Heading into our fifth season at this location, we offer a unique WWOOF experience - a suburban food forest project. Along with many other remedies, we feel it's critical we enhance the biodiversity of suburban communities and reduce our reliance on long distance supply chains. With that goal in mind, we've planted apple, peach, cherry, mulberry, pear, and pawpaw trees, as well as blueberry, black and red raspberry, blackberry, honeyberry, currant, elderberry, hazelnut and aronia bushes. We've also planted herbs, rhubarb, over 200 strawberry plants, asparagus, and a diverse array of flowers, dynamic accumulators and mushrooms. We have included many native plants, including both a white oak and native black cherry to establish a significant native habitat. The property is educational as well as a productive farm. We are part of the homegrownnationalpark.com. We particularly need help in May and June.
Our property sits on the cusp of 5b and 6a USDA zones and, therefore, is capable of growing a wide range of fruits, nuts and vegetables. To retain the rain that falls on our property on the property we have dug a rain garden with a swale system in addition to rain barrels. We have established a complex garden and prefer volunteers to stay at least two weeks - there is a great deal to learn.
We are located quite close to O’Hare airport; I usually offer to pick up international volunteers. While we welcome volunteers from the United States, we particularly enjoy getting to know people from Europe and other parts of the world. We are within walking distance to a bus service to downtown Chicago and not far from a Metra train if you wish to explore the city. (I'd be glad to give you a lift to the train.) We also have a basic bicycle volunteers are welcome to use but I don't have a helmet. I don't mind occasionally playing tour guide once in a while when the day’s work is done. We will primarily be working early in the day to avoid the heat. I have begun to participate in a nearby Farmers market, so Saturday is a required work day and rather long. We can discuss other time off. Of course, your meals are provided and you're welcome to cook as well, if you wish. We have a 10.5' x 14' room which now has a ‘bunk bed’ - full on the bottom, twin on top which should comfortably accommodate two or three volunteers. As it was mentioned earlier we welcome volunteers from overseas, but, alas, we really only speak English. How embarrassing... Volunteers wishing to stay 3-4 weeks get priority.
WE ALSO WELCOME LOCAL FOLKS WHO JUST WANT TO SEE WHAT WE'RE UP TO AND HELP OUT FOR A FEW HOURS.
Happy people with strong backs, willing hands and cheerful hearts are invited to spend time with us. Additional welcome skills would be carpentry and computer skills. We rise with the sun when it's hot and finish 4-6 hours later. Activities change significantly with the season. Spring involves pruning, seeding and transplanting, and the perpetual weeding. from late spring through October there is lots of harvesting (we hope), again weeding - but we do mulch which helps. Processing some of the fruit, Loading, unloading for the market, talking with customers, reloading whatever doesn't sell.
Organic methods: I do not use any herbicides or pesticides on the property. We do have a compost system set up and I occasionally use naturally based fertilizer while we get the 'forest' established.
Certifications: This will be a permaculture property. As I am not setting up 'row crops', becoming 'certified' as ridiculously complicated.
Internet access available
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Traditional crafts
Methods or systems
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
