Help to build a ekofarm in beautiful Thuringian Slate Mountains, Germany

Details

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  Description

  I'm Danny (38), a German villager. After a decade-long odyssey in which I wandered across half of Europe on foot and later with donkeys, lived from slide shows and later bought a house and land in the east of Croatia and farmed permaculture and on a self-sufficiency basis for four years. I returned because of my old parents and my inherited house and country back to Germany. I am now applying the knowledge from Croatia here. My home is now a four-sided farm with over one hectare in the foothills of the Thuringian Forest with a connection to the Thuringian Sea. Its a private homestead, where I am living with my parentd and I only produce for the own consumption.
  There is a lot of nature in the area, during the day you can see rabbits, deer, foxes and more. There are not many cars or other disturbing factors on the way, sometimes you can hear the noise of tractors and chainsaws from the neighbors. The sounds of birds in the morning are invigorating, the air is clean and at night you can see the stars very well. The property is located - with three other farms - one kilometer away from the settlement of “Langgrün”, a 250-inhabitant village in the municipality of 07926 Gefell. There are no large cities in the area, the city of Hof is 30 kilometers away and the city of Jena is 60 kilometers away. The road is an eroded asphalt road, but it's still fairly easy to drive.
  
  If you would like me to pick you up from Blankenstein, Schleiz or Hof train stations, please let me know 1 day before your arrival so that I can plan.
  
  I work on my farm in an alternative style and plan to build additional natural fences for my animals (sheep, donkeys, chickens, turkeys and geese) in addition to the existing fence. I work on two large gardens (one with a furnished garden shed and toilet), preserve vegetables, dry apples, make jam and much more. I grind flour for my own bread, which I also knead myself. I have many fruit trees, some new exotic continental species and I cultivate a small vineyard with 50 plants and also an ever-expanding row of vines with currently 30 plants that produce early-ripening varieties in red and white, from which I also make wine without any chemical additives. This wine is just using vor self consumption. I also cut my meadows 2 to 3 times a year without large machines; I particularly use a rake to turn the grass.
  
  The plans for this and the next few years include creating a third garden and building a small one-room wooden house for overnight stays in the second vineyard to sit, eat, sleep and enjoy the landscape. I would like to build a small all-purpose oven for heating, cooking, baking and smoking meat (all in one), experiment more in the garden, for example storing potatoes outside under straw in the winter. I would like to use the wool from my sheep to make socks and clothing as well as special garden projects. It's a lot of work, but in my opinion the best economic style to live in harmony with nature since I rarely go to the supermarket. The gardens currently provide 60% of the material that two people need to live on the farm (summer and winter).
  My vision is to provide up to 95% self producing on the farm itself, to create a community that can show other people in the world what is possible in a contract with nature. So that hopefully people will understand it and turn to it again. Because nature is our God and not a man in the clouds.
  
  I need help for this project because my parents are going older. I have good working hands, but I lack creativity. If you are interested in helping me personally, please feel free to contact me.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  What you can learn from me: Getting a feel for how to use resources, ecological and alternative farming in the garden, baking, working with animals, how to make wine including growing and planting wine, making wooden and natural fences, practical experiences Permaculture, experiments, understanding the laws of nature, spending time with pure nature.

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  Help

  Help with coordinate the recources of the farm, to help with the gardenworks, cooking, bring ideas in the project, enjoy the living far from city.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Serbo-Croatian: Fluent

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  Accommodation

  As sleeping places I have a room with a wide bed (2x1.4m), the garden hut with the same size of the bed and later the new arbor in the vineyard can also be converted with a narrow bed. The house is large with a lounge, but needs some renovation every year. If requested, I am happy to provide an outside bed on the veranda in summer. I have an enclosed grass pitch for tents near the house. There is only a shower in the house, but not in the cabins. We heat the house with wood in winter. If it is too hot in the garden hut in summer, meals are prepared there on a solar cooker.
  
  The meals are varied, vegetarian, eggs from chickens, vegitabels and fruits saisonal from the own gardens. From the end of autumn onwards, chickens, turkeys or sheep are slaughtered for meat and sometimes preserved in the old-fashioned way, but mostly consumed in winter. In addition to water and wine, other drinks include homemade syrups. I can buy beer at the market if there is a need.

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  What else ...

  The biggest water recervoir of Germany is the "Thuringian Sea" and is only 8 km far from me and 1 km far from my gardenhouse. The "Thuringian Mountains" you have all around you.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  This host can provide space for campervans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  female or castrated dogs, donkeys and horses.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  5 hours in a day, 5 days per week

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