Canada
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We have a small homestead (~40 acres) with many different animals (horses, cows, poultry, bees plus a dog and a cat). There are perennial gardens, as well as fruit trees and fields. There is always lots of work with the animals and the gardens, as well as processing wood for the furnace that heats the house in the winter.
We try to use organic and ecologically friendly practices whenever possible and to keep chemical usage to a minimum.
A lot of the food we eat is grown by ourselves.
The farm is very close to Ottawa (45 minutes) as well as to Quebec and the US border (approximately 2 hours), thus offering a lot of opportunities to explore and vacation as part of your volunteering visit.
Please note:
Currently we are looking for someone, who is willing to commit to an 8-12 MONTH stay, as a paid position.
You do NOT have to be vaccinated to come here.
We may still take short term helpers during the summer and early fall – please contact us.
Our minimum stay is 3 weeks, unless you have a very special skill set applicable to our current projects (see more below).
IMPORTANT:
Please note that we are not set up to provide a strict vegetarian diet, although we do eat meatless meals occasionally. While we can fully understand that some people do not want factory-farmed meat (we don't want it either - that is why we farm), we believe that a healthy soil-food-web requires grazing animals and as such, some of our animals are raised for meat. If you come to us, we expect that you will eat whatever the farm has to offer.
SHORT TERM STAYS:
Sometimes people inquire about staying only for a few days. If you are someone with special skills (carpentry, masonry, expert gardener, chainsaw license or equivalent, etc.) that are relevant to one of our current projects, where you could really help us make a difference in a few days, we may make an exception to our regular minimum stay policy for you.
Other than that, we are really not setup for short term stays, as they represent quite a bit of work and upheaval for us.
If you think you may qualify for a short-term stay, please don't hesitate to contact us to discuss! :-)
Help with Eco Projects
Elderly Companionship
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
You will learn about living on a small homestead, using permaculture principles, in a multi-cultural family with backgrounds from Europe and South America, where we speak English, German and Spanish. You'll be close to Canada's capital, which offers many cultural attractions and also close to Quebec with its own unique culture in Canada.
Currently help is required with the gardens and fruit tree maintenance. Experience with grafting and trimming would be very valuable.
Help with cooking and housekeeping is always appreciated as well!
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
For now, in a guest room in our house. Eventually there will be separate accommodations.
Our visitors are always treated like they are family - you'll be living with us and we'll usually have meals together.
If you have an international or Canadian Driver's license, have driven for 4 years or more and are over 21, then we can also lend you our car occasionally. Otherwise we can take you to the bus stop etc., so you can take public transportation for your outings.
Please note that we are not set up to provide a strict vegetarian diet, although we do eat meatless meals occasionally. While we can fully understand that some people do not want factory-farmed meat (we don't want it either), some of our animals are raised for meat and that's where most of our protein comes from.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Note, while we have decent connectivity, our rural internet is NOT good enough for long or frequent Zoom meetings etc. (particularly not more than one at a time).
Always inquire first. We may or may not have space depending on who else we're hosting at the time.
More than two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
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