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Ours is a multidisciplinary Project in a typical farm in Asturias where we practice agroecology, gardening, nature courses, the responsible use of natural resources, spirituality, ethnobotanics and traditions by creating a kind of retirement in the middle of the mountains. We are a young couple (Germán from Andalucia and Mario from Austria) fallen in love with the nature of Asturias. Early in our educational training we decided to form ourselves and work in the areas of gardening, nursery of plants, environmental education, organic farming and teaching to share our skills. Finally our fascination for nature and the countryside germinated and rooted in a magic and unique place.
The farm is located in a small village called Camales very close to the city of Oviedo. About 7 people are living in this village which is at distance of only 5km from Trubia, where you can find all kind of stores and services, with local buses and trains that go to Oviedo. The train from Trubia to Oviedo it’s only a 15 min trip. Despite of that this area has mantained the spirit of country life where you can find green, prolific valleys with their meadows and vast woodlands, our constant companions are the singing of the birds and the soft sound of distant cow bells. Fresh fountains and crystal clear rivers with trouts and other rare animals can be found in our surroundings. Not very far from us we found bear footprints last spring.
You can send us a message and we can let you have more details about us.
We are starting to put into shape our dream of a harmonic natural country life. It is a project in the first phases of execution, in which the development needs collaboration together with our knowledge to give them form across different areas as the following ones:
- Selfsuficiency: We try to make a selfproduction for the things we can need during the year and exchange the excedents to get what we can not produce. We also want to be independent with ecoenergies.
- Gardening: We are designing a therapeutic garden using not only ornamental plants but also useful and healing ones. Our plant collection has a rose section in progress with more than 300 varieties.
-Agroecology: A small recently planted plot with diverse fruit trees and an organic orchard has been established. Our goal is to use heritage and heirloom varieties typical for our climatic zone, avoiding the usage of infertile modern hybrids (To obtain more food sovereignty). We elaborate many products with the fruits or vegetables obtained as jams, dehydrated fruit, etc.
- Farm: 3 years ago the first animals moved to our farm. Now at the beginning we have started to build up our own organic meat and egg production by breeding our own chickens and rabbits. These are the first steps to ethic consumption and in direction to self-sufficiency. We have a livestock for milk (5 sheeps) and in the future will add a donkey (which could help us with the labour). We want to choose autochthones animal species, typical to our region and climatic conditions. This way we also contribute maintaining these farm animals which always have been forming part of the Asturian countryside. Nowadays they are in danger to be replaced completely by a few modern and universal hybrid breeds.
- Ethnobotanic: Nature can offer us through the seasons almost everything we need. Therefore we are rediscovering the uses of plants and forest fruits in nature’s pantry just in front of our door. We can base our diet partly on healthy wild plants which are extremely richer in contents than our actual grown and domesticated vegetables.
- Agroforestry: We want to establish a small auto-sustainable fruit forest by using wild fruit plants, berries and culinary herbs re-foresting small abandoned and burned areas with natural species. As well as to contribute with the plantation of species that attract bees and recovery of the better habitat for the maintenance of the bees, incorporating beehives. This way we also can obtain honey.
Jardinería
Construcción
Mantenimiento / bricolage
Ayuda en una granja
Ayuda en proyecto ecológico
Ayuda en casa
Ayuda con animales
Projecto artístico
We can share and offer the following to the volunteers:
- Knowledge on growing plants and taking care of the livestock in the best possible conditions of our local ecosystem.
- Recovering knowledge of using wild animals, flora, mushrooms.
- Learning how to live in systems with closed consumption cycles (growing vegetables with own resources, organic eggs and meat from our own chicken and rabbits, recycling and preparing compost, etc.)
- The experience to live a natural rhythm, using what nature offers by doing traditional activities specific to each season of the year: Gathering of wild plants, hazelnuts and chestnuts, mushrooms, apples for cyder, making canned food, etc.
- Amplifying your knowledge on ornamental and crop plants: Identifying and classification, methods of propagation, growing youngplants, specific needs of different varieties and much more.
- Maintenance techniques for the garden: Pruning ornamental shrubs, fertilization, planting, recognizing and bio-treatments against pests and diseases, etc.
- Heritage and local techniques using available resources for fences, cares of the gardens, etc.
- Language Exchange ( we speak Spanish, Germán, English and French). Sharing culinary cultural traditions (Andalusian, Asturian, Austrian dishes, etc.).
- A healthy course of day and life, following the natural rhythm, the hours of light and the tranquility of a small village next to lush woods, far away from stress and consumerism of our todays’ society.
We have a last minute vacancy for August.
The activities we require help are mostly: Taking care of the farm animals, vegetable, fruit and ornamental gardens, manufacturing products from our fruits or vegetables or from the forest, building restoration, weeding, cleaning and maintenance of abandoned land and old pathways, preparing compost and natural phytosanitary products, recovery of traditions, use of natural resources, identification of plants and seeds, etc.
We are looking for responsible volunteers who enjoy nature, animals, plants, gardening, organic farming, good working, the tranquility of the countryside to disconnect from cities and machines, cultural and cooking exchange, hiking… The mínimum stay is 2 but we prefer 3/4 weeks. {so please don't write if you only have one week or less) We will consider specially volunteers with some experience or with skills that could be usefull for us, and for longer stays.As we are a farm with animal production we prefer not vegan volunteers. And as we have many different animals is not easy for us to recieve people with dogs.
The course of a normal week on the farm is usually organized in a way that each day a different activity can be done. This helps to avoid monotonous works and to alternate easy and powerful activities. There are also certain activities which need to be done each day of the week (with the animals) and others which are complementary according to the season and the resources available for harvesting and the elaboration of products. this will also depends a little bit on the climatic conditions, for especially rainy days alternative activities will be prepared, which can be done under sheltered places.
If someone is interested to come, when you contact us please send us an email where we can send more complete information about us.
Spanish, English, German, French
The house where the volunteers will be accommodated is in a neighbouring village called Trasmuria, 2,5 km from our farm, in a traditional Asturian house with an ‘Horreo’ (old type of a traditional wooden storage building). It is settled in a sunny valley with a view of wonderful meadows and hills with high snow-covered mountaintops in the background. The house is maintained in an old traditional style with its own woodstove but at the same time offering all the comforts of modern life.
The accomodation consists of two independent bedrooms: one with a doublebed and the other with two beds, one bathroom, one living room and one kitchen. There is another additional bedroom which can be used during the summer months in the Horreo. Outside we have a huge sheltered terrace under the Horreo and also a roofed balcony where you can enjoy some of your meals, relax in the sun, read a book , etc.
There is small vegetable garden next to house and two more in the surroundings where you can get some vegetables for cooking. We also have some homemade preserves and marmelades and we provide the rest of things you can need to prepare your meals. The main meal at lunch we use to make it in the place where we will be working, for the volunteers to have a meal together sharing different traditional dishes from Asturias, Spain, Andalucia, Austria, Vegetarian, etc or from the volunteer's cuisine.
In the centre of the village of Sama de Grado there is a Public Social Center with free WIFI connection open from 10 am to 10 pm with books, games, tv, etc. The companies of telephone that work better in the zone of the house and the farm are Vodafone and Orange. With these it is possible to use the mobile as wifi-usb.
From the accommodation to the farm (where the majority of the tasks are done) it’s a walk of about 30 minutes which leads you through the authentic rural surroundings with meadows, small forests, rivers, fountains and ‘magical spots’.
During free days or any afternoon many different excursions to very close attractions can be made: The Guanga Waterfalls, The Paths of the Bears, The Defile of the Xanas (Asturian Goddesses of Love), The Rute of the Avandoned towns of Grado. You can find big woods with paths for hiking, collect mushrooms, etc. just 100 m. from your accommodation.
In the close vicinity it is possible to enjoy a cultural visit to Oviedo, to visit traditional farm markets in Grado and Oviedo and the thermal baths of Las Caldas, only to mention some of the nearest. It’s even possible to make the original Way of Saint James from Oviedo to Santiago de Compostela (13 stages). We have an extended list with proposals of interesting activities and places depending on the distance and the time which each activity requires.
Acceso a Internet
Acceso a Internet limitado
Tenemos animales
Somos fumadores
Más de dos
5 hours a day, 5 days a week
