Creating a homestead that provides healthy food, fun, a healing space, and learning opportunities
California
Hello! We are a couple in our 40's, with 13-year-old and 1 year old sons. We live on land that has been in my family since 1970, we have built a straw bale home and have begun to develop the property in a conscious way. We are advocates for organic and sustainable living. We value living in nature and enjoying the beauty and gifts that provides. We celebrate life daily! We have been working towards creating a homestead that provides healthy food, fun, a healing space, learning opportunities, as well as being a community sanctuary in challenging times. It’s our hope to find people who want to join in this vision for a longer duration and are inspired by connecting with others through real life experiences, hard work and play!
We keep goats, chickens, dogs, cats, ducks and a pot belly pig. We have three vegetable/herb gardens and some young fruit trees. There is a pond which provides swimming and agricultural water throughout most of the year. Our homestead is in the mountains so there is a sense of the rugged lifestyle and adventure that comes with living in a rural environment. The property itself is visually dramatic with two gigantic rocks holding us on either side and two creeks bordering our land. We are 'off-grid' so we get our power from solar and generator power. We cut our own firewood, gather wild herbs and play in the forest as much as possible! We maintain a bit of the 'back to the land' feel that brought our first family members here.
We are still in the beginning stages of creating infrastructure so there is much to do to contribute to this awesome vision.
Our skills/passions range from organic/biodynamic gardening, permaculture, herbal medicine, spiritual exploration, music making, celebrating/honoring the seasons and cycles, environmentalism, community building, art, dance, Waldorf/nature education, carpentry, animal husbandry, to all things farm related. We appreciate humor, generosity, kindness and curiosity and try to foster those attributes in our lives. We appreciate people who are flexible and able to adapt to different circumstances and communicate their needs in a healthy way. We also appreciate folks who know how to laugh and have a little bit of grit, as living/working on a rural homestead requires getting dirty and going with the flow!
I am a certified herbalist, breath work therapist and nature obsessed stay at home Mom. My Husband is a carpenter, artist, musician and wizard of all trades. We love sharing knowledge and enjoy the curiosity and questions people have.
We need help with the day to day farm/garden chores i.e. watering, weeding, feeding livestock, cleaning pens etc. Help with planting/harvesting, food preservation, irrigation, animal care, cutting firewood, building fences, new animal enclosures and small structures...and just about everything in between! There are opportunities for experiences in organic gardening, herbal medicine, carpentry, animal husbandry and living 'off grid'. There are also opportunities for those with the drive and interest to create a long term space for themselves in this community vision.
You can get a sense of living a rural life in the hills of northern ca, in a small artistic and historically rich community. We live in a town and community that has many farmers, artists, activists and old ranching families with deep roots and a love for this beautiful and unique area.
For accommodations at this time we only have camp sites available, unless you have a camper or wish to car camp. There’s a sweet community space with an outdoor kitchen and outdoor shower.
There is food from the gardens and eggs from the chickens available. Meals will either be communal or 'make your own' style depending on the day and what we have going on. We provide staples for meal making, any extras or specialty items you must provide yourself, like coffee, desserts, snacks, treats etc.
Since we homeschool we appreciate mellow family centered mornings. Your breakfasts take place at the camp kitchen before we gather for the day. Lunch is usually communal at the main house. We do one community dinner a week, where everyone gathers together for a big meal. Cooking and celebrating together. Other dinners people cook at the community space individually or in collaboration with other volunteers.
It is important that those interested in staying at our homestead be comfortable around children and ok interacting and relating with them. (Enthusiastic about it even better!) Our children are creative, lively, engaging people and are definitely a central part of the scene around here :) We also have other young children who visit the farm regularly.
Willits is a small vibrant bustling community with many fun options to explore during down time, like swimming in the river, hiking on a redwood trail, museum, great bookstore, art gallery, library, small theater, movie house, farmer's market, community documentary nights, farmer gatherings, fun Irish pub and cider house with great local musical talent and many other cool things to explore!
We have been hosting WWOOFers for the past 10 years and have found it to be an enriching experience for all. Many who have visited come to love the area and either extend their stay or come again. We strive to create a mellow, healthy, fun, heart centered scene here!
*At this time we are not accepting short term stays and only considering folks who can commit to at least two months.
We also kindly ask that you only reach out if you fully intend to reply to our response! Please don’t email us and then drop off the world when we send a reply 🤎 We get tons of email applicants and it’s a lot to respond to everyone! So if you aren’t going to follow through on the communication then it wastes our awesome precious time and yours as well! 😉
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Sheep or goat farming
Raising of other farm animals
Dairy farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Beer, cider, wine, or juice making
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
Permaculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
8.1
Hectares
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20
Acres
Autumn
Member since 2018
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 7 days
California
Reviews
Matt
United States
•
November 2025
My partner and I spent six weeks WWOOFing at this farm in fall 2025, and it was everything we hoped for and more.
