Help me growing organic Saffron on central Italy hills

  • Favourited 483 times
  • Last activity: 26 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least a week

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Looking for HELP from mid MARCH 2024.
    (ONLY women, couples or families... sorry NO alone men).

    If you want to learn basics of saffron growing, natural and biological agricolture, and some wild foraging, I can tell you all I know in exchange for some help with saffron harvesting (mid October - mid November, 4/5 hours per day), sowing and harvesting plants (Spring/Summer, 3/4 hours per day), or different tasks into the house/garden/woods (all the year long).

    We are a peculiar family and small community: me, my daughter, her father, grandparents, italian and foreign neighbours, friends from a local community network... sometimes spread around, sometimes all together!

    I started my countryside adventure on summer 2011, when I bought a piece of forest land on central Italy hills: a lot of trees, path walks and old stones.
    I fell in love with Valmarecchia valley the first day I saw it, and I thought the land name was a kind of sign: in the local dialect, Boratoja means "with a good will"... in other words "for the ones who wants to trek" as the hill is quite steep!
    The land has been abandoned since 60 years, so it is now a wild woods with the ruins of an old stone farmhouse.

    I am running a small agricultural activity since 2015, growing biological aromatic herbs (till now mainly saffron, from Spring 2022 more culinary/medicinal plants).

    In the future I would love to have more rooms for hosting travellers (at the moment I can offer just one room or a big tent in the garden) and hopefully transform the solo job into a group activity. In the meanwhile I am working on different community projects with a very alive local association.

    Some interests of mine: photography, yoga and bioenergetic therapy, culinary/medicinale wild herbs, auto-production, outdoor education, training dogs, backpacker travelling (before having two dogs and a baby!), hispanic languages and cultures...

    I live 3km away from any food shop, so if you are not coming for a work exchange (i.e. Bewelcome or Trustroots guests) I will kindly ask you a contribution for food costs.

    PS: I have one dog, Mina and one cat, Pirata: they are funny, cuddly and adventurous.... while the forest around is inhabited by wolfs, deers, boars, badgers, hares, porcupines... and snakes! (so better bring closed shoes!)

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Help with Eco Projects
    Gardening
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Babysitting and creative play
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
  • UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

    UN goals
    No poverty
    Zero hunger
    Good health and well-being
    Quality education
    Gender equality
    Clean water and sanitation
    Affordable and clean energy
    Decent work and economic growth
    Industries, innovation and infrastructure
    Reduce inequality
    Sustainable cities and communities
    Responsible consumption and production
    Climate action
    Life below water
    Life on land
    Peace, justice and strong institutions
    Partnerships for the goals
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    When I have time I like to go trekking together or visit nearby historic villages.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

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

  • Help

    Help

    Seasonal tasks (1 or 2 weeks):
    WINTER (jan/feb/mar) storage ordering, machinery/materials reparing, house manteinance (interiors).
    SPRING (apr/may/jun) sowing new plants, collecting aromatic herbs (wild or cultivated), field and garden general manteinance (weeding, pruning, etc), house manteinance (exteriors).
    SUMMER (jul/ago/sep) Saffron sowing (every three years), collecting aromatic herbs and wild fruits, field and garden general manteinance (weeding, watering, etc), preparing marmelades or juices from wild fruits and flowers.
    AUTUMN (oct/nov/dic) Saffron harvesting and drying, packaging, garden general manteinance (fallen leaves, composting, ect), ordering cutted wood.

    All the year tasks:
    -dog and cats necessities (food, water, walking)
    -cooking for everybody, cleaning dishes
    -cleaning common spaces (kitchen, bathroom, stairs...)
    -sometimes baby caring (play, play, play...)

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Fluent
    Italian: Fluent
    Portuguese: Beginner

    This host offers a language exchange
    I can offer spanish conversation, while I would like to learn some Portuguese basics.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Hosts will have their private room (2 beds), common bathroom.
    I live in a countryhouse, 3km away from any food shop.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    You can reach me by train to Cesena + bus (direction Bagno di Romagna, bus stop Montepetra) or train to Rimini + bus (direction Novafeltria, last bus stop), then we will pick you up.

    Nearby you can have wonderful TREKKINGS on the hills/mountains (400/1.400mt) or HORSE ridings, you can visit medieval little towns (Sant'Agata Feltria, San Leo, Pennabilli... all reachable by local transports) or NATURAL PARKS...
    if you are obsessed from CLIMBING, you will love the rocks around Perticara (3.5 km far)!

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    4 hours a day 5 days a week

Host ref number: 448241855929

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