Profile information
Host rating
65 %
Last replied
31 May 2023
Feedback
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Details
Description
We are in the early stages of reviving a 200+ year old off-grid farm in Midcoast Maine, still largely focused on building up our infrastructure. Current residents of the farm include a dozen goats, 20 sheep, 19 chickens, 4 geese, and three colonies of honeybees. Visitors can practice regenerative farming skills, with a special focus on scythes and haymaking.
None of the produce of our farm is for sale: it's all for home consumption and sharing with family and friends.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Help with Eco Projects
Animal Care
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Below is a list of the various skills volunteers can learn. Also happy to help folks learn English. I speak some Spanish, and would also be glad to learn other languages from visitors. Longer term volunteers may have the opportunity to design and maintain their own garden.
...how to use and maintain a variety of hand-tools, especially the scythe.
...how to make leafy loose hay, far more palatable and nutritious than any hay that can be bought.
...how to milk goats and sheep, on a stand or in the field:
other skills volunteers can learn:
gardening
cheesemaking
pollarding and pruning trees for fruit, fodder, firewood, and lumber
rationally grazing livestock for maximum animal and pasture health
slaughtering and butchering birds and mammals
pruning, propagating, harvesting, and otherwise caring for a variety of fruiting trees and shrubs
beekeeping
making hard cider and mead
trimming hooves
Help
We would love carpentry help on our house and barn. When the ground isn't frozen there is lots to do shaping and planting earthworks (berms and swales on contour). There is haymaking beginning in June, slowly decreasing as the season goes on. Lots of possibilities for gardening between May and October. Apple harvesting September-November. None of the produce of our farm is for sale: it's all for home consumption and sharing with family and friends.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: IntermediateThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
There are sometimes a couple extra beds in the house we are building, but folks are also welcome to camp out.
We can share milk, meat, and eggs from the farm, as well as seasonal fruits and vegetables from our garden and orchard. We can provide some fruits and vegetables from our local co-op, and staples like flour, rice, oats, butter, etc.
There will be frequent shared meals and volunteers are also welcome to use the kitchen for cooking.
What else ...
Our farm abuts a 96 acres pond as is surrounded by conservation land. There are wonderful opportunities for swimming and canoeing in the pond, exploring the bog, and hiking the mountain across the pond. We are also only a couple of miles from Penobscot Bay. There are lots of cultural activities nearby in Belfast, Camden, and Rockport, and more great hiking throughout the coastal mountains. We drive to Belfast frequently and are happy to offer rides.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
This host has said they are willing to accept those travelling with a pet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Depends upon what volunteers want for room and board. Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. Less for partial board and/or folks who bring their own tent, and less for skilled builders.
