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Host rating
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Last replied
10 Jul 2024
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Description
We are a mother and daughter team, ages 72 and 28, living near Tweed, in Eastern Ontario, 40 kms north of Belleville, halfway between Toronto and Ottawa. Our farm has been in the Vander Wey family since 1958, but it was first established as a farm likely in the 1870s. It has woods, pasture, some acres planted in trees, hayfields, a large garden, two retired horses, a small tribe of goats, and cats. In 2017 we added bees, and in 2019 Emily worked with her uncle to build AZ beehives, traditionally used in Slovenia, as well as a shed to put them in! In 2018 we also built a greenhouse! Since 2014 we have been using biodynamic practices with the intention of keeping our farm and expanding it's purpose for the next generation.
In 2017 Emily graduated from Trent University with a degree in Indigenous Environmental Studies. Since 2017 Emily has been spending her summers working nearby at a Farm, another biodynamic farm. You can also find them on workaway and they often looking for helpers as well.
Check out the Farm on workaway too
She will be home evenings and weekends involved in projects at our farm. Sue does most of the gardening at home. She is also a visual artist and may be able to offer some encouragement and teaching if sketching or painting interests you.
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
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We look forward to showing you our area of Ontario and helping you gain some skills in growing, harvesting or preserving food. We are always learning more about biodynamic farming practices which we would be happy to share with you. Our area is great for getting outside to walk in the woods and explore the wetlands.
You'll be invited to be with us at occasional bonfires, hikes and swims at nearby conservation areas, movie nights and workshops at the Learning Centre. We have lots to read, a piano for those who play. We are comfortable with someone who is working on their English, but that is our only language. We love to meet people from different areas of the world!
Help
We are looking for someone who enjoys physical work and experiencing nature, and who is interested in growing food and developing skills for a self-reliant lifestyle. Some of the projects we would like help with are:
gardening and yardwork, building compost piles, helping with hay in mid/late June, harvesting food, household responsibilities like tidy-up and occasional meal prep, planting some trees, small construction projects, being with horses, and feeding animals. If anyone has experience in organic beekeeping practices we would love to learn more from you! Emily is also interested in learning more about the medicinal uses of plants.
We would count on 25 hours of work per week and would like stays of one to three weeks, depending on the time of the year. At times you would work alone, but we would plan to keep the tasks varied and interesting.
At times we will be working with another farm, as the work of the two farms will overlap, as in the planting and haying season, as well as some interaction with the folks there.
Languages
Languages spoken
English: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
We have a comfortable upstairs guest room. We have internet and TV.
Sue intends to keep everyone well-fed, mostly vegetarian, mostly from our garden, but we can add some meat to our diet if that's what you are used to. We intend to accommodate the needs and interests of our Work-Away guests, dietary and otherwise.
For the right person, longer stays will be possible. We are relatively flexible, though non-smoking and non-drinking, we will try to make your stay enjoyable and worthwhile.
We can drive you to the greyhound bus stop for your comings and goings. It is relatively easy to get between Peterborough, Toronto and Ottawa on the greyhound.
What else ...
Unfortunately we do not accept workaways with pets. We have a dog who is aggressive towards other dogs and it would not go well!
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Roughly 25 hours spread across the week, some days we work more, somedays less
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She was great, whether she was helping in the garden or in the kitchen. Hope you are well Marie, and I hope you are able to have bees someday too!!! Come back to visit if you can someday! Thanks so much!!!
