rinses, baking soda/dish soap for late season mildew, and brewed compost tea. We aim to produce enough food to feed us all most of our food, sell some at the market, and stock up a little for the winter.
Sadly there isn't any public transportation, but we could provide some transportation as we end up going into town a couple times a week. We have a couple of bikes you can borrow, too. Eugene is normally a lot of fun, and there's a lot to do. There's a university and a community college, hundreds of little upstart entrepreneurial projects, plenty of theater, pubs and entertainment, and a strong sense of social/environmental responsibility. We enjoy struggling with languages, and I speak pretty good Spanish. Because our quarters are a little tight, we don't have room for small children or pets.
For food we make everything homemade, and sourced as locally and organically as possible. We share cooking responsibilities, and we eat one big midday meal together. I stock your kitchen fully with food for the other meals. We eat mostly vegetarian, some vegan, and sometimes meat. We're cheerful, healthy and busy, but we also like to steal time to relax. Our neighbors love us, because they trust our wwoofers. They frequently ask us if they can hire one for an afternoon's work here and there, so do mention it if you're interested in a little extra work.
Organic methods: Composting, and instead of chemicals we use organic apple cider vinegar, diatomaceous earth, tea tree oil, garlic, herbal dewormers, dolomite lime, dish soap, bicarbonate of soda, biochar
Certifications: We respect the sanctity of all life. We educate ourselves to the best of our ability and challenge ourselves to create the most sustainable permaculture environment we know how. We're still learning!
February/March: Pruning, garden prep and planting, goat kids born in March.
April: More gardening, opening of farm store, milking, eating lots of eggs.
May: Mulching garden, cleaning barn and chicken coop, milking, cheesemaking, bread baking, eating lots of asparagus
June: Spring harvesting, milking, cheesemaking, bread baking, eating strawberries
July: Fall planting, barn painting? Eating. MilkingOregon Country Fair! Eating.
August: Firewood splitting, summer harvests, milking, cheese making, garden party? More eating.
September: Firewood splitting, sales, early fall harvests, food prep/storage, overeating
October: Fall harvests, food prep/storage, apple cider pressing, breeding goats for next year
November: Cleaning up garden, food prep/storage
Attributes we appreciate: cheerfulness, energy, enthusiasm, humor, common sense, flexibility, responsibility, good people skills, and respect. Great if you have technical experience and skills, but we're willing to teach. No smoking on our property (you can go down to the road if you need to smoke.) We like to start work no later than 8 a.m. (more likely 7), enjoy a big lunch together, then the rest of the day is your own. We're looking forward to getting to know you!
DISCLAIMER! GOOD REASONS NOT TO JOIN US:
Our diet might be boring. It's mostly what we grow and what's hyper local. Do not expect to be provided with out of season produce or food sourced from sketchy sources.
There's plenty of food, and I will happily show you how to make bread from our local wheat fields, but I also expect that you will learn to live without. It's normal and healthy. Meaning, we buy the best butter in the world, but don't expect to have butter every day. It's okay to not have everything you want every day.
There are fans but no air conditioning.
We turn off the electricity at night.
I absolutely want you to protect your personal health as your top priority, but...
I don't tolerate late-to-start, early-to-leave very well. We all have our off days, but don't be sneaky.
We take deliberate breaks, and otherwise work hard.
You will be expected to leave the premises spotless. The kitchen and bathroom will be scrubbed till it shines. NOTHING left behind.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Sheep or goat farming
Dairy farming
Cheesemaking
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Bakery
Green Building
Methods or systems
Holistic management
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
8.1
Hectares
|
20
Acres
