Ecological Hobby Farm in the rolling hills of Northumberland County, Ontario, Canada

Detalhes

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  Descrição

  Tony and Linda are a young senior couple who have spent the last 11 years working and loving the land, growing and raising much of our food using organic and permaculture principles learned through our earlier travels around the world. We moved our family from Toronto to the country to live a more peaceful and fulfilling lifestyle, closing the gap between field and table. We had Workawayers for six years, helping us to get our farm up and running. Then we took a break as we no longer needed the extra labour.
  
  Our 80 acre property is a mixture of field, forest, meadow and wetland with a beautiful view of Lake Ontario. We have a large "kitchen" vegetable garden which is run as a community cooperative. We also raise goats, chickens, and bees, one horse, 4 dogs and 2 cats. Tony bakes and sells his famous "Montreal-style" bagels. Our farm has a communal atmosphere with our near neighbours getting together one night a week for dinner and our garden volunteers meeting three mornings a week. We provide tours for on-farm visitors . And we also share our property with a forest school and a wilderness therapy program for autistic children.
  
  We have recently added a new barn to house our animals, a new garage and workshop, and a self-sufficient 2-bedroom apartment above our garage. Now that our building projects are complete, we want to focus on cleaning up the remnants of years of accumulated construction materials and old farm equipment and beautify the property. Our main focus this year is a one-day environmental-themed festival we are hosting on the farm August 31st. We have a large group of volunteers helping with the planning stages but we need extra hands to get the property into shape for the festival.
  
  When we traveled, we loved working as volunteers side by side with people from all over the world. Now that we are hosts we can relive our experiences all over again! We like to gather together for some of our meals to cook, share stories and ideas and get to know one another. We hope that our volunteers leave us fit and happy and passionate about growing and eating good food!

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  Tipos de ajuda e oportunidades de aprendizado

  Ajuda em projetos ambientais

  Jardinagem

  Construção/faça você mesmo

  Criar/cozinhar refeições caseiras

  Manutenção geral
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  Oportunidades de intercâmbio cultural e aprendizado

  We work together as a respecful community in this peaceful and beautiful part of the world and do our best to model the tolerance and diversity which Canada is known for. We also love to show off southern Ontario's forests and lakes when we can as well as our sophisticated cities. We are happy to assist workers with planning trips away from the farm.

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  Ajuda

  Our focus this summer is cleaning up our "junkier" areas. Moving building materials and machinery and organizing it in a proper location. Keeping weeds under control though mowing and trimming. Repairing fencing and decking. Building temporary structures for the festival. Painting signs and staining decks. Clearing trails in our forest. You may also be involved in farm work including feeding animals, mucking out stalls, working in the vegetable garden or orchard.
  
  The working day generally starts at 9:00 and ends at 2:00. Workawayers work Monday to Friday, 5 hours a day, 25 hours a week. Days off are negotiable. You will stay in a 2 bedroom apartment above the garage and use the small kitchen for breakfast and lunch and the occasional dinner. All groceries will be provided including farm-fresh veggies, eggs, herbs and honey, plus chicken and goat meat. Many dinners will be with the hosts in the main house. After work, volunteers tend to go hiking, running, cycling, swimming at the beach, playing games, journaling, drawing and playing music. On your days off we can help you plan trips to see what Ontario has to offer.
  
  We encourage a healthy lifestyle. Smoking cigarettes or drinking to excess is discouraged.
  
  The work is very physical and requires strength and stamina in all kinds of weather. Weather in Canada is extreme. The spring can be cool and wet during the day and cold during the night. The summers are mainly hot, dry and very humid. Black flies and mosquitoes are bothersome in the spring and during sundown but our property is breezy so the bugs aren't too bad. You will need to be reasonably fit for digging, carrying heavy loads, weeding, throwing hay bales, carrying water, mucking stalls, cutting wood and building fences. You will be around livestock that can be intimidating and dangerous if not treated knowledgeably and with respect.

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  Idiomas

  Inglês: Fluente

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  Acomodação

  2 bedroom apartment with kitchen and bathroom with shower.

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  Algo mais...

  We are a 15 minute drive or a 40 minute bike ride to some great restaurants, shops, a lovely swimming beach. We can drive you to Oshawa to catch the GO train system that connects with Toronto and destinations like Niagara Falls. Or the VIA rail system that takes you to Ottawa, Kingston and Quebec. Having your own car is a big asset in the countryside. Our beautiful lake-filled cottage country, just north of us, is a favourite destination.

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  Mais alguns detalhes

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    Acesso à internet

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    Acesso à internet limitado

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    Temos mascotes

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    Somos fumantes

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    Pode hospedar famílias

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  Espaço para estacionar campervans

  Este anfitrião pode fornecer espaço para vans.

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  Quantos Workawayers pode acomodar?

  2

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