We have a beautiful, rural two hectare organic finca near the Spanish town of La Codosera but bordering the Portuguese nature reserve of the Serra Sâo Mamede, where we, Becky and Martin, are developing a self sufficient lifestyle. We have a small vineyard, 200 olive trees, a flourishing fruit orchard, a large vegetable allotment and various flower gardens as well as a selection of mildly eccentric but adorable pets.



We would ask for around 5-6 hours labour per day, 5 days a week, leaving the weekends free for you to explore this beautiful region. The finca is fairly remote but is within easy access of the many amazing sites less than an hour’s drive away (incl. the world heritage towns of Marvao and Castelo de Vide in Portugal, the historic city of Badajoz in Spain and the many prehistoric sites spread all around the area).

We have two comfortable, fully furnished, double rooms available in the farmhouse or a small caravan on site if you prefer. Tasty and plentiful vegetarian food will be provided.

For more information please contact us directly. We speak Spanish, Portuguese, French and German as well as English and look forward to welcoming you to our home.

Extremadura

Projects include:
• Developing the vegetable allotment and herb gardens.
• General land management (strimming, clearing, pruning etc.).
• Sealing and working on the ´charca´ (making the small lake water-tight).
• Relocation of young trees.
• Dry stone walling.
• Refurbishing out-buildings to create eco-design studio
• Water/ Irrigation management.

We are fairly new to organic farming but the land was organically farmed for over 5 years by the previous owners so we have had a good head start. We are interested in sharing and exchanging good practices with volunteers in order to create a well-balanced organic, self-sufficient homestead.

We get most of our volunteers from another similar organisation, , so our reviews are mainly from there. Have copied and pasted below so you can get a better idea of what to expect....

Helper: Ross Styants Date: September 4, 2011
From: United Kingdom Profile: click here
Had an excellent two week stay at Becky and Martin's gorgeous place in the valley... it's a beautiful quiet area where everybody stops to watch when a car passes on the road far away on the hill... They were really welcoming hosts, the work was easy and pleasant - and the food - the food was just flabberghastingly good - gob-smackingly exceptional... to be honest i've never eaten so well, not before or since... they are both great chefs and a lot of the fruit n veg comes straight out of the ground there - great experience - thanks guys - highly recommended...
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Helper: Jessica and Travis Date: July 25, 2011
From: United States Profile: click here
Becky and Martin have a sweet setup tucked away in the countryside of southern Spain. We ended up staying longer than originally planned because it was just too hard to tear ourselves away. We helped out in the allotment, kept the various animals in control (nookie patrol!), and learned how to make amazing preserves and sauces. Becky's cooking is top notch, and Martin has a knack for knowing what song to play at all times for any mood. Thank you so much guys for letting us stay with you, you're such an inspiration!
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Helper: Jacqui and Chris Date: June 30, 2011
From: United Kingdom Profile: click here
We had such a brilliant time with Becky & Martin. Our stay was everything we could have wished for from a placement and more! It was great to work alongside Martin & Becky, so generous & inspiring, their enthusiasm was infectious. We shared alot of laughs and learned many new things from water irrigation systems to making marmalade. We also took part in a sport & gastronomy fair in Alburquerque. We gained a real insight into self sufficient living & admire the way that Martin & Becky have integrated into & embraced Extremadura culture. The food was delicious (we've been making lots of beans since)and we loved spending time with their family of animals & friends. Will be back for some lemon curd!:-) Thanks for everything, Big hugs
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Helper: Sarah and Ron Date: January 17, 2011
From: United States Profile: click here
We had an absolutely fabulous time with Becky and Martin, and we'd recommend them to anybody! They are hilarious and so fun to hang out with as well as excellent cooks, and they're cheerful "bosses" who don't mind getting their hands dirty along with you. Their place is absolutely beautiful and full of charismatic animals. We'd go back in a heartbeat.
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Helper: Douglas and Ebony Date: September 26, 2010
From: New Zealand Profile: click here
We can't rave enough about how fabulous our time was with Becky and Martin. They were our first hosts and they gave us the most gentle and loving of initiations. - an exchange of energies, of time, of knowledge and life histories - and at Pan de Trigo we found all these things in abundance. The property is beautiful, Becky and Martin's energy is boundless and inspiring, the pets are impossibly endearing, the food is divine, and best of all is the company. Between the many loud laughs there was always time for a thought-provoking and insightful chat over a good English cuppa.

We learnt so much about life, about farming, gardening and cooking. It was so nice to actually take the time to watch the flowers grow.

We also helped out at the Alburquerque Medieval Festival, which, if you ever have the opportunity, is a fabulous window into Spanish life and culture and a rollicking good time to boot!

If you are after a genuine experience of the trials and triumphs of a more self-sufficient and sustainable way of life then we can't recommend Pan de Trigo enough. What Becky and Martin have built, through hard work, ingenuity and creativity, is an inspiring thing to be a part of. We can't wait to go back to see how things have changed and grown.

We love you guys, thanks so much for everything!

Ebony and Doug.
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Helper: Katie Cooke Date: September 11, 2010
From: United Kingdom Profile: click here
I stayed at Becky and Martin’s for almost four weeks, split over two stays, doing a mixture of house sitting and helping with gardening and harvesting. Everything was as the advert and emails had suggested it would be and I had an amazing time. Becky and Martin are incredibly welcoming and hospitable, their pets are awesome, brilliant fun and easy to look after, and the area that they live in is so, so beautiful. Staying with them is a fantastic introduction to Extremadura and a more self-sufficient lifestyle and I can’t recommend it highly enough.
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Helper: Jeremy Star Date: March 10, 2010
From: New Zealand Profile: click here
Becky and Martin are extremely friendly and welcoming and I felt at home right away. I had a lovely two and a half weeks on their finca which is in a really beautiful setting. There was a lot of rain while I was there but we made marmalade and watched lots of movies when it was too wet to work outside. There is an unlimited supply of fresh orange juice which was the icing on the cake for me. Their pets are also entertaining and friendly. There are some great walks from their place which I enjoyed. Martin is happy to share his knowledge about gardening and his recipes (good for impressing the ladies). It’s the perfect place to recharge your batteries and be happy.
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Helper: Tim Cooke Date: March 10, 2010
From: Australia Profile: click here
Well what can I say. Had a great time staying and working with Becky and Martin. Beautiful area, great people and more than interesting animals.

Its a perfect place to get away from the world and forget about time and all that unimportant stuff. Sure helps to revive the body after a while on the road. Good break from an otherwise decedant lifestyle.

Best food I have had in a long time.

I cant quite get my experience into words, head not working, wine.

Not sure about the policy of allowing Kiwi's to participate but I think I can live with that. Naa, was great to have Jeremy for company.

Thanks for everything guys and for trusting us over the weekend. Give "Special needs" Po, wolfy and trippy pats for me.

But seriously I highly recommend spending some time on the border with Becky and Martin, you wont regret it.

Ciao for now.

Tim.

English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German

We have 2 double bedrooms available for volunteers.