Help process tree to bar chocolate on family farm in mountains of Veraguas, Panamá

Infos

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  Description

  Our farm is under-going renovations in the family house and on the land. We are looking for help in every aspect of the chocolate production process.
  
  There will be periods that we are also living on site, and periods when we are living off the farm, but close by. So, you would mostly have the farm to yourself.
  
  We are a homeschooling and homesteading family. We began the farm in 2012 and grow cacao, coffee, and many fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices. We sell fine artisan chocolate bars and do all processing on site.
  
  The farm is located about 7 km north of the small town of Santa Fe, on the Rio Santa Maria, on the edge of the Parque Nacional de Santa Fe.
  
  Rachel is a Zen Shiatsu massage therapist and teaches yoga and meditation. She is dedicated to human relationships with nature, growing food, and natural healing.
  
  Andros is almost 13 years old and he loves photography, art, crafts, birds, frogs, and all critters. His favorite past times are birding, hiking, going to the river, archery, fencing, and playing baseball.
  
  Ocean is away for a few years, but was the main builder, planter, and visionary behind the farm- a horticulturist, plant biologist, permaculture designer, artist, and jack of all trades.
  
  Our neighbors have a lot to offer and exchange, such as kids who visit to learn, play, and do art/crafts; as well as adults and elderly who enjoy teaching their crafts and knowledge of medicinal, artesanal, architectural, and culinary use of local plants. The local community is still rooted in a traditional subsistance farming lifestyle, practicing lifestyles rich in traditional knowledge and culture. It is truly a blessing to exchange with this local community.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Jardinage d'entretien

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Aide dans une ferme

  Petits travaux d'entretien

  Garde de maison et d'animaux
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Ferme

  

  Culture

  

  Écriture

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Photographie

  

  Musique

  

  Histoire

  

  Jardinage

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Bricolage / artisanat

  

  Cuisine et alimentation

  

  Menuiserie

  

  Livres

  

  Architecture

  

  Animaux

  

  Art et design

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Nature

  

  Montagne

  

  Randonnée

  

  Fitness

  

  Danse

  

  Camping

  

  Sports d'aventure
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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

  Santa Fe is home to a still thriving traditional Panamanian campesino culture. Many neighbors are talented artisans and traditional musicians. The area has a rich history and there is much to learn from visiting with neighbors. Folks love to share their stories, especially since the youth are leaving for the city life and the elders know well that soon there will be noone left to carry on their cultural heritage. We have cultivated positive relationships with the community and feel blessed to have been embraced with warm hospitality by our neighbors.
  
  Our neighbors are mostly subsistance farmers, growing an abundance of food on an abundance of gorgeous fertile land. There is a general reverance for nature here and love of this campo life! We have learned so much about living close to nature from this culture! Bartering and gifting from harvest abundance is a lasting tradition here. There are very few foreigners in the area.

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  Projets impliquant des enfants

  Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

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  Aide

  The cacao trees are fighting off a fungal infection and need tending: pruning, painting with whitewash, spraying copper sulfate, a natural anti-fungal spray.
  
  The process of making chocolate from tree to bar requires multiple complex alchemical steps:
  Harvest and bean extraction
  Bean fermentation
  Drying beans in humid climate
  Roasting beans
  Winnowing beans
  Grinding and malanging beans
  Tempering chocolate and pouring bars
  Making farm grown chocolate bar ingredients (toasted coconut, candied orange zest, dried chili pepper flakes, etc...)
  Wrapping and labeling chocolate bars
  
  Ideal volunteers are:
  -conscious and responsible
  -warm and kind
  -Spanish speakers
  -comfortable living in the jungle, with rain, mud, bugs, and wild critters
  -active and physically healthy
  -capable of outdoor work
  -open to cultural exchange with neighbors who may stop by to visit
  -satisfied with a slow and peaceful lifestyle on the farm and surrounding rivers, waterfalls, forests
  -content to be 7km from Santa Fe town and 55km from the nearest city of Santiago: public transport and taxis are best modes of travel
  -willing to put in 15-20 hours of work a week
  -able to commit to a minimum of 2 weeks
  
  *Note about internet: we do not provide wifi, but a sim card can be purchased and weekly unlimited data plans are $6.50/7 days, with 3GB sharing

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Courant

  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

  Bedroom in the house on comfortable mattress. Use of entire house: kitchen, bathroom, hot water, washing machine.

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  Autres infos...

  The farm borders the Rio Santa Maria, where we have many trails that lead to different swimming holes, each more beautiful than the last! There is also a sacred site of petroglyphs within a five minute walk. A ten minute walk in the other direction leads you to the Parque Nacional de Santa Fe, and endless river and rainforest exploration. From here, the trails into primary forest go all the way to the Caribbean coast in a couple days' hike.
  
  A chiva (pickup with covered bed and bench seats) passes by the property every hour. It costs $1.50 one way to town and is more or less reliable. Taxis are available to go anywhere in the area, as well. For a weekend (or longer) trip to the Caribbean or Pacific beaches, buses leave from town and it only takes a few hours to get to a variety of beaches on either coastline!

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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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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Mes animaux

Sécurité du site

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