Honey and blueberry producer located about 45 minutes from New Orleans
Louisiana
Hello from southeast Louisiana.
We are a small start-up located about 45 minutes from New Orleans.
We raise bees, chickens, flowers, & blueberries. Our operation sits on 50 acres of mixed hardwood forest, nestled between a wildlife refuge, a State Park, & a 30-mile-long Rails-to-Trails bike path. Opportunities to hike, bike, & canoe abound, & should you want world-renowned dining & a vibrant music scene, New Orleans is a short drive from the farm.
We are an official Monarch Waystation and partner with the USDA in a Conservation Stewardship Program that includes increasing pollinator habitat. We seed to feed the pollinators so in addition to migrating Monarchs you will see a kaleidoscope of butterflies, bees, & hummingbirds here. As a special treat, fireflies can be seen many evenings May - September.
We have limited indoor lodging. There is a loft in the climate-controlled barn, but we have plenty of room for campers & tents if you can handle rustic. We live on the property in an RV. There is an indoor kitchen and shower/bathroom, as well as outdoor showers and composting toilets. Internet access is available at the barn.
Keep climate in mind when you consider a stay in the Gulf South. It can be hot & humid from May through September. Conversely, we can see freezing temps from November to March with January and February being the coldest. Hurricane season is June through October with late August/early September the most active. April, October, & November are, as Goldilocks famously said, usually just right.
We evacuate for hurricanes. If you come during hurricane season please be prepared for the possibility of evacuation. You can discuss your plans with us if you are unsure what this entails. Being stuck without power & AC in the bug-infested southern heat is apocalyptic at best.
The workload is light but WWOOFers are here to learn & work so we expect you to pitch in 4 to 5 hours a day, 4 or 5 days a week, or some similar pre-agreed-upon contribution.
The best stay length right now would be two weeks to a month. Children & pets (but absolutely no aggressive animals allowed) are welcome. If you have small children let's talk about how you can incorporate child care with contributions to the farm. If you want to bring a pet it's great as long as they pose no threat to the often free-range poultry, customers, and sheep.
We are omnivores but happily accommodate vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, &c meals as well. We usually have lunch and dinner together & WWOOFers are encouraged to help plan & prep meals. Breakfast is on your own but we supply all the fixings.
We love the opportunity to meet new people & promote organic farming. Hope to see you out here!
Organic methods: We treat with Neem or other horticultural oils as needed, and control weeds primarily with mechanical means, mulching, and by hand. We control pests in our bees with natural means (i.e., no antibiotics or chemicals to treat mites), and our mostly free-range hens are only supplemented with non-medicated food.
Certifications: We use organic methods--no pesticides or chemicals and a lot of hand weeding, but are not certified organic.
Projects in 2025: We rely heavily on agrotourism and June is our blueberry harvest so we spend the spring prepping the farm to look great during the harvest and influx of people. Anyone coming in May will primarily contribute by weeding blueberries, flowers, and the veg garden. If you come in June you will interact with folks visiting the farm. You may also have an opportunity to help with the honey harvest. Sadly, we do not have any building projects because the federal government reneged on an approved grant, leaving us financially strapped. But we will rebound and come 2026 we'll have hammer in h and and get back to making capital improvements. Some examples include building a raised deck for a safari-style tent, trail construction, site-plan development for a new entrance to the farm, and fence installation and repair.
Honey harvest is in early June. After that, we will look to split hives and grow the bee yard.
If you have more than two people or some other situation we didn't cover, tell us what you have and we'll see if we can accommodate you. We're flexible and easy to get along with. Hope to see you out here.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Forestry
Beekeeping
Flower farming
Seed saving or production
Meat processing
Traditional crafts
Mechanics / tools / technology
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
No-till farming
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Veteran-operated
Host type
Production farm
20.2
Hectares
|
50
Acres
Cheri
Member since 2021
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Louisiana
Train station in Slidell or New Orleans, or New Orleans International Airport. We can pick up in New Orleans on weekdays only.
Reviews
Amelia
United States
•
April 2026
I had the best time here. Cheri is a wonderful host and I learned a lot from her. I really enjoyed learning about beekeeping, seeing all the wonderful wildlife on the farm, and having shared meals with Cheri and the other WOOFers. The property is so beautiful. My dog also loved playing with Cheri's dogs and that was a major plus! Thanks so much Cheri for a great experience!
Christine
United States
•
March 2026
There aren't two finer hosts to be had ... Warm, intelligent, informative ... Directions for chores were succinct ... The farm/apiary a paradise. Conversation ... Good music ... And the company of like minded woofers a joy ... AND Cheri is a baking angel of THE BEST Sourdough bread !!! My granditude to Tim ... I salute you Eagle Scout 🖖🙌 ... Thank you for a most heavenly spring cleaning ... 😎🐒 Chris R.
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Dennis
United States
•
March 2026
Cheri was a wonderful host! We were shown great hospitality, gained knowledge and felt like we were part of a thriving community. She is very knowledgeable about her farm and every aspect in between. Her passion shows through her work. It was a wonderful opportunity for us both to learn about composting, bee keeping and day to day up keep. My most enjoyable part was gathering eggs and feeding her sheep whom I named "The Howlers" because of their constant need for food (to hear them, they were starved)! 🤣 We would love to be awarded the opportunity to return in the future. There is still so much to learn and two weeks was not enough! We are grateful for the opportunity and hope that this farm thrives for many years to come! Thanks, Cheri for opening your farm and WWOOF for the program!
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Jeremiah
United States
•
February 2026
Cheri is easily the most accommodating host I’ve stayed with. Making sure I had access to firewood for the stove in my cabin, and buying food that we requested. The workload was super reasonable and we were never overworked, and she even let me borrow a bicycle while I was gone for Mardi Gras weekend! I absolutely recommend Big Branch Apiary and I’ll be stopping by if I’m ever in the area again.
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Rachel
United States
•
January 2026
My time on the farm with Cheri, Tim and their adorable pups was nothing short of magical. I cannot begin to explain the kindness and generosity I experienced during my stay. Cheri opened not only her home to me but made me feel like a part of the family. The farm work was enriching, educational and gratifying to be able to stand alongside Cheri and my fellow wwoofers tending the land, laughing all the while with our hands in the dirt. I went to bed every evening with my tummy (the food is amazing) and heart full from the day. I am incredibly grateful to Cheri for teaching and welcoming me during my two week stay and know that there will always be a little bit of myself found in that blueberry field in the bayou of Louisiana.
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Morgane
Netherlands
•
January 2026
We will miss this place dearly. Cheri and her husband Tim have been absolutely amazing hosts. They are sweet, funny and made us feel at home in so many ways. Our tasks on the farm included weeding, building a deck, making a trail in the forest, building a wall with recycled bottles and more. They were very accommodating and let us us choose where we could sleep on the property. The food was absolutely amazing and there is a lot of room to cook yourself if you enjoy that. New Orleans is 45 mn away so spending a few days there is pretty easy. An amazing WWOOF overall!
PS: if you like dogs, you will be in paradise there ;)
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