Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
25 Apr 2026
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
23
Email verified
Badges (3)
Details
Description
Hello! We are a small organic berry farm & hiker rest stop in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. We love to grow berries and vegetables while also helping backpackers who visit us off the Appalachian Trail.
For the past several decades, this small farm has been popular with locals (who pick our berries - blueberries, raspberries, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, cranberries, etc.) and Appalachian Trail thru-hikers looking for a place to relax and replenish. We provide freshly baked cookies and cold homemade drinks for free to the hikers who stop by. With permission, we allow backpackers to tent on our spacious lawn or sleep on our beds (especially when the weather is bad) in the airplane hangar if we have space. AT hikers know us and seem eager to stop at our farm since we have been long time “trail angels” in our area going all the way back to the first Cookie Lady (Marilyn and Roy Wiley) in 1985. We also sell blueberries and other berries at local farmers' markets and make preserves, both with blueberries and other berries we grow. Our vegetables are grown in our Hugelkultur garden beds in a sustainable no-till style.
There's always a lot to do, and we welcome people who want to pitch in, especially those who are enthusiastic about gardening.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
House & pet sitting
Interests
Events & social
Sustainability
Pets
Culture
Van life
Movies & TV
Farming
Photography
Music
Books
DIY & crafts
History
Plant care
Art & design
Gardening
Cooking & food
Drawing & painting
Animals
Hiking
Outdoor activities
Mountain
Camping
Nature
Yoga / Wellness
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Each day during the summer, you'll meet many new people as they make the small detour from their Appalachian Trail hiking to visit our property. They come from all over the country and world & appreciate our hospitality. We are known as “Cookie Lady 2.0” to these backpackers. It's easy to strike up a conversation and make a new friend who you would otherwise never have met. During blueberry season (mid-July to early September), there are also plenty of locals and travelers who come to pick our berries. With our expanding five-person family and two dogs on top of all of this, it's really never lonely here. The Berkshires are also full of artistic and cultural events.
You'll also learn about our small-scale, homesteading-style operation. We grow our berries and vegetables organically and love sharing the practices that we have found effective. We could teach you about the wild edible plants in the October Mountain State Forest surrounding our property and show you our favorite spots in the nearby mountain towns, whether you're looking to hike, swim, dine, or enjoy arts & culture.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Regular tasks include watering/weeding the gardens, greeting hikers, preparing and providing cold drinks/cookies, mowing, weed-whacking, splitting/stacking firewood, and doing the dishes generated by the hikers. There are also plenty of larger projects around our farm, like stonewalls that we are building and putting together a new cabin/shop that was recently constructed. And we're always thinking of landscaping & art projects (like sign making) to make our property more beautiful & welcoming.
We do earn an humble income from our berry operation, so we do not expect help with picking berries or maintaining the patches.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
We have a mini-bus with two built-in beds. The bus has been decorated with colorful fabric and lots of decoupaged birds on the ceiling and walls (see photos). It's not anything fancy, but it's relatively private and the beds have memory foam mattresses and also loads of blankets, pillows, and curtains. We have a few cubicle bedrooms set up in our airplane hangar that could also be used. You could also camp on our property. We'd provide meals, which we often share with hikers who complete chores for us, and give you access to our house's shower/kitchen/laundry, but we primarily expect our helpers to use the Porta-Potty which is cleaned once per week.
There is no WiFi, but there is strong LTE reception with T-Mobile & Verizon (we use our smartphone's hotspot to stream Netflix on our laptops regularly, for instance).
What else ...
We're located in Berkshire County, which is a popular tourist destination with an abundance of arts, culture, and outdoor recreation attractions a short drive away. While our farm is surrounded by state forest (October Mountain’s 16K acres) and at an elevation of 2,000 feet, we're a 15-30 minute drive from attractions like Mass MoCA, Tanglewood, Waconah Falls, Kripalu, The Clark, Mount Greylock, Herman Melville’s and Edith Wharton's home, and the Norman Rockwell Museum.
We're also located right on the Appalachian Trail for those who want to hike, and there are pristine lakes and streams surrounding our secluded property.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
Dogs are okay if they are low-key and don't mind some slightly territorial but ultimately friendly golden retrievers.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Three Dogs: Brick, Huggie Bear, and Daphne
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (11)
There were a lot of hikers on the trails passing through and so many new people to talk to!
Lots to do and… read more
I already have plans to go back in March.
When you are going to… read more
Photos
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
There were a lot of hikers on the trails passing through and so many new people to talk to!
Lots to do and… read more
I already have plans to go back in March.
When you are going to… read more
Painting the shed, making tea bags, moving things from house to shop, and preparing garden beds were among the many things they did while at our farm. They worked hard and did a fine job on… read more
The work we did was chill and consisted of weeding out the vegetable… read more
No matter what the task was, Ava was… read more
Harry worked hard every day and matter the task he did it well. He painted our shed as well as a 6 foot tall metal spiral staircase… read more
Ruth and Michael, who own the house and farm, are very welcoming and communicative. If you aren't from New England, you'll get to see the… read more
Mary Grace was more than willing to help with any task.… read more
The farm itself and the surroundings are so beautiful and peaceful. There are so many learning opportunities here as Ruth knows so much about plants and… read more
