Help with some gardening, mending and other small tasks at my farm near St Augustine, Florida, USA

United States

Favourited 206 times

Host rating
Feedback
3
Last activity
12/01/2021
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Availability

2021

Min stay requested: at least a week

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What's this?

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Description
Florida farmlife St Johns River area close to St Augustine, Potter, organic gardening, Nigerian Goats, Sheep and Zebu. Historic Home close to river, canoeing and beaches nearby. Working on landscaping gardening creating pottery studio and organic farming and garden. Ocala national forest and Salt Springs nearby. Very experienced cook , multinational cuisine to enjoy. Would like to build wood burning oven at the farm and interested in building with hemp concrete and or cordwood.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
DIY and building projects
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Farmstay help
Help with Eco Projects
Help around the house
Animal Care
Language practice
Art Projects
UN sustainablity goals this host is trying to achieve
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What's this?
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
This region of florida has beautiful swamp and forests and a large river and beaches 30 min away. Historic St Augustine is a half hour away. There is beautiful salt springs 19 miles away to soak in gorgeous cool clear water. My house is close to the river park and in a nice historic district.
Help
Gardening, helping at a small farm , mending fences, two stocked ponds to maintain, goats , sheep Zebu husbandry, Carpentry work and some garage cleaning and repair and moving pottery studio and kilns to the farm. I have a jungly backyard that needs work and taming. I would like to build a small cabin at the farm as well. If I cook I appreciate the dishes being done . I speak Lithuanian as well. I plan to begin a nice organic garden at the farm, would love some experienced gardeners. Wanting to start shiitakes on logs and create a protected tropical garden within a horse corral. Greenhouse project , making a cheese-dairy-honey house, pulling pond weeds and now I have two bee hives! Hoof trimming and animal feeding .
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Lithuanian: Fluent
German: Beginner
Spanish: Beginner
French: Beginner
Italian: Beginner
Accommodation
I have two empty bedrooms in a 1916 Craftsman house, I will provide healthy and delicious meals. Sometimes you may have to help yourself to the food because I still am working full time.
What else ...
I have two bicycles available for use and a two canoes, kayak. Farm Truck
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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Feedback left by and about host (3)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

07/02/2020

Left by Workawayer (Charles) for host

Firstly, Thank you!
It was great to stay with Rita, and she was a very pleasant host - intent to make sure I was comfortable.
We cleaned up the overgrowth in her backyard, worked with her animals, and constructed two raised beds.
Her house is right next to a huge river that makes for beautiful sunsets. The farm is a 14min drive, out in the… read more

(Excellent )

17/04/2019

Left by Workawayer (Nate) for host

I did a workaway with Rita from Feb 9-March 15 2019 in Palatka, FL. In an effort escape the New York winter where I work seasonally on a small family farm, my initial plan was to be there for a week or two and then check out other opportunities in the area. However, it was such a great fit that I stayed the whole time! I have done many work-trades… read more around North America and this was my first experience with workaway.info.

Rita is awesome, and we became fast friends. She has a beautiful historic home a half-block from the Saint John’s river. She offered me a choice between two comfortable private bedrooms (I even switched halfway through my stay). Rita is an artist, and her home bears witness to her many creative and crafty projects. She maintains a mostly paleo-style diet, which worked out perfectly with my preferences. That, combined with her professional culinary background and Lithuanian roots, provided for many delicious meals that we shared together almost every night. She knows all the cool places in the area to check out, and we often combined one or more of them with our work errands (natural springs, ocean beaches, kayaking local rivers). Rita has tons of great stories to share, and her energy and enthusiasm are contagious!

The farm property is about a 15 minute drive from her house, and is roughly 5 acres split into two main pastures. She raises goats, sheep, zebu, chickens, and bees on her farm. There are two ponds stocked with plenty of pan-fish. The animals are healthy and happy, and there were many kids and lambs so the cuteness factor was through the roof! Together we built a milking station for the goats and sheep, constructed a flow-hive for the bees, and wrangled/transported two young rams to the property to expand the gene-pool. Rita’s animals are like family, and are very well taken care of. My daily chores consisted of feeding the animals, collecting eggs, mending fences, and working on whatever various tasks we talked about throughout the week. I had plenty of freedom to create my own schedule, and Rita had the knowledge and experience to teach me new skills.

I would highly recommend a work-stay with Rita for anyone who is a self-motivated hard worker, wants to learn and practice homesteading skills (milking and cheese-making, honey gathering, fermentation, herbal medicine, home cooking, etc), and is interested in exploring the stunning landscape of rural northern Florida. I had an amazing experience and would love to return in the future!

(Excellent )

11/03/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Nate)

Nate is very positive and pleasant to be around, so helpful and agreeable. A very hardworking problem solver that I will miss having around. There are not many people like this in this world ..We need more! You are welcome back anytime, my friend. Happy Trails.

(Excellent )

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