Growing herbs, vegetables and flowers while exploring Selçuk, Turkey

Infos

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  Description

  Our homestead is tucked away on a hill called Beylik, about 600 meters above sea level surrounded by trees and forest. Surrounding us there is a pine forest that is perfect for walks and peach, cherry, and plum trees on the neighboring farms. Our location is ideal for someone who wants to be in nature and enjoys working with their hands and plants. My mother and I live in a stone house with an available room for someone who would be willing to come and give their time in exchange for a taste of Turkish village life and the nearby tourist attractions. I am a Turkish Canadian who originally studied visual art and loves growing/creating things while working freelance as a translator. My mother is a retired guidance counselor and we moved to this area 2 and a half years ago. We are still in the early days of our project and hosted our first lovely volunteers last summer and fall season. Currently, we have vegetables, olives, a few nut and fruit trees, and our main interest which is growing herbs. Last spring we converted an old water reservoir into our drying/herb processing area and we hope to use it even more this year. We are implementing regenerative and organic farming practices that I am adapting from my experiences working and volunteering on farms in Europe. Our goal is to grow and process various herbs, herbal teas, salves, oils, and flower products to sell locally and within Turkey. We are located in the hills near Şirince, a historic and popular mountain village. Şirince has drawn visitors for its beautiful old houses, wine, and gastronomy. We are 15 minutes by car to Selçuk- an area rich with historical sites such as the Ephesus historical site, The Temple of Artemis and House of The Virgin Mary. We are also 1 hour from the İzmir Adnan Menderes International Airport.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  Aide dans une ferme
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Culture

  

  Animaux de compagnie

  

  Ferme

  

  Écriture

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Musique

  

  Langues

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Jardinage

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Art et design

  

  Animaux

  

  Danse

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Nature

  

  Montagne

  

  Plage

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  We hope to make you feel at home. My mother and I have lived and worked in Canada and have moved many times so we are open and adaptable to different cultures. My mother speaks English and Turkish and I speak English, Turkish and some French that needs improving :)
  
  Social activities that we would like to share with our volunteer can include : going to the nearby beach in Selçuk, visiting historic sites in Ephesus and the surrounding ruins. Also going to Şirince- the mountain village nearby and having food/wine or enjoying music. There is also the possibility for mountain hikes and walks and spending time with locals and us.
  
  We are also happy to share skills and knowledge. We can undertake art projects, building projects, and herbal or horticultural ideas are all welcome depending on how much time we have together.

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  Aide

  So what we might do together here depends on the season.
  
  Spring (March/April/May) activities include: starting seeds -vegetables, flowers, herbs/ taking out the winter vegetables and preparing the raised bed for new planting/ amending with compost and other soil amendments/weeding/ planting out new plants/weeding some more /pruning or propagating/ picking some of the first veg or fruit/ maybe some first herb harvests/ foraging for greens or other spring plants/drying herbs.
  
  Summer (June/July/August) activities depend greatly on the heat. This region does get very hot so we aim to get up at 6-7 am and start earlier since we want to be done by the midday sun. We can also divide the day up and do some work in the morning and then again in the evening after it cools. Summer activities include: / picking herbs and vegetables/drying herbs/weeding/ pressing fruits into juices and fermented 'shrub' drinks/ picking tomatoes and making tomato sauce or other sauces and relishes/ picking flowers and pressing them for artistic products/making oil infusions with some herbs like st johns wort or calendula/ making salves or balms with our infused oils/ making other herbal products such as teas, wreaths, soap or scrubs/
  
  Late Summer/Fall (September/October/November) is when we continue a lot of harvesting and preserving. Activities for these months also include starting seeds again for the winter garden/ transplanting into the raised beds/weeding/ planting out our madonna lilies/last herb harvests/continuing to make more herbal products/ brine olives/and then having the proper olive harvest in November-ish time. We also plan to build some more raised beds this fall so if you like building that's also available.
  
  This is a general outline of most of what we do but it can change as we are still new and the seasons are also increasingly unpredictable. Since most of the tasks are physical and outside it would be best suited to someone who likes moving around and is outdoorsy. You would be working alongside me and I am happy to share any skills that I have regarding growing, preserving, cooking, and creating things with you and look forward to learning from you as well. When we moved here, the land had been untended and there was a lot of weed pressure. Since we don't use herbicides we have a lot of weed management to do by hand. However, I always try to make our activities varied and we will switch through tasks to keep things interesting. I also have an interest in fermentation and food- so we also sometimes make things like kombucha and vinegar and I would be happy to cook some Turkish meals and for you to show us some of your cuisine. Other possible activities can depend on your skillset- if you are good at building there can be some building and repair projects or if you like organizing we could always use more help packing or cleaning. Additionally, we have two kangal mixed breed rescue dogs who love to go on walks and sometimes we go for foraging walks with them.

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  Langues parlées

  Anglais: Courant
  Turc: Courant
  Français: Intermédiaire

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  Hébergement

  The accommodation is a private room in our house with a double-sized bed and all the household amenities. The 2 bathrooms are shared with us. We will be living together in our family household so you have access to the whole place and we hope you will care for it and love it like we do. Also, I would appreciate it if help is needed in the house that you would be willing to lend a hand.
  
  As for food- we eat a fairly Mediterranean diet. We are not vegan but we do love our vegetables and try to eat our homegrown produce whenever possible. Typical meals would include things like salads, bulgur, beans, eggs, yogurt, small meze olive oil dishes, vegetable stews, and some meat dishes. We sit down together for breakfast and dinner but we often have a light lunch. Feel free to use what is available to make yourself something more if you wish.

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  Autres infos...

  For your days off- there are many things you can do and if we have time we would love to do them with you. Since we are a bit remote my mother or I would be dropping you off to areas nearby where you can either spend time or get public transit to go further exploring.
  
  By car: there is the Şirince village 5 mins away , nearby selçuk beaches 15 mins away, ephesus ancient site (20 mins away), Kuşadası (a very touristic beach town nearby) 30 mins away. Also 1 hour from Izmir which is a huge metropolis like Istanbul if you want to see the city sights. Again walking there is lots of nature and forest and many paths that we can explore as well.
  
  The way we divide labour is usually my mother takes care of the house/cooking and I do the outdoors work. So her wish for the house is that you treat it like your own and keep it tidy and use common sense. We would also love to have clear and open communication in the house - please talk to us about any concerns and let us feel comfortable talking to you about expectations, sharing duties etc...Also if you do smoke please do so outside and use an ashtray.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Cet hôte a de la place pour les vans.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Un

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