Portugal
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Our place is a 20 ha biodynamic farm in Nature park Serra da Estrela, in center of Portugal. We will start our olive harvest next week 26th of November, and will be picking until 22th of December. You can stay from a week up to 4 weeks. We pick from Monday to Friday, from 09.00 - 12.00 and 13.00 - 16.00. Weekends free. Picking is by hand and with so-called pneumatic Batapalmes. You are outdoors all the time, unless it rains, then we have to stop. The work is sometimes easy, selecting the olives, and sometimes a bit harder hitting the branches, you certainly get dirty. But to see the golden olive oil pressed is a great experiences. We offer a shared room with private bathroom. We need 8 volunteers, of whom one can cook for the group (or in turns). On our farm we have sheep, horses, dogs and cats.
We are 15 km from Guarda, easy to be reached by bus and train.
Gardening
Cooking / shopping
Farmstay
Animal care
Although we are foreigners here, we take integration in the local community very serious, work together with local people as much as we can, drink beers with them in the local bars, and share our stories.
We need help in both our farming and our hospitality activities, see below more specific.
GARDEN: we have a vegetable garden which needs attention all year round. In late winter we start preparing the soil, sowing in the greenhouse, preparing irrigation. In early spring we start planting and sowing into the garden (for own use and seed multiplication). From late spring we start the harvest of the veggies, fruits and herbs to the end of October. During September and October we also start making preserves of the remainders of the garden, and planting winter vegetables.
ORCHARDS: the almond and cherry orchards need to be prepared in early spring, the cherries are ripe in June (we will make jams and lots of cherry cakes), almonds are ready in September. They need pruning after the harvest seasons.
OLIVE HARVEST: we harvest the olives in November/December.
HEMP: we sow the hemp at the end of March and we harvest it in May and June. After a drying period of a couple weeks we start processing the hemp into therapeutical oils (CBD) in July.
ANIMALS: we have sheep, horses, and chickens. (and dogs and cats)
GENERAL MAINTENANCE: farm life is a busy life and there is always general maintenance to do, such as, repairing fences, removing brambles and bushes, clearing natural wells, cutting wood, etc.
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FESTIVALS: in the summer we host a couple 7 day festivals (in 2018 there will be 2) and for that we are looking for volunteers that can help is with about anything.
We could use your help from 15 July to 15 August, minimum stay 2 weeks (either the first or last 2 weeks). Contact us for more info!
ACCOMMODATION: in May and June we need to put up tents and install/prepare the outdoor facilities (Summer Bar, Dance Beach, Dining Terrace, campsite, swimming pools, etc).
If you have any questions regarding our activities, just ask us.
Dutch, English, German, Portuguese
In summer you share a tent (we have a bed, bedlinnen and towels for you) with the other volunteers on our campsite. In winter you'll sleep in one of our rooms (each with 2 beds, bedlinnen and towels for you, war, shower, and electric heating).
The Serra da Estrela is the largest Nature park of Portugal. This is really rugged nature, great for walking or cycling. In the direct neighbourhood you find medieval villages, the interesting city of Guarda is at 15 km. Bus and train go to Guarda, then you take the taxi to our farm.
This is a very rural area, small villages as if in medieval times. It is very quiet, beautiful nature, clean air.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
