Organic Goat Dairy and Vegetable Farm in the Redwoods

California

6 reviews • Updated 1 year ago

Hi, my name is Marggie and I live on on a small farm, which feels more like a sanctuary, in Northern California, in the middle of beautiful Mendocino County. My farm is located on the upper fork of Big River, so there are many swimming holes and wonderful hikes all around us. We are a 10 min. drive to Montgomery Redwoods State Park, and 15 min. drive to Historic Orr Hotsprings, and 1 hour to the scenic and gorgeous Mendocino coast. I have been farming, gardening and tending animals for the last 60 years. We have a large vegetable garden and fruit trees. About what I teach: I teach biodiversity, composting, planting from seed, mulching, seed saving, and processing. I teach canning, drying, freezing, and creative cooking from organic ingredients. I have goats so there is a lot to learn with them, including, milking, caring for the animals, making cheeses, kefir, processing/using raw milk. I also have chickens which provide fresh eggs, ducks, dogs, and cats and lots of wild animal friends around too! Some of the most exciting things I teach are about wild foods. I teach about gathering sea salt, seaweed, mushrooms, and bay nuts. I also am an extremely experienced basket weaver, loom weaving, wool felting, salve making, fire cider, kimchi, and bread baking. I am asking for volunteers to stay for at least 1 month minimum, and would very much welcome longer stays. Housing: My farm is remote and off the grid. We have no internet but have a 15 minute drive to for small coverage. The coffee shops in town are a 45 minute drive from my farm, and are a very popular spot for service and wifi. I have 2 small camping cabins with queen size beds in them, as well as several smaller cabins without beds and also lots of tent spots available. There is an outhouse and a volunteer kitchen in the Ag building. We also have an outdoor shower with hot water available for volunteers. Food: I will provide organic vegetables from the garden, farm fresh eggs, raw goats milk and cheeses, and bulk organic rice, beans, oats, and other grains. We provide your own refrigerator, stove, sink, ect. to cook your own meals as well as some shared communal meals. We ask in exchange for 4-5 hours a day 5 days a week of help around the farm and learning exchange. We are looking for people who are excited to work and learn from the vast amount of knowledge that I have to share! Having a good work ethic is necessary. Farm life requires timeliness, passion and lots of hard work. Sometimes heavy lifting and early mornings. We are looking for folks who have a good attitude and can show up with gratitude, appreciation, and respect for the natural world. Knowing that, again, this is a sanctuary and we want to keep the peacefulness here for all living creatures. In our free time, we offer many hiking trails, swimming holes on hot days, star gazing, bike riding, sitting underneath the virgin redwood trees, music making and so much more. We do suggest bringing your own car. For those without a car, it will be very hard to enjoy all that Mendocino has to offer. The closest town is a 45 minute drive, and I can *sometimes* offer a trip into town. NO PETS PLEASE

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Poultry farming

Sheep or goat farming

Dairy farming

Forestry

Wild foraging

Seed saving or production

Cheesemaking

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Traditional crafts

Methods or systems

Biological pest control

Holistic management

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Mentoring opportunities

Woman-operated

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

18.2 Hectares | 45 Acres

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Campsite

Cabin / Mobile-home

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Length of stay

Over a month

Marggie

Member since 2024

Languages spoken: English

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Response rate: 85% Response time: typically within 4 days

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

California

Ukiah California

Reviews

Rea Indigo

United States • February 2026

This Whey Creamery was a beautiful experience. Marggie is a well of knowledge, with a truly compassionate heart. She is one of the hardest working women I’ve met, and I am full of gratitude for experiencing so many avenues of her “work”. From long days of learning building/carpentry, to play dates with families in the nearby community, Marggie always has a fun project or idea up her sleeve. I visited during winter, so we spent most of our time helping community members, updating cabins on the property, organizing, cleaning, and preparing for springtime. This Whey Creamery flows like a river…each day different than the last, so be prepared to go with the flow. Time & Space from “service” was wonderful, and frequently left me unaware of what day it was. We worked hard, and laughed a lot. I am very grateful for my experience on the farm, and will be sure to come back in Spring or Summer for some more land-based crafting & harvesting.

Reply from Marggie

Rea was amazing, wonderful, loving, and loads of fun. Definitely someone I would have again. Hope you head off to many new adventures Rea. THANKS and my farm has open arms and doors for you always.

Lacz

United States • January 2026

OMG! If you are looking for an amazing and eventful farm to visit, this is the place for you! Marggie is so sweet and she makes you feel welcomed from the first step onto her property with a big hug. She doesn’t work you down to the bone and there is an amazing balance of arts and crafts, cooking, farm work, visiting neighboring cities/farms, and connecting with the outside community. I’ll try to keep this review as short as possible! Farm Related Activities that I Took Part In: * Collecting chicken eggs and feeding them * Feeding the dogs, cats, and birds * Milking and feeding the goats *Assisting with cutting fallen trees and bringing in the fire wood * Collecting food from the garden Community and Arts and Craft Activities: * FELTING!!! (My absolute favorite) * Pine needle basket making * Cheese making and flavoring * Sewing my own pants ( I sew at home too) * Thrifting * Meeting her friends (I won’t spoil all of the surprises that you might experience, but they were all so fun and amazing) * Skinning a squirrel that was roadkill ( I saw it when we were driving back to her farm and remembered that she has experience skinning and tanning furs and I wanted to try it out myself!) Things that you should know and have before going to visit: * Lots of warm layers if you’re visiting in the winter like I did * Warm bedding * Snacks to share * Flashlights * Be comfortable around big and small dogs * Be ready to have FUN! *There is NO INTERNET: download songs and movie before

Morrisa

United States • July 2025

Marggie is an intelligent, compassionate, and endlessly inspiring woman. She made me feel at home, always ensuring that i felt safe and comfortable. Taking care of the animals, the gardens, and the countless projects around the farm gave me insight into the hard but very rewarding work it takes to live this way. Nature is reciprocal ! Marggie shared her knowledge of so many things, and my time there felt truly magical. I am grateful to have made this connection, and been able to learn and grow from my time here.

Annie

United States • May 2025

My experience with Marggie was wonderful! Marggie is very knowledgeable and a great teacher! Im very grateful that this was my first wwoofing experience, I learned lots about seeds, herbs, animal care, building, wool felting, using natural materials, making cheeses, bread, baskets, and so much more. Marggie is a very hard worker and anyone who gets a chance to work and learn from her is very lucky.

Kevin

United States • August 2024

I had a wonderful time with Marggie, There are plenty of activities during the day such as caring for the goats, chickens, and ducks. The dogs and cats enjoy being petted and brushed. Marggie taught me how to make goat cheese, kimchi, bread from scratch and more. The food was excellent and fun when we had family meals. I really enjoyed our dips in the river to cool off. I was fortunate to work with other woofers and her family whenever they visited, that are a blast. Good times in nature with good people. I plane on visiting again. Thank you.

Faith

United States • August 2024

Marggie is an excellent host and teacher. My daughter and I spent a month on the farm, Marggie has so much knowledge to share with anyone. We are most grateful to have had the opportunity to experience all of the animals and the lively gardens. Thank you Marggie for all you have done for us.