Come and help on our homestead on Vancouver Island, Canada

Canada

updated Last minute

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27
Last activity
25/09/2020
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97.5 %
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within 3 days
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2020

Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks

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Description
Looking for a couple to come and help on our homestead starting Oct 1st.

Hello and welcome to the West Coast of Canada!

☀️ Fall is here and our family is looking for a couple to help around our homestead, orchard and garden! We ask for 25 hours a week (9am to 12pm/1pm to 3pm) in exchange for food and accommodations in a private home on our farm.

***Please note that a car for getting around to the grocery store and exploring the area is required as we are a 30 minutes from town (Courtenay), 15 minutes from a grocery store.***

ACCOMMODATIONS
Last year we were blessed with being able to move into our log home on the farm, so we now have a 2nd home to offer to volunteers! Accommodations are provided in the 2nd home on the farm. We provide $100/week for groceries so you will do all your own cooking and once a week we share a meal in our home.

ABOUT US
We are a family of 5 and are located in the beautiful Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. Our Certified Organic farm is 73 acres and we have devoted our lives to raising animals on pasture to produce the highest quality meat and milk products. We have a small herd of beef cows, a few laying hens, ducks, geese and 2 milk cows for home use to make our own butter and yogurt. During the pasture season we raise heritage hogs on pasture and meat chickens.

We love sharing our passion for regenerative agriculture with travelers from around the world! Our goal is to provide a fun and interesting work environment to our volunteers.

LOCAL ACTIVITIES
- Our farm has a beautiful 2 acre pond with a paddle boat where you can see wildlife such as beavers.
- We are surrounded by a wonderful bike trail system that leads to the Tsolum River for swimming on hot days.
- There is a fire pit for volunteers for after work and enjoying with a cold beer.
- We try to host a group dinner once a week in our log home with food from the farm to visit and get to know each other.
- We are 10km from Miracle Beach nature park and sandy Saratoga beach.
- Nymph Falls is 25 minutes away, (our favorite place to go!) with amazing swimming and cliff jumping.
- We are right under Mount Washington, the the best mountain on the Island for hiking, snowboarding and skiing.
- We are next door to one of the biggest Wineries in the Comox Valley, Coast Black Winery.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Gardening
General Maintenance
Farmstay help
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Regenerative Agriculture
Mananagment Intensive Grazing
Organic Garden and Orchard
Holistic Management
Permaculture
Irrigation systems
Opportunity to live and work with travelers from all over the world.
Learn new languages and skills.
Help
- Homestead maintenance such as chopping/stacking firewood.
- Assisting with planting, weeding our home garden.
- Mulching/composting/weeding our home orchard.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Accommodation
Private bedroom available in 2nd home on the farm.
Private RV's are also available for volunteers who will share the mobile home for common areas/kitchen.

Use of common areas kitchen/living room and utilities are included (electricity, wifi, heat, etc.)
Bedding is also included so you don't have to bring your own!
What else ...
Our team members get to experience life in one of the most beautiful places in Canada -- Vancouver Island. The Comox Valley area around us has beautiful beaches, rivers, forests, hiking, snowboarding/skiing on Mount Washington, surfing, whale watching, fishing and more.

We are located about a 10 minute car ride to the closest amenities and 20 minutes from Courtenay, a city of 30,000 people. A personal vehicle is suggested if you want to explore Vancouver Island. If you don't bring a vehicle, there are bus systems to get you around and we have bikes for your use.

*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT OFFER VISA INVITATION LETTERS*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️WE DO NOT ACCEPT SMOKERS*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️
A little more information
- Internet access
- Limited internet access
- We have pets
- We are smokers
- Can host families
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
Hours expected
5 hours a day, 5 days a week.

Photos

Our log home.

Volunteer's kitchen in 2nd home.

Volunteer's common area in 2nd home.

Private bedroom for volunteer in 2nd home.

Show all photos

Beautiful local beaches

Time off spent on the boat on the pond

Feedback left by and about host (27)

These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.

Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)

Cultural exchange:
(5.0)

Communication:
(5.0)

06/09/2020

Left by Workawayer (Marguerite) for host

We had the best time at the farm this summer! Kris, Britt and the girls form a wonderful family. We were welcomed with opened arms and decided to stay much longer than we initially planned. We got to learn a lot with Kris around the farm. We were not big on animals before getting there but now we have a totally different perspective of what it is… read more

(Excellent )

01/08/2020

Left by Workawayer (Tegan & Kane) for host

We stayed with Kris and Britt at their beautiful farm for 2.5 weeks in June this year. They were kind enough to take us on last minute as we found ourselves out of paid work due to COVID. We had a great time working for them, and really enjoyed our stay at the farm. We were there in late Spring so almost all of our work involved weeding the… read more

(Excellent )

20/07/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Hannes)

Hannes was a wonderful person to host. His communication skills were top notch, and his ability to drive equipment was very helpful around the farm. His dog was well behaved and was no problem at all. We would highly recommend him.

(Excellent )

03/06/2019

Left by Workawayer (Juliane) for host

I had a wonderful time at Kris and Britt´s place and enjoyed to work with them. It was interesting to see how a Demeter farm is working and Kris seemed to be happy to answer all my questions about it. Work is physical and can be simple, but richt in variety, so you never get bored. They offer some of the food they produce and have a very fair… read more

(Excellent )

19/05/2019

Left by host for Workawayer (Christoph)

Chris was a phenomenal help when he was here. We really enjoyed hosting him and would definitely recommend Chris!

(Excellent )

18/02/2019

Left by Workawayer (Georgia) for host

I had an enjoyable few weeks helping on this farm; Kris and Britt were great hosts and are truly passionate about organic farming. Yes, the reviews about the food are true, Britt is an amazing cook and most of the produce you will eat is from the farm.

The Island experienced heavy (and unexpected) snow fall during the end of my stay which I was… read more

(Excellent )

21/10/2018

Left by Workawayer (Ryan) for host

Couldn't have asked for a better first workaway experience. Kris and Britt were super friendly and welcoming, the accommodation was great, food was awesome and the work was enjoyable and rewarding. The local area is also full of surprising gems that made the time off a ton of fun.

All the best for the future and thanks for having me.

(Excellent )

26/06/2018

Left by Workawayer (Clare & Eric) for host

Kris and Brit are wonderful hosts and we will remember our experience forever. Brit makes delicious food, and Kris is a very dedicated farmer. The farm is beautiful, the work is sometimes hard - but always fair, and you can trust that your tasks are meaningful. You will learn many things, eat great food, and make new friends. We hope to see them… read more

(Excellent )

25/06/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Clare & Eric)

We really enjoyed hosting Eric and Clare! They excelled in tasks which needed a lot of attention to detail and they took a lot of pride in their work which was a great quality to have on the farm. We wish them all the best in wherever life takes them.

(Excellent )

25/06/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Jana )

Jana and Caleb were some of the most hard working volunteers we've had yet :) We very much enjoyed their company and conversations around the dinner table. And we are so thankful for the drone photos they took of our farm which we added to our social media!

(Excellent )

03/05/2018

Left by Workawayer (Martin & Emma) for host

We spent three weeks with Britt and Kris on their farm. We mainly spent the time outside composting the orchard or tending to the animals. We especially liked collecting and packing all the eggs for market. The majority of the food we ate came from the farm and was postively delicious- Britt really knows how to make the produce shine. We already… read more

(Excellent )

26/04/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Martin & Emma)

We had a really great 2 weeks hosting Martin and Emma. They were a huge help to us on getting ahead on our orchard work for the season! Their dedication to running and athletic training is impressive, and our daughter enjoyed their vegetarian cooking :)

(Excellent )

26/02/2018

Left by host for Workawayer (Lasse)

It was a pleasure to host Lasse. He is a nice guy and is skilled in many trades (wood work, building, electrical etc) which was a huge help for us in the off season when we have many projects on the go. He is someone that you can definitely feel comfortable leaving alone on a job and have it done right. He is also the quickest egg washer we have… read more

(Excellent )

10/02/2018

Left by Workawayer (Lasse) for host

I had a great first workaway experience at the farm. Building tractors for the chicken, set up fences for the pigs or work on their new log house was always fun! The provided food is always delicous and high quality organic grown. The "Bacon and Beef tongue sandwich" was my personal facvorite! Honestly! It is delicous.
In your brakes you will… read more

(Excellent )

07/09/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Laurence & Isobel)

Laurence and Bella stayed with us on our farm for 2 weeks and we had a really great time hosting them! The couple are some of the most polite and sweet guests we've had so far. Although they are young in years they are very very mature! They are very hardworking and i'd recommend them to anyone looking for extra help. Good luck on your travels!

