Help with gardening, preserving food, building, pet sitting while enjoying our rustic off-grid homestead in Elma, USA

Details

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  Description

  Hi! We are a couple (a Brazilian and an American) who once were workawayers traveling the world. When we were volunteering at organic farms, restaurants, inns, permaculture communities, etc., we gained a lot of experience that without a doubt helped us to be where we are today.
  Now, we live off-the-grid on a beautiful 5 acres of forested property by the river in a rural area in Elma, WA. We are happy to have the opportunity to help workawayers on their journey.
  We live in a little paradise with two dogs, three cats, and six chickens.
  The property has the main house (where we live), two garden areas, a small orchard, two greenhouses, a root cellar, and two guesthouses (for family, friends, and volunteers).
  We are about 16 miles from the city of Elma, there are no buses available to get here but we go to town once or twice a week.
  We have solar panels that you can charge your phone (12V), but 110V is limited, especially during winter months (lack of sunlight). No WIFI or Refrigerator, and we don’t have a TV but we like to watch movies at night with our laptop or projector.
  During cold months (October - April) we burn firewood for heat, the main house and both of the guesthouses have woodstoves.
  We have a plant-based diet (except for the eggs) and during summer times we eat a lot of vegetables and berries from the gardens. If you need meat or dairy products in your diet, you will need to provide it for yourself plus your own cooking set.
  
  !!! UPDATE !!!
  We are very excited to announce that expecting a baby boy this April and we will be busy bonding and adjusting to being new parents.
  We don't know when we will start receiving volunteers again, hopefully, this summer, volunteers with babysitting experiences are welcome too!

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  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
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  We are a multicultural couple that can help Portuguese or English learners.
  There are a lot of people that would like to live off-grid or grow their own food, but they don't know where to start, so we can teach everything we know about our experience on the off-grid journey and how to grow and preserve food.
  Also, we live in a beautiful, forested area that can provide a connection with nature and detox from the city.

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  Help

  The type of help will depend on the time of year, some examples:
  - gardening: preparing the soil, weeding, sowing, planting, watering, harvesting, saving seeds, composting
  - weeding and maintaining trails.
  - preserving the harvest – canning and storing
  - mowing the lawn, raking leaves, mulching
  - helping with the animals (cats, dogs, chickens), feeding, brushing, play.
  - Building projects, there is always some project underway, right now we need help building our carport and outhouses for the guesthouses.
  - cleaning and maintaining the property.
  - cutting, splitting, stacking firewood
  Bring clothes for working outside (that you don't mind getting dirty), gloves, rain gear, boots and flashlights.
  We majority of the work is outdoors, so, if you are planning to be here during the cold and rainy season, be prepared to be in the weather.
  We prefer travelers that want to help for 1 to 2 weeks, with the possibility to extend.
  We welcome self-motivated individuals who are happy to get things done.

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  Languages

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

  This 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.
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  Accommodation

  We have two guest houses available for volunteers. One is a studio closer to the main house that has a single bed and a single cot. The other guest house is a log cabin (rustic) a little further away from the main house and has a queen bed. Neither of the guesthouses has electricity, but both have woodstoves for heating. There are no bathrooms in the guesthouses yet. The log cabin has an outdoor pop-up shower (water has to be boiled first) with a composting toilet. We are planning on installing outhouses, maybe you can help us with that?

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  What else ...

  We are surrounded by timber company land, so you can go for a walk, to viewpoints, or pond with beaver, and the river. Bird or wildlife watching.
  We are closer to Schafer State Park, which has trails and wifi.
  There are no buses to get here, but we do go to town every week.
  If you are looking to be closer to nature, learn about gardening, canning, living off-grid, building and maintaining a homestead, and have a simple but meaningful lifestyle, please message us, we would love to have you here.

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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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  Space for parking camper vans

  We live on a dirt road down a hill so we cannot accept RVs or Trailers, only small vans.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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