Permaculture and horses in the petite-nation of Québec, Canada

Details

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  Description

  We are Tristan and Jesse, a young couple in the Pétite-Nation of Québec, with dreams of a Nordic style permaculture organic farm. When the opportunity to buy and revive a historic farm came at the beginning of the pandemic, we scooped it up and chose to start the journey! Our project is still in the infant stages, with lots of renovation and repair to our historic barn and 140 year old farmhouse. We have 2 Norwegian Fjord horses that we have started draft training to replace the use of a tractor in the fields and for riding lessons, free range chickens, pastured rabbits, maple syrup production, wild mushroom foraging, as well as agriculture in the form of veggies, fruits, herbs, and medicinal flowers and teas... and 3 awesome cats!
  
  We are looking to host travelers from 1 May to 15 October!
  What love to work with people who are:
  *motivated and positive!
  *animal and nature-loving
  *willing to help with tasks around the house, like dishes and cleaning
  *love to learn
  *good physical endurance
  *good sense of humor! :)
  
  What we offer in exchange for your efforts of 20-25 flexible hours of work per week:
  *Accommodation in a private room in our house
  *Wifi access
  *Quality food (often organic/local/grown or raised ourselves)
  *Learning on any subject we can teach you! Examples: carpentry, leather working, lactofermentation, pickling, & preserving food, local fauna, horse psychology & animal training, handling of various tools, horse riding, construction skills, forestry, organic and permaculture concepts... but also boardgames, chess, historical European martial arts (sword fighting/fencing!), art and sewing, traditional Québec music and culture, and more!
  *Possibility of access to a car
  *Washing machine
  *Unlimited fresh eggs from our henhouse
  
  What we won't provide:
  *All-you-can-eat food and extra food (like sweets, alcohol, soda, chips, etc)
  
  
  Work tasks will include organic and permaculture agriculture work, caring for animals, helping us repair, maintain, and build Infrastructure around the farm, food and harvest conservation (dehydrating, jams & jellies, pickling, lactofermentation), forest and land management on our 73 acres. Because it's the two of us, we have a LOT of varied tasks and a full schedule of projects for the coming season! We would love to have motivated people who are willing to learn! If you have experience already that's awesome, and even if you have no experience but are willing to learn, we are more than happy to teach you what we know! We speak mainly French, and English on our farm, with the language in our area being mostly French/Québecois.
  
  We are the only farm in our village of Montpellier, Québec, situated in between gigantic lakes and gorgeous mountains. We currently are establishing all the infrastructure and doing all the repairs necessary, while developing our experience with permaculture and animal products and husbandry. We grow and raise our own food, and love being able to share with family and friends. When we're not working we profit from the natural beauty in the area, swimming almost daily in the lakes in the area, hiking, playing and spending time with friends. We love boardgames and movie nights, bonfires, meeting new people, good food & good stories!
  
  Tristan- Nearly a decade of experience on organic farms, teaches competitive sword fighting, LOVES chess and other board and card games, military history, taught high school ethics and religion, participates in Viking reenactment and fighting, hitchhiked all over Canada and many countries, horse rider and trainer, loves traditional Québec music and culture, longtime LARPer and animator for medieval summer camp, loves cooking and hates wasting food!
  
  Jesse- Worked as a hairstylist/colorist for ~10 years in New York City before relocating to help start the farm, artist and craftswoman including leatherworking, costuming, painting, hide tanning, digital art and design, loves board games, medieval/historical costuming and dress, LARPer and sword fighter, loves growing flowers and gardening, hiking and profiting from nature, playing the flute, craft beer and whiskey, horse riding and training, and developing our farm project!
  
  Our project is still in its infant stages, meaning we're are not a commercial enterprise.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  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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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  The richness of the land here is immense, and would be perfect for anyone looking to get closer to nature. Tristan is especially excited to share traditional Québec music, culture, and history. We can offer the opportunity to practice and improve your French or English, to treat yourself to an arcadian escape from bustling city life, to learn about diverse and sustainable agriculture, and to share in our culture of young farmers committed to improving the planet and changing the definition of "traditional" agriculture.

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  Projects involving children

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

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  Help

  Organic and permaculture agriculture work: planting, weeding, preparing and applying compost teas and natural compost fertilizer, harvesting, rinsing, and prepping produce, seed harvesting, manipulating row covers and watering, etc.
  
  Caring for animals: feeding grain and forage, transporting and giving water, repairing enclosures, moving small animal tractors, cleaning enclosures, moving bales of hay.
  
  Helping us repair, maintain, and build Infrastructure around the farm: using various manual and power tools, cutting, sawing and manipulating wood, digging, moving heavy objects, mixing and pouring concrete, building and installing enclosures and fencing, etc.
  
  Food and harvest conservation: dehydrating herbs, produce and jerky, making jams & jellies, pickling, lactofermentation (like sauerkraut and kimchi), etc.
  
  Forest and land management: cutting trees for wood and forest diversification, amending earth and soil, maintaining roads and trails, moving logs, installing drains, etc.
  
  Our project is still in its infant stages, meaning we're are not a commercial enterprise.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  Tristan is proficient in Spanish, and we would both love to speak it and learn it more!
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  Accommodation

  We have two rooms in our house available. A single room, and a double room that would be perfect for couples or traveling companions. We share all the food in the house, and cook together the majority of the time. Very often we make the meals made for you, but there will be times when you will do your own cooking as well. We all share in dishes and cleaning, and generally expect you to clean up after yourself.

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  What else ...

  We are perfectly situated in an area rich in nature. We have forest and mountain on our land, and are right next to multiple lakes and rivers, and can offer access to kayaks and canoes. There are multiple parks in the area to experience excellent hiking, fishing, and gorgeous views. Tristan is especially excited to share traditional Québec music, culture, and history. We are also only 2 hours away from Montreal, 1.5 hours away from the Canadian capital, Ottawa, near the historic village of Montebello, and less than an hour from Mt. Tremblant and the picturesque Laurentides region.
  
  In short, our area is incredibly rich in nature and land and would be perfect for anyone who appreciates outdoor activities of all kinds alongside wholesome small village and farm life.

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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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  Can host digital nomads

  We've recently had work done on our internet connection, and while it's not lightning fast, it is now consistent and reliable.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We can't provide septic and electricity services to a vehicle such as an RV, but you are welcome to park your setup on our land if you'd like! You will of course still have access to the house for water, showers, cooking, camaraderie, etc.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  We are open to almost any pet! However, be advised that we have large animals (horses), pigs, and lots of birds and small animals (chickens, peacocks, ducks, rabbits and cats), and we do live on a public road, so your animal must be well behaved enough to NOT chase or kill our small animals and cats, NOT dig in the gardens, NOT snap at or chase our horses, and NOT play in the road! We accept zero liability for any injury to your animal, and you will be responsible if your animal kills or injures one of ours! Also, we expect you to manage your animal's waste (i.e. don't let your dog poop all over our yard, or if it does, clean up after it). Warnings aside, we love dogs and are looking get our first dog this year! I think a well behaved, well trained dog would have an awesome time here and would certainly be a welcome addition! We also have a lot of friends with dogs who visit regularly. If your dog or animal is accustomed to lots of other animals and people around, with no problems, then we would love to host you!

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  Hours expected

  20-25 hours a week on a flexible schedule

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