(Excellent )

03/09/2017

Left by Workawayer (Laurence & Isobel) for host

We had a wonderful time at Kris and Britt's farm, and enjoyed all of our tasks - there is good variety, they are very conscious of your needs and make it interesting for you! There are many opportunities to learn new things if you are interested in farming and permaculture and soapmaking, and we had the amazing experience of getting to make our… read more

(Excellent )

28/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Tanja)

Tanja and Cora spent 2 weeks on our farm and were a huge help when they was here, from labeling soap products to very physical tasks like chasing pigs for 2 hours (oops haha), they were great! We really enjoyed hosting them and learning about teaching life in Germany! We wish them all the best and would recommend them as workawayers.

(Excellent )

28/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Tanja) for host

Me and my friend stayed here for 2 weeks and we had a great time!!
Brit and Kris are two very friendly people and try to provide you a good time at the farm! The work is quite rich in Variety so that you never get bored! Working schedule is also great and Brit and Kris stick zu the schedule so that you never Work more than 5 h a day.
Staying in… read more

(Excellent )

26/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Charlotte & Paul) for host

Britt and Kris took us in last-minute and hosted us for an amazing three weeks. We set up our tent in the loft of their unfinished log house and we really loved it up there.
Our tasks included weeding the orchard, planting seeds, watering trees, catching chickens, harvesting vegetables, sanding the beautiful log house, making soap and tooth… read more

(Excellent )

07/08/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Charlotte & Paul)

Paul and Charlotte were a pleasure to host. They were always up for doing any task and always put in full effort. They were polite and wonderful around our young child. They helped us get caught up on our orchard weeding which is a tedious task. They also helped us keep up with garden work and our house/building project. We highly recommend Paul… read more

(Excellent )

06/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (Natalia & Pedro) for host

Britt and Kris were amazing hosts! This was out first experience through workaway and it couldn't have been better. They are very caring and always trying to please us for the hard work we've done! The food is amazing, the farm is beautiful. We could only stay one week and wish we could've stayed more! Thank you for being so welcoming, we learned… read more

(Excellent )

03/08/2017

Left by Workawayer (George & Catriona ) for host

Kris and Brittany were great hosts and we had an awesome two weeks on their farm...we helped with lots of different tasks including weeding the orchard, stacking logs and labelling products for Brittany's soap company...the food was amazing and we were really well looked after and learned a lot about their farm :)...and most important of all we… read more

(Excellent )

21/07/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (George & Catriona )

George and Cat stayed with us on our farm for 2 weeks and were such a huge help when they were here! They gladly helped on whatever task we needed them for and they were lovely around our 8 month old daughter. We would welcome them back anytime!

(Excellent )

23/07/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Zachary)

Zachary stayed with us on our farm and contributed a helping hand where we needed him. He's an intelligent hard working young man and was much appreciated during his time with us. Id highly recommend him to help with any project!

(Excellent )

22/07/2017

Left by Workawayer (Zachary) for host

I stayed with Kris and Brittany on their farm for only a week but it was a week well worth spent. The work was never too difficult and many times it was a lot of fun! Such as catching hundreds of chickens! It was cool to learn about all that goes on at their farm as well as Brittany's soap company. We were always well fed with delicious and… read more

(Excellent )

20/07/2017

Left by host for Workawayer (Gabriela)

Gabby was delightful to host! She stayed with us for 2 weeks and during that time she was a huge help to our farm. She has a very positive outlook and brings joyfulness to all situations and tasks. We have an 8 month old daughter who usually experiences seperation anxiety/shyness around new people but she took to Gabby right away and was… read more

(Excellent )

12/07/2017

Left by Workawayer (Gabriela) for host

It was a great learning experience to work for Brittany & Kris. They are very welcoming and don't mind sharing their knowledge on different farming technics. The food they provide is always delicious, and mostly all of it comes from the farm. I got the opportunity to taste many different vegetables, meats & recipes that I've never had before. The… read more

(Excellent )

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Host ref number: 887564131642

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