Help on our small farm near Penamacor, Portugal

Infos

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  Description

  Hi there!
  
  We are a smallholding on 5 hectares of stunning countryside in Castelo Branco region of Central Portugal. It's been 7 years since we've started our journey, and we finally feel like we know a bit more about what we are doing and can pass that knowledge along.
  
  We've started our farm enamoured with principles of permaculture, but the project evolved into a mishmash of different agricultural ideas, homesteading methods and anything else that works in harsh dry Portuguese summers. We are loving our experiments and are constantly looking at how to improve things even more!
  
  I guess you can say that we are a homestead, aiming for as much self-sufficiency as possible, growing veg organically all year round, raising livestock for food, preserving what we harvest and building infrastructure when and as needed.
  
  We keep sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, 3 adorable and well behaved dogs and a mob of farm cats. They are all well loved, free to roam and cared for really well. We respect people who follow principles of vegetarianism and veganism, but please be aware, that here autumn through spring we do process our excess livestock for food.
  
  In fact, we truly need help starting from November olive harvest until beginning of May. This is when we do the bulk of all the farm work: garden, process the animals and maintenance. If you want to learn these particular skills, we'll be happy to teach you.
  
  So, if you are energetic and enthusiastic individual/couple with interesting skills or a trade, we would love to have you here. We are looking for minimum of 2 weeks stay and up to 6 weeks depending on how we would get along. Your own car will be a huge advantage.
  
  You will have a room with a wood burner to stay, a small kitchen with a patio area, a composting toilet and access to a washing machine and a shower. We have plenty of books, yarn, access to Internet if you need to download something. You will be making your own breakfast, but we'll provide lunch and dinner on those days you want to work with us. We'd expect you to make your own meals on your days off.
  
  If you have your own transportation, caravan/motorhome, there is plenty of space on our land where you can park up. The local village is 5 km away, and has a bus stop with buses going to the nearest towns twice a day, it's also a perfectly idyllic countryside for cycling. Monsanto medieval village, Boom festival, Penamacor, Castelo Branco are all within 20-40 km radius from us.
  
  We love making good food from many different cuisines, so if your cooking or baking skills are rusty, we'll be happy to share our knowledge.
  
  We are in a secluded property but don't consider ourselves isolated at all. We are lucky to have a solid community of like-minded people around, and there will be many social gatherings you are welcome to attend with us during your stay.
  
  There is a simple, friendly atmosphere and down to earth, practical experience for those who need one in order to move onto your own adventure. We cook meat or fish 3-4 days a week, and vegetarian meals other times. If you are vegan, please let us know in advance as we best can accommodate you in summer months when there is a lot of produce in the garden. We would probably have an arrangement in place where we cook for you a couple of times a week but supply you with the ingredients from the garden the rest of the time so you can cook what you need yourself.
  
  If you have any questions, just email us and we'll be happy to help! Looking forward to hearing from you.
  
  Last thing. We can not accept people with dogs. All our animals are free range, and this place is unsuitable for pet dogs who are untrained for work with farm animals. Thank you for your understanding!
  
  Cheers ,
  Alex and Karina

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets artistiques

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  You can learn how to manage a small-holding confidently and about a myriad of tasks involved in it :) You can learn new skills and meet a lot of great like-minded people. We are here for extra help and hoping to learn some new skills from you too! We would love to practice our Portuguese if you speak it. All the best, Alex and Karina

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  Aide

  You would need to help with general chores on the farm: garden maintenance, animal care, and projects dictated by seasons: building, harvesting, making preserves, planting, collecting wood, etc. We are looking for a couple/a person at certain times of the year for a variety of tasks. A few days house/farm sitting might be involved.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Russe: Courant
  Portugais: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Cet hôte a indiqué qu’il souhaitait faire partager sa propre langue ou en apprendre une nouvelle.
  Contactez-le pour en savoir plus.
  
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  Hébergement

  A room to stay, a communal shower, kitchen, patio with a composting toilet.

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  Autres infos...

  There are lakes and parks around and one of the most beautiful medieval villages in Portugal, Monsanto. Spanish border is very close. Lots of interesting villages to explore on a bicycle. Medium sized towns of Penamacor and Idanha-a-Nova, big cities of Castelo Branco and Fundao. Stunning countryside.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Cet hôte a de la place pour les vans.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Nombre d'heures attendues

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

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