We live full-time in our van, so we arrived a bit more self-contained than a typical WWOOFer. That setup worked beautifully—we were able to fully show up for the land while keeping a rhythm that supported us. We specifically chose Bramble to learn how Autumn and Craig have built their life, and we’re leaving with deep admiration for both of them.
Autumn is remarkable—wise, intuitive, and rooted in the land in a way that you feel just by being around her. Her presence brings warmth, clarity, and intention to everything that happens on the farm. Craig is endlessly generous, patient, and unbelievably knowledgeable. Together, they model a way of living that is thoughtful, skilled, and aligned with the seasons. They’re the kind of people you feel lucky to cross paths with.
The work is physical and meaningful: gardening, harvesting, mucking, weeding, building, digging. You will sweat, learn, and walk away changed in a good way. We now feel more connected to seasonal rhythms and more grounded in what long-term land stewardship really takes.
We’re grateful for the work, the learning, and most of all the connection. It feels like we’ve become part of their world—and we look forward to staying connected in the years ahead.
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Jack
United Kingdom
•
October 2023
I spent around a month and a half here and it truly has been one of the best experiences of my life! Craig, Autumn and Noah are awesome people with a magical haven in northern California, they are so generous and welcoming making it impossible to not feel at home here! The tasks I carried out were varied and interesting , allowing me to develop and learn new skills along the way! life on the farm always stayed interesting with gatherings and communal get togethers of Autumn and Craigs friends as well as the wider Willits community. There is some magic in the air on this farm and I could not be more thankful for the opportunity offered by Autumn and Craig, I look forward to returning and seeing everyone again!! This farm is the place to be.
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Moisses
United States
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September 2022
My stay at Bramble Mountain farm was a magical adventure abundant with moments that I will cherish forever. Craig and Autumn are attentive and caring hosts that will make you feel valued for work during your stay. They always made sure we had enough food and made a coordinated effort to ensure a safe and comfortable living situation. We worked as a team. We enjoyed our company. All the skills I brought were utilized. I learn some new ones as well! I think what makes Bramble Mountain special is the delicate balance between the silence of the mountain( It is really a breathtaking space) and the sounds of humanity.
Town is only 20 minutes away if you have a vehicle. Willits actually is a interesting little town with a blend of eclectic influences. Crave some Mexican food? Go to El Chicano? Want to buy some extra special health food things at Mariposa Market? Hey, want to hang out at Brickhouse Coffee some mornings and enjoy music on Thursday afternoons? Or hit up the Irish Pub for the out of this world open mic Wednesday night? There are lots of options! Sick of humanity? Stay on the farm, center into yourself, and the let the space speak to you. I had more than a handful of intense reflective episodes that helped me heal through some past events in my life.
Oh, and you will meet their son Noah who is probably the most creative, fun-loving, and intelligent 10 year old I've ever meet. Always be ready for a Noah-moment! And all the animals here as well. Come here!
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Gabriel
United States
•
August 2022
Bramble Mountain Farm is an absolute dream. You are not only welcomed onto the breathtaking, sacred land but also into a community of inspiring, beautiful people. Be prepared for solitude. And food that will blow your mind far, far away. Be prepared for the animals you will fall in love with. And the stars.
Autumn and her family/friends are such genuine, caring, and interesting/inspiring people, you will feel right at home.
I have plenty more I could say but I feel that this sums it up accurately. This is a special place. <3 :')
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Conner
United States
•
April 2021
Autumn and Craig are two of the most spiritually generous people I know. Working for them is an absolute joy, so much so that I extended my three week stay into a multi-month commitment. The work is consistently varied and approached from an educational vantage point, while maintaining a quality representative of real life on a homestead. Autumn values clear communication and is very understanding if things go wrong and questions are always encouraged and appreciated! You will feel valued for your work here, while also receiving honest feedback and advice for improvement. They are both active members in the community and will certainly point you towards places to explore and things to do off farm. Their son Noah is a delight to be with, he is extremely imaginative and very insightful; we have had many great conversations while feeding goats and planting seeds! Outside of work, many of my favorite moments included cooking together, sharing poetry, playing music, and long conversations about the things that really matter to us! The land is absolutely breathtaking, bordered by two creeks and covered in forest, (as well as a HUGE boulder in the center of the property providing stellar views of the valley) there is so much beauty to explore here. I know that the relationships developed here will last for a lifetime and am very thankful for the experiences I have had during my stay. I would highly recommend staying at Bramble Mountain.
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Cody
United States
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September 2020
I had such an amazing time at bramble farms with autumn Craig and Noah! It's such a serine and peaceful piece of Paradise to come and get back in touch with the land and nature I wish I never had to leave! Although I was only there for a short time I learned so much from them all and enjoyed every minute of it!!! All the wildlife you see places on the property to explore the gardens I was never hungry or bored it was by far the best farm I've seen or been to and I would definitely recommend it to others I hope to come back in the near future
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