Help with family permaculture design and techniques in Melo e Nabainhos, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  EN
  At the foot of the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal, Serra da Estrela, lays the old and beautiful house built on top of one of the hundreds of giant stones in the central area of ​​Portugal (hence the name of the estate "The Place of the High Stone").
  
  For more than a century, it has been meticulously and tastefully built as a place of relaxation and family reunions and has remained to this day the ideal hiding place for intimate moments in the family.
  
  One of our objectives is to allow nature to thrive, to take a regenerative and organic approach to agriculture, applying Permaculture principles and designs, to interfere as little as possible with the environment, to go about it all in an organic way - one that is not harmful to nature.
  
  We gladly receive short/medium/long-term volunteers, but we prefer medium/long term, to help us with all the Permaculture implementation, from the veggie garden, making slow and fast hot compost, human manure, planting trees, building dry toilets, fencing, take care of the horses, chickens, cleaning the terrain, the stables, the wood for fire and wood for several uses, the cut of the dead trees, etc etc etc
  
  
  PT
  No sopé da serra mais alta de Portugal Continental, a Serra da Estrela, situa-se esta antiga e bela casa construída sobre uma das centenas de pedras gigantes da zona central de Portugal (daí o nome Quinta da Pedra Alta).
  
  Ao longo de mais de um século, Alta foi construído, meticulosamente e com muito bom gosto, como local de repouso e reunião familiar, mantendo-se, até hoje, como o esconderijo ideal para momentos íntimos em família.
  
  Um dos nossos objetivos é permitir que a natureza prospere, praticar uma agricultura regenerativa e biologica, aplicando os principios e designs de Permacultura, intervir o menos possível no meio ambiente de forma orgânica e não prejudicial à natureza.
  
  Temos todo o gosto e interesse em receber voluntários de curto/médio/longo prazo, mas preferimos médio/longo prazo, para nos ajudar com toda a implementação de Permacultura, desde a horta e fazer composto rápido ou lento, a human manure, a plantar arvores, construir WC secas, vedações, cuidar dos cavalos, galinhas, limpeza do terreno, dos estabulos, da lenha e madeira, corte de arvores mortas, etc etc etc

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  With us you can learn about Permaculture, how to make hot compost, swales, lakes, natural building, etc...Also if we have workshops ongoing at the time you are here you might learn how to make natural soap, different juices/teas, conserve foods, many things.
  We can plan for weekly objectives and then give you a feedback on your help and evolution and you could also give us a feedback on how we can improve ourselves. Life is a constant learning experience ;)
  
  Our farm is very close to the little village of Melo and in one of the oldest areas of Portugal. Many old villages to visit and plenty of communities and expats coming to the area.
  Usually last Saturday of each month we organise a dinner/concert event, sometimes we have workshops and there tends to be stuff to do around, like hikings, gatherings, etc!
  It might also be a good starting point if you want to change life :) and come to this area of Portugal

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  We need help with the tasks on our private farm. No help is needed or going to be ask for anything related with business.
  The veggie garden needs so much care, making the compost, preparing the raise beds, installing and improving the watering system, cleaning the chicken coop, cleaning the horse shed, planting veggies, pruning trees....a lot of trees!!!
  Then we also need to prepare the space for the volunteers, make compost toilets, preparing the space for the human manure compost, outdoor showers, resting spaces in the middle of the forest, perhaps even some gathering tippies.
  Then we will have reforestation projects ongoing in the future, planting fire breaker trees, native trees, pioneers and fruit trees and bushes.
  Making swales, preparing fences.....there is so much stuff to do :) you wont be bored for sure :D

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Portuguese: Fluent
  Romanian: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate
  Italian: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  We have our caravan, with which we travelled for several years in Europe. Full little house, with couple bed, closet, couch, big kitchen with stove and oven, two working desks, connected to electricity. Until we build a dry toilet/outdoor shower you will have access to one of the bathrooms in our house.
  
  If you have your own caravan you are welcome to come :) free electricity, water and shower!
  
  Depending on the amount of hours willing to volunteer we may provide with some support with food :) almonds with which you can make almond milk from our farm, sometimes some home made sourdough bread and carob bread, possibly a carob cake. Veggies from our garden, pesto, tomato sauce, jams.

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  What else ...

  Beautiful zone, in 1hour you are on top of the mountain, there are several river beaches in the area, walking tracks, horse tracks, plenty of activities.
  Plenty of local communities to visit, very nice little villages, resorts and spas

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  We have fantastic high speed internet in the whole house and pool ;) You can stay in the balconies or middle of nature working or inside the very fresh basement in the summer.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have plenty of space if you want to park your caravan, in the sun or in the shadow, with electricity, water, toilet and shower :) We also have our van, in which we travelled for 3 years parked there, so if a couple wants to use its available :)

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  Can possibly accept pets

  No problem with pets, however with dogs you have to keep them on a leash or make sure he/she is always close to you. We have a female and a male dog, both of them very territorial. And we also have 5 cats and 2 horses.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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