Slowakei (Slowakische Republik)
Bisher 103 mal gespeichert
Statok na Vysinach, Lavender, Herb and Permaculture farm
We are a couple in our late fourties, who, a few years ago, started a new chapter of our life as small farmers in the middle of beautiful Slovakia.
We have a 6 year old son, Markus.
2017 we bought an old farm in a desolate state around Detvianska Huta, with two old buildings and 5 hectares of ground.
Since then we went on an incredible journey, building a house for us, reconstructing the barn, building fences, animal shelters and many more things.
We managed to bring this farm back to life, reintroducing animals (goats, sheep, chicken, rabbits – we also have a dog and 5 cats) and planting crops both for commercial use and for self-sustainability.
My wifes Grandfather was a real farmer, and he produced everything he needed by himself. He only ever bought salt and sugar. He is an inspiration for us, although we use a different approach, 100 % self-sustainability not being our goal. We try to combine the New and the Old, using the best for us from the past and the present.
I am Austrian, my wife is Slovakian. We can communicate in German, English, Slovakian, Czech, Russian, Polish and a little French.
Our farm is quite remote, on top of a hill, with beautiful views and lots of sun (and winds!) all year around. We are quite high, 900 meters above the sea, which makes us, to our knowledge, the highest Lavender farm in Europe.
Speaking of Lavender, we grow different varieties, and many more healing herbs and plants, which we harvest, dry and process all by ourselves, now making over 50 products, including teas, soaps, tinctures, syrups, cremes, perfumes, hydrolates and essential oils. Being 900 meters above sea level means that our plants contain more oils, fragrances and such than low-land plants, but we also in turn experience a much shorter growth period.
Nature around us is stunning, lots of wildlife, many wild medical and culinary herbs grow here, which we also harvest and use. We are surrounded by meadows, fields and forests.
Even in Summer temperatures never rise above 27°C.
It is a very good place for hiking, cycling, mushroom hunting and wildlife observation. Horse riding is possible not far from us.
There are only a few neighbours here, it is a very quiet and tranquil place, great to unwind and find peace. This also means that you might feel a bit cut off from the modern world, the next (tiny) village is four km away, and does not contain more than one small shop, a bus stop and a bar and, recently, a pizzeria.
We have a guest room with two beds, up under the roof, and it is also possible to camp here or live in a caravan. We have internet access in the house.
You can consider us pretty boring, as we do not drink, smoke, and don’t do drugs. Smoking is allowed, but only outside.
We are hard-working, my wife also having a second job in a nearby town.
We are looking for people of a similar mindset, friendly, ready to get their hands dirty and to learn. We accept singles and couples, regrettably no children or pets. You have to be at least 18 years old. We wish for people to stay at least two weeks and up to three months, so we can get to know each other and you can really learn something. We are open for helpers between April and October.
If you are motivated and fine with manual work, and want to participate in our project, this might be something for you. We would like your help for 5 hours a day, 5 days a week - of course you can do more – our days usually contain 10-12 hours of work, 7 days a week.
We provide three meals a day, at least one of them warm. We can provide vegetarian food, as we like to not eat a lot of meat ourselves. We do expect you tidy up behind you and help with daily household chores.
Our farm is run organical, without the use of chemicals, we are in a water protected area. We apply permaculture principles, using herbal teas and infusions, compost and manure for fertilizing.
Since last year we also use beneficial mushrooms to improve the soil and the health of our plants.
We do have a small tractor and other machines, but alot is manual work, especially weeding, weeding, weeding.
Here you can learn how to milk animals and make cheese, plant and harvest vegetables and herbs, create products from the harvest (usually in autumn), and generally experience farm life on a small farm. There is always lots to do, but we try to make it fun.
If you know how to cook, you are welcome to join us in preparing the food, if you don’t...well the dishes need doing anyway!
Here is some projects we hope to start in 2022:
Setting up beehives
Expanding our fruit forest
Turning more overgrown land into pasture
Creating a pond
Finishing the barn reconstruction (part storage/herb dryer, part summer kitchen, part workshop)
Adding more lavender plants, we currently have about 3000
Creating garden paths
Building a bigger animal shelter
Adding more herbs and medical plants to our gardens
The closest train station is Krivan, the closest village with a reliable bus connection is Hrinova. We can pick you up in any of those, or can arrange something else.
Please contact us for more information, the more you tell us about you and what brings you here, the better! We are looking forward to hear from you,
Horst, Anna and Markus
Hilfe bei Ökoprojekten
Gartenarbeiten
Heimwerker- und Bauarbeiten
Betreuung von Tieren
Mithilfe auf einem Bauernhof
Zubereiten / Kochen von Mahlzeiten für die Familie
Hausarbeiten
Handwerkliche Arbeiten
We offer many languages, cook quite international, and like to share stories from our time abroad. Also, we can share our knowledge about green living, building an eco house, and farm work.
It is all about getting our farm running. It was dormant and in a bad state for many many years till we bought it. So you join us in being pioneers. We need people who have some skill in woodworking, gardening, animal care, composting, weeding, and so on. Some strong hands and an open mind are most important.
Gesprochene Sprachen
Czech: Fließend
Deutsch: Fließend
Englisch: Fließend
Polnisch: Fließend
Russisch: Fließend
Slovak: Fließend
Französisch: Grundkenntnisse
Dieser Gastgeber bietet Sprachaustausch an
Dieser Gastgeber gibt an, dass er dir gern seine Muttersprache beibringt oder selbst eine Sprache lernen möchte.
Bitte wende dich direkt an ihn, um weitere Auskünfte zu erhalten.
We can offer accomodation in our guestroom (shared), or you can camp/bring your own accomodation. We like to eat our meals together, help in making food and doing the dishes is welcome. We are non-vegetarians, but have no problems cooking vegetarian for you.
We live rural, away from any big city, quite far away. This is a great place for finding peace, meditating, cycling, jogging, hiking, wildlife observation, horse riding. Unwinding from stress. A few kilometers away are some nice waterfalls and climbing rocks.
What we expect from our visitors? An open mind, willing hands and a friendly personality. Please be advised drugs are an absolute no-go for us. Smoking is ok, as long as it is outdoors and cigarette buds disposed in the trash and not the garden.
Internet Zugang
Eingeschränkter Internet Zugang
Wir besitzen Tiere
Wir sind Raucher
Familien möglich
Caravans of any size can be parked here.
zwei
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
