Foodies and gardeners in the wild, come explore the delicious in mid-nowhere British Columbia, Canada

Informationen

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  Beschreibung

  The Opportunity Now
  is for people who will be resident for all of June. This period bridges our frost-free date and is when essentially the entire garden is planted, both the tenders and the cold-hardy crops. Overlaps into May and July are welcome.
  
  We moved north from Vancouver to escape the noise and the craziness and to find a spot to live in beauty. We found one and now are on the edge of nothing but more nothing all 400 km to the Pacific. We are 20 km outside of a small town halfway between nowhere and not much. Sharing that is a pleasure.
  
  Nearly everything we do now is in support of one thrill: adventures in food. Come join us and enjoy the pleasures of the table, learn a few things in getting there and in the gardens while getting a broad feel of rural life and our approach to self-sufficiency.
  
  We are foodies far from the centres and trying to help create a culture of great food around us: for ourselves, for our friends and in the community. We are also trying to make that happen as much as is possible using local foods, neighbours’ offerings, and our own produce. Interns will, with support and direction, manage the gardens during the snow-free season and assist in all the other tasks needed to maintain a rural estate. In addition you can have lots of opportunities to learn in the kitchen from a life-long chef.
  
  If you want to get a full taste of a rural lifestyle; if you want to garden, build things and maybe learn new culinary skills in cooking, canning and baking; if you want to do all this at a relaxed pace far from the city and its distractions then our petite auberge might be the place for you. And yes, you will get to eat marvelous meals.
  
  We do this all year so your dream time could be open. Want to plan away ahead? Preferred stays are 1 month or longer; shorter periods may be considered in exceptional circumstances.
  
  Incidentally, we are remote only in the sense that there is no major city nearby and no mobile phone service or broadcast television. We have gas in the kitchen, satellite internet and Wi-Fi and pretty well every other on-grid service.

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  Arten von Hilfe und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Sprachpraxis

  Unterrichten

  Gartenarbeiten

  Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten

  Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie

  Hausarbeiten

  Handwerkliche Arbeiten

  Hilfe mit Computer /Internet
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  Interessengebiete

  

  Natur

  

  Nachhaltigkeit

  

  Tischlerarbeiten

  

  Kochen & Backen

  

  Gartenarbeiten
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  UNO-Ziele für nachhaltige Entwicklung, die dieser Gastgeber verfolgt

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  Was ist das?
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  Kultureller Austausch und Lernmöglichkeiten

  Our most memorable times hosting have been when a Workawayer was fully embedded in our lives as family , doing the day to day things we do and joining alongside us as work partners. If you prefer being solitary and working alone we can still welcome you but give us the hint early so that we can organize stuff to suit us both.
  
  In a general sense we offer
  1. Chances to experience Canadian rural life without being totally isolated, all its warts and benefits and a taste of the skills important to sustain it: gardening, woodworking, construction and much more.
  2. And, If you choose, a range of culinary experiences: exploration of food processing and preparation at an artisanal level. Even if you do not want to dive deeply into cooking , you could pick up a couple mainstays in the kitchen to impress friends and family, You will need to be proactive in seeking these; at the start, offer your assistance in your free time; they are rarely part of everyday work.
  
  You will also have opportunities to get more familiar with many of the more common skills needed on a rural property: woodworking and construction, small engine maintenance, tool sharpening, fencing, picking up dog poop and (of course) brutal back-breaking manual labour.
  
  There is no nearby public transit so a stay here is like a stay on almost any other rural property in the world; if you do not have your own vehicle, you are pretty well locked onto the property. So you will definitely be able to find more thrills if you come with your own vehicle. There are scores of great hiking trails and local enthusiasts in every outdoor passion are welcoming. Nearby there is a huge network of trails beginning almost at our doorstep. We have snowshoes for the winter and bicycles for the summer. There is a beautiful swimming lake 15 kilometres farther out and whitewater rafting excursions from town. We do not have horses but seemingly every third home does, many with extra mounts. If riding is a passion, we can introduce you to friends with them.
  
  We are near Barkerville, the restored 1860's gold rush town, well worth a couple of days. The Bowron Lakes just beyond is a world-famous canoe circuit. On the way to Barkerville is Wells, a 1930ish re-purposed mining town now an artists colony and hideaway that is open some days. The first weekend in August is ArtWells, an arts and music festival that lives by volunteers. Near our home is the Alexander Mackenzie Trail, the route used by the first Europeans to cross North America.
  
  Longer-term, you would have ample opportunity to get away for a week or so and go exploring, maybe paddle the Fraser River or even do the Bowron canoe circuit (we have the gear.)
  
  PLUS, for all you thrill seekers/amateurs des sensations, a chance to step outside and be confronted by a bear (or bears.) Indulge your fears. (Actually, the occasional moose is more dangerous.)

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  Arbeit

  The tasks/projects you are given are tied to the length of your stay. Short-term stays less than a month are given narrowly defined projects; for longer-term we seek generalists. Occasionally, depending on current projects, we may look for certain skills: woodworking, carpentry, mechanics and others. We always hope for longer-term volunteers, perhaps all season, to adopt us and take over in managing done all those little extra tasks: turning the compost, doing the succession planting, weeding the landscape perennial beds and more. Jenn would get assistance in getting the food work done and I would not have to manage all the outdoor tasks alone.
  
