Help on a small homestead near Ottawa, Canada

Infos

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  Description

  URGENT:
  ***
  I am currently looking for people with gardening skills.
  ***
  
  I have a small homestead (~40 acres) with many different animals (horses, cows, poultry, bees). There are perennial gardens, as well as fruit trees and fields. There is always lots of work with the animals and the gardens, as well as processing wood for the furnace that heats the house in the winter.
  I try to use organic and ecologically friendly practices whenever possible and to keep chemical usage to a minimum.
  A lot of the food we eat on the farm is grown by ourselves.
  The farm is very close to Ottawa (45 minutes) as well as to Quebec and the US border (approximately 2 hours), thus offering a lot of opportunities to explore and vacation as part of your volunteering visit.
  
  Please note:
  This is not a business. During winter, I typically like to find people, who are looking to be part of a community and willing to commit to a longer term stay, usually 3-5 months, if things work out after a 1 month trial. After that time period, we can also discuss options.
  
  We usually accept short term (one month) helpers during the summer and early fall – please contact us.
  Our minimum WorkAway stay is normally 4 weeks, unless you have a very special skill set applicable to our current projects (see more below).
  You do NOT have to be vaccinated to come here.
  Also, we have a strict NO smoking/vaping policy on the farm, that includes outside. We also have a policy against drug or alcohol abuse or overuse (a glass of beer or wine with dinner is perfectly OK, or medicinal use of cannabis is also OK) – but if you get drunk or high on the premise, you'll be asked to leave.
  
  
  IMPORTANT NOTE ON DIET:
  Please note that I am not set up to provide a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, although we do eat meatless meals occasionally. While I can fully understand that some people do not want factory-farmed meat (I don't want it either – that is why I farm), I believe that a healthy soil-food-web requires grazing animals and as such, some of the animals are raised for meat. I expect that people coming here are ready to eat what the farm has to offer and what is stored in our freezers. I can usually work around food sensitivities (such as gluten or nuts), but there's too much contamination if you have any really severe, life threatening allergies.
  
  SHORT TERM STAYS:
  Sometimes people inquire about staying only for a few days. If you are someone with special skills (carpentry, masonry, expert gardener, etc.) that are relevant to one of our current projects, where you could really help make a difference in a few days, I may make an exception to our regular minimum stay policy for you.
  Other than that, I am really not setup for short term stays, as they represent quite a bit of work and upheaval for me and the animals.
  If you think you may qualify for a short-term stay, please don't hesitate to contact me to discuss! :-)
  
  WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO KNOW?
  People often read the comments and then ask after my late husband Fernando. Sadly, Fernando and I were parted after 37 happy years together, when I lost him to a rare cancer in 2020. Just so you realize that he is no longer with us. Still living at the farm are myself, my mother-in-law, as well as my brother-in-law and his partner and a most adorable cat named Wadsworth (Wadsie), amongst all the other farm creatures.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Compagnie pour pers. âgée

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général

  Aide informatique/internet
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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 will learn about living on a small homestead, using permaculture principles, in a multi-cultural family with backgrounds from Europe and South America, where we speak English, German and Spanish. You'll be close to Canada's capital, which offers many cultural attractions, also close to Quebec with its own unique culture in Canada and only 1.5 hours away from the Canada US border.

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  Aide

  Longterm help is usually required over the winter. That means looking after animals, the greenhouse, the wood furnace and handling firewood. Please note that you need a certain physical strength to do these tasks.
  Help with cooking and housekeeping is always appreciated as well.

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  Langues parlées

  Allemand: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Courant

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  Hébergement

  For now, in a guest room in our house.

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  Autres infos...

  Visitors are always treated like they are family - you'll be living in the main house and we'll often have meals together.
  If you have an international or Canadian Driver's license, have driven for 4 years or more and are over 21, then we can also lend you our car occasionally. Otherwise we can take you to the bus stop etc., so you can take public transportation for your outings.
  Please note that I am not set up to provide a strict vegetarian or vegan diet, although we do eat meatless meals occasionally. While I can fully understand that some people do not want factory-farmed meat and I would never force that on anyone (in fact, I don't want it either – that is why I farm), I believe that a healthy soil-food-web requires grazing animals and as such, some of the animals are raised for meat. I expect that people coming here are ready to eat what the farm has to offer and what we have stored in our freezers.
  Also, we have a strict NO smoking/vaping policy on the farm, that includes outside. We also have a policy against drug or alcohol abuse or overuse (a glass of beer or wine with dinner is perfectly OK, or medicinal use of cannabis is also OK) – but if you get drunk or high on the premise, you'll be asked to leave.

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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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  Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

  Note, while we have decent connectivity, our rural internet is NOT good enough for long or frequent Zoom meetings etc. (particularly not more than one at a time).

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  Always inquire first. We may or may not have space depending on who else we're hosting at the time.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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