ColorlessTrees
Stuck
- Jan 4, 2022
- 261
To preface, this will be a very long account of personal experience. If you'd like more practical guide to WWOOFING, I will try to write something more organized.
WWOOF stands for worldwide opportunities on organic farms. Founded in 1971, it's a way to connect farmers in need of extra help with people looking to learn new skills, travel cheaply, or just to experience something new.
Since it's still rather niche, I thought I'd spread the word here: for those who have the ability to travel, it's a great way to get a change of pace and spent some time in nature. My experience is for now limited to the USA, but WWOOF is available, iirc, in over 100 countries:
EXPERIENCE 1
The first place I went to was a self sufficient homestead about 4 hours north of me (Central Texas); I stayed with small family for a week (father, mother, young son) in a nicely built and furnished cabin with a bed, full kitchen, and bathroom. My host was a polite, very religious raw food vegan. It was a bit awkward here, since I was also pretty incompetent, but that was more on my end.
I worked for 6 hours per day, Mon-Fri and starting at 10am. I was mostly cleaning up and helping with the construction of their air BNB house, since that's what they needed help with most. I know many who go into WWOOFING for the farm skills would complain about this, but I needed to work on my domestic skills anyway and the trade off for the lodging, food, and access to the land was fine by me. However, I did also replant and water some aloe; I even got to take one home, since I was local!
Favorite task here was painting windows and cabinets!
EXPERIENCE 2
Next, I went to what is my favorite of the three, a small blueberry/chestnut farm in Ohio run by a woman with three kids. I stayed for about a month in a cozy family environment, sleeping directly in the basement of their home. She was super laid back and kind, always happy to explain everything and appreciative of anything I did, especially outside of work hours. The kids, although I'm not too good with them, were also super friendly and sweet, although a massive handful. I can't gush enough about this place: the land was so open and green, no insects even in the beginning of summer, no stickerburrs, just beautiful.
I stayed for a little over a month, working for 5 hours daily, from 9am to 2-2:30pm. I got a wide variety of tasks here, some better than others: clearing brush in the woods, flushing antifreeze out of their tiny house, picking cherries, placing nets over said cherries, how to skin and gut an animal, planting new seeds, harvesting garlic scapes, weeding the thickest driest damn weeds on the planet (arthritis causing things!), and spraying an entire field of blueberries with compost. (That was when we camped out at their blueberry farm for a night. Living wild.)
After work was done, I'd usually help with dinner, clean up, play with the kids, and so on. None of this was asked of me, but because I adored my host so much, I didn't mind. She also invited WWOOFERS on family outings on the weekends, or to the kids' sports games. Miscellaneously, she taught me how to make yogurt and sourdough bread, freezer jam, how to set a raccoon trap, and crosstiching. I even made acquaintance with her entire extended family, lol, and good friends with her mother in law. I have too many good memories here to count.
But I ended this trip on a great note, because I made probably over 8 gallons of strawberry and cherry freezer jam the day I left. 36 quarts of strawberries for free from their Amish neighbors.
Favorite task here: picking cherries and making jam
EXPERIENCE 3
Third, I set out to a beautiful orchard in Oregon, for about 3-4 weeks. My flight was heavily delayed overnight, which meant I was not in the greatest state here. Had to get a hotel in Portland before taking the bus to their town. But I digress, my host here was okay, although very quiet and awkward around me. I couldn't really tell if he liked me or not, but I think that was just how he is. Either way, he was fine.
Here, I stayed in the most gorgeous land of pine trees and mountains and a lake, rows and rows of fruit trees EVERYWHERE, had my very own tiny house with all the utilities (convinced it was haunted every night!) I worked for three hours a day, Mon-Fri, and made all my own meals/supplied groceries.
I helped mostly with sprinklers, putting collars around some baby fruit trees, weeding blueberries, pruning pear trees, spraying compost, and most of all, my favorite, picking and tasting endless varieties of sweet and tart cherries. My favorites in the end being Danubes (tart) and Black Pearl (sweet). It was honestly a very relaxing experience. Shade, huge trees, and bucket after bucket of cherries. One thing I really respect about my host here is how passionate he is about fruit—I picked this orchard due to my interest in fruit trees, and I feel I did get the experience I was looking for. OH, and I got to work at the farmer's market one weekend, which I was paid 40$ for!
One more shoutout to his wife; she was truly amazing to me, dubbing herself my temporary "host mom". I didn't work with her too much, but we always had the loveliest conversations, and she even shared my niche taste in music! Ended up buying me new shoes even though I insisted it was okay. I intended to go back here to make jam for them, but unfortunately my plans fell through and I feel extremely bad.
Favorite task: picking and sorting/packaging cherries for the warehouse
TLDR; I had an overall great experience and would recommend this for people who feel lost or stuck in life.
Wrote much more than I meant to, incoherently, but I hope it's still understandable. Will probably become an anxious mess about its incoherence later, but I hope someone can get something out if it. @moondazed, since you mentioned it.
WWOOF stands for worldwide opportunities on organic farms. Founded in 1971, it's a way to connect farmers in need of extra help with people looking to learn new skills, travel cheaply, or just to experience something new.
Since it's still rather niche, I thought I'd spread the word here: for those who have the ability to travel, it's a great way to get a change of pace and spent some time in nature. My experience is for now limited to the USA, but WWOOF is available, iirc, in over 100 countries:
EXPERIENCE 1
The first place I went to was a self sufficient homestead about 4 hours north of me (Central Texas); I stayed with small family for a week (father, mother, young son) in a nicely built and furnished cabin with a bed, full kitchen, and bathroom. My host was a polite, very religious raw food vegan. It was a bit awkward here, since I was also pretty incompetent, but that