  In general, you would help us in
  - garden maintenance in all respects; food, ornamental and landscape;
  - repair and fix-ups of anything that can break or needs change;
  - general construction and hardscaping;
  - general household maintenance;
  - occasional assistance in the kitchen.
  
  I have read the word "Permaculture" but have no idea what it might mean here. If you are confident, come teach me.
  
  In our main season the required help suits a generalist. In the gardens: planting, watering, weeding, feeding, and deadheading. You will be called on to assist in woodworking, construction and general maintenance. You will assist in harvest, processing, canning, drying, fermenting, preserving and storing seasonal produce; increasing the life of the food we grow or acquire; helping us reach for a sustainable self-sufficiency. Your help will be a key in making sure we have a continuous supply of food to centre our meals around. We seem to always have a couple construction projects on the go and always the never-ending need to fix or enhance things around us. A substantial part of the assistance we need is outside. This is not day after day of heavy manual labour but you must be capable of some sustained physical effort; there are tables to be moved, stairs to climb, flowers to pick. We would never ask you to work longer than we would and we do love to break for the afternoon and sip vinho verde on the deck.
  
  If you like cooking, assist Jenn in the kitchen. She is a fabulous chef, a great teacher and is always exploring new recipes and cuisine. For the passionate amateur, a longer-term experience can be discussed. This is a place where you might discover the difference between cooking and being a chef.
  
  Tasks can change daily and need new guidance. Your English skill needs to be where you could join in the dinner conversation.

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  Sprachen

  Gesprochene Sprachen
  Englisch: Fließend
  Französisch: Grundkenntnisse
  Portugiesisch: Grundkenntnisse

  Dieser Gastgeber bietet Sprachaustausch an
  Bruce est perpétuellement un débutant en français. Il adorerait être au moins à moitié courant. Tu es adjugé les points double en bonus si tu as déjà enseigné le français, Sou novo com o português, apenas algumas palavras. Eu gostaria ter um professor. Gostamos Portugal e a comida muito e nós vamos lá de novo uma dia. October through April your spoken English must be at least at an advanced elementary level,
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  Unterkunft

  Your private spot, depending on season and arrival sequence will be either our little travel trailer/caravan or our ex-b&b space. The caravan has electricity for lighting and heat for the coldest nights. We supply all bedding and towels.
  
  Part of how we celebrate life is in preparing food together, serving it with thanks and sitting down to share it. Our menus are balanced with minimal factory processed foods but do not follow any particular diet theme. They are not gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian or vegan or follow any other principle. If your diet choices limit what you can eat or you have specific needs, ask if we can accommodate them. Separate meal preparation will not be considered.
  
  Our satellite internet is available to you but it can be flakey; latency/lag is a given and weather/power outages are frequent. Bandwidth is limited so please, no streaming or hours-long video chats.
  
  Our water supply is limited and the septic system is easily over tasked. A daily shower is not possible; you may not get more than 2 per week mid-summer and those have to be "Navy" or "Boarding House" efficiency showers with minimal water consumption.

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  Was noch ...

  Our place is near Quesnel, BC; somewhat near the centre of the province. We are 11km from the nearest store, 22km from the nearest small town, a 2 hour drive from the nearest small city that has a bit of an urban feel and a full day’s drive from Vancouver. We say with a bit of exaggeration that we live in the middle of nowhere and have all the attendant problems and benefits of that. We think we live in the heart of beauty, the quiet, not so pushy kind.
  
  The only equipment/clothing you will need is your garden wear, stuff you do not mind getting filthy, stained, ripped and damaged; a good pair of boots and/or wellies will be needed. (We have a few hand-me-downs.) In winter, a pair of yaktrax or similar are almost essential even for just crossing the driveway.
  
  I am a non-using addict and have major problems with the odor of cigarettes. You must be a non-smoker both on and off site.
  
  We do not have many simple, repetitive tasks (feed the chickens at 6am and 6 pm.) tasks can change daily and will need new guidance. Your English skill needs to be where you could join in the dinner conversation.
  
  End note: requests that read like cut-and-paste are not considered seriously so tell us in your first note why you want to come HERE. What it is about our profile that attracts you?.

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  Etwas mehr Information

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    Internet Zugang

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    Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang

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    Wir besitzen Tiere

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    Wir sind Raucher

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    Familien möglich

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  Kann Digital Nomads unterbringen

  If you consider yourself a digital nomad, talk with us about what that means and whether it could work here. File up/downloads can work but half-day everyday streaming would not. We have satellite lag.

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  Platz zum Abstellen von Camper Vans

  Basically any size except a bus or a massive 5th wheel. Campervans welcome. 110v hookup available.

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  Hier sind Haustiere in der Regel willkommen

  A dog an be considered. Cats cannot.

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  Kapazität - wie viele Workawayer maximal

  mehr als zwei

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