Join us on our family farm and enjoy Stockholm archipelago, Sweden

  • Favourited 900 times
  • Last activity: 26 Mar 2024

Availability

  2024 

 Min stay requested: at least 1 month

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    Welcome to your paradise!

    If you are looking to try living simply - feel free to join us on our journey! We are trying to get more self-sufficient in an attempt for a more simplified life with less dependency and a closer connection with nature.

    ABOUT US
    We are a family of four with multiple furry companions. It's me, my husband and our two children, 11 and 9 years old, our two mischievous cats and wild young German Shepard mix. We have a small-scale farm homestead and currently have about 25 chickens and a few turkeys. We are currently on a time out on bigger farm animals, but they will surely be back in the near future.

    Apart from the farm we also have normal full-time jobs as well as activities for the kids and commitments in associations for both the island and development of the Archipelago as a whole. So, we have a busy schedule! :-D

    OUR VISION
    In 2017 we bought a neglected farm on an island in Stockholm archipelago with the aim to make it our livelihood. We want to build a small-scale permaculture inspired organic farm, where our vision is to live a sustainable lifestyle with less stress and more quality of life.

    OUR PLANS
    To be able to live off the farm we want to start a farm store for the farm’s products, both from the animals, the gardens and the orchard. The farm store would preferably have a kitchen for taking care of the different produce from the farm, such as dairy products from the goats’ milk, jams from the berries, apple cider from the apples and of course the honey from the bees, to name a few. We also want to build a stone oven, so we can bake sourdough breads and pizzas/tarté flambées.

    OUR FOCUS
    In addition to the daily care taking of the animal on the farm, our focus right now is to give the farm a ton of TLC in order to bring it back to its old glory. After more than 50 years of no maintenance, there's a few things that needs done, to say the least. And it’s turned out to be a greater undertaking than we expected. So, we desperately and gratefully need all the help we can get! All the buildings need some major renovations in order to make them functional again. We are also planning on installing solar panels for our energy needs and want to build a system for our water supply, including saving rainwater.

    WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
    We need help with everything on the farm, so the tasks will be varied. In exchange for your help, you get food and accommodation as well as a beautiful area to explore.

    As most of the chores are performed independently you must be comfortable working alone. Though, as we sometimes work together you must also be able to function in a team setting. It's all about communication and adapting to each other. Especially when you also live closely together with others. If possible, we try to accommodate all volunteers in separate rooms unless you are friends or a couple. However, there might be times where you will have to share a room.

    We aim for having 2-4 volunteers, but in the beginning and end of the season there might only be 1 and during the high season there might be more depending on rotation overlaps.

    EARLY SPRING AND LATE FALL
    Our houses were built in the beginning of the 1900's and aren't winterized - meaning they aren't very well insulated. Therefore our volunteers need to be prepared with proper clothing. Since electricity is so expensive, we only heat with wood from our own forest. Room temperature will be lower than what would be considered "normal". This is our reality. Islanders are known to be hardy. Are you? ;-)

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Language practice
    Help with Eco Projects
    Teaching
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Farmstay help
    Babysitting and creative play
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • 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

    We have a bilingual household, where both Swedish and English is spoken. However, as most volunteers won't speak Swedish the volunteer wanting to learn or improve their Swedish will have to initiate the language exchange.

    We welcome all nationalities for mutual cultural and language exchanges. Both my husband and I have travelled a lot, though never through Workaway. We have now landed on our plot of land, which we want to be able to share with others. We are hoping for a mutually beneficial, interesting and enjoyable time.

    People who get the most from their time with us tend to have a community mindset, a “get it done” attitude, are self-starting, communicative, teachable, positive solutions focused, reliable and take responsibility for what they are managing. We offer a hands-on experience and will do our best for your to enjoy your stay with us. Though; tasks on a homestead/farm isn’t always fun and it can be both dirty and smelly. All types of tasks still need to get done. In all types of weather.

    At dinner we enjoy sitting around discussing ideas and concepts, eating good food and maybe learn something or teach someone else something that makes a difference in this world. We also love board games. We enjoy being outdoors, cooking, eating and entertaining friends and family.

    If there is anything you want us to show you or teach you then just let us know and we will do our best to share our knowledge.

  • Projects involving children

    Projects involving children

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

  • Help

    Help

    Examples of what we are working on and need help with:
    Care taking of the animals; feeding, cleaning, petting. Clearing and cleaning of the buildings. Renovating the buildings. Clearing of the woods, beam making from logs and wood splitting. Painting; both indoors and outdoors. Gardening; sowing, weeding, harvesting. Pruning the old fruit trees and planting new ones. Clearing and repairing paths. Preparing of planting areas. Care taking of the children; play games, prepare snacks, go swimming, go fishing, read books. Build tiny houses, fences and porches. Set up a recyclable station. Beekeeping; hive inspections and honey harvesting. General cleaning of debris on the premises left by previous owners/generations. Rarely any housekeeping for us, but it might happen. You name it! The volunteers are also responsible for the housekeeping of the accommondation in addition to the work performed for us.

    We will provide gloves, but you will need to bring your own work clothes and shoes. There may be some to borrow, but it depends on your size. We do have a number of rubber boots in different sizes as they are bulky to bring.

    Normally the work would be performed daytime throughout the week on a schedule. Sometimes work during other times might be asked and this will then be planned accordingly and properly communicated. We normally do a five days of volunteering, then two days off. Arrival day and departure day are days off. Flexibility for specific days off or volunteer 10 days with four days off. Tasks are performed regardless of weather and farm work can be hard, dirty, heavy and/or smelly. But it can also be rewarding and interesting.

    Example of a normal day's schedule:
    1 hour of wood spliting
    1 hour of animal care
    1 hour of gardening
    2 hour of construction

    The above schedule is just an EXAMPLE and depends on the number of volunteers on the farm and preferences.

  • Languages

    Languages spoken
    English: Fluent
    Swedish: Fluent
    German: Beginner
    Spanish: 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.

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    Accommodation will be provided in one of the cottages. The cottage is over 100 years old and we have not gotten around to renovate it yet, so the cottage is BASIC with a standard that would be considered lower than normal.

    There's one bedroom with a double bed as well as one single bed, suitable for a couple or avsmall family. And there is one bedroom with two single beds. We can also accommodate families with children. The common areas are the kitchen, living room and the glass porch. We will provide bedding and towels.

    There is only cold running water in the kitchen and no septic. The kitchen has a fridge, a small stove, stand alone water heater and a hot pot. Due to the electricity not being totally upgraded some things can't be used at the same time. There is no toilet or shower indoors. There is an outhouse close to the cottage for toilet visits and an outdoor bucket shower. On warm days the sea is just a few minutes' walk away for swimming.

    We also have a separate small cabin with a sofa bed suitable for a couple. The cabin does not have electricity or running water, but does have its own outhouse. The cabin would be considered “a bedroom“. The shared areas of the cottage are available for cooking and hanging out.

    As there might be multiple people living in the cottages, it's important to keep things neat and not "spread out" too much other than in your room. Cleaning up after cooking and eating should be done as soon as possible.

    Breakfast and lunch are eaten independently or as agreed, but dinners will mostly be eaten together and the preparing, cooking and cleaning up will be shared on a rotational schedule; meaning one to two times per week depending on how many people we are on the farm. On days off you will not be on the cooking schedule and you can of course always opt out of the shared meals the evenings you're not cooking.

    We will provide a stocked fridge, pantry and freezers as well as hopefully a full garden when in season, so you are free to cook and bake whatever you wish from the ingredients available. The meat we eat is, as far as possible, from the homestead. Sweden has excellent water, so the tap water is drinkable. We normally don't provide sweets/treats or snacks between meals other than the occasional "fika" nor do we provide drinks such as sodas or alcoholic beverages other than perhaps on special occasions. If you would like these foods or drinks, you will need to supply them yourself.

    There are no stores on the island and we only do grocery pick-ups about every two weeks and therefore meal planning is important. As we believe in trying not to waste food and avoid extra trips for single ingredients, we try to use what is available as well as what's in season. With that said we probably have enough food for 3 months, so there's no shortage of meal options.

    We eat a diet containing of meat, dairy, farm fresh eggs, vegetables and whole foods. So, we try to cook balanced meals. We also eat breads and cakes that we bake and other ingredients with gluten. With that said, most dietary requirements can still be fulfilled with proper notice and planning as long as you are comfortable with others maybe not sharing your specific reasons for eating what you eat or that the meals cooked might not be in accordance with your specific diet.

    We also try to make time for "fika", which is often translated as "a coffee and cake break", which kind of is correct, though it really is much more than that. "Fika" is a concept, a state of mind, an attitude and an important part of Swedish culture. Many Swedes consider that it is almost essential to make time for fika every day. It means making time for family, friends and/or colleagues to share a cup of coffee (or tea) and a little something to eat along with conversations.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    During the high season the ferries run on a daily basis, but there's also possibilities of hitching a ride with either myself and my husband as we both also normally work outside of the farm. As "normal" is different now, we currently mostly work from home, so be aware that specially in the low season (outside of mid-June to mid-August), there are limited possibilities to get off the island.

    The area we live in has a lot to see and do. On your time off you can go island hopping, visit Stockholm or Uppsala with all their tourist attractions or for a night out.

  • 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

  • Can host digital nomads

    Can host digital nomads

    There is WiFi on the homestead, however, currently not inside the WA cottage due to a faulty cable.

  • Can possibly accept pets

    Can possibly accept pets

    We are animal lovers and can accept all animals that will not in any way harm the other animals, humans or property.

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • ...

    Hours expected

    5 hours of help per day, 5 days a week, but flexible for more days off.

Host ref number: 657442751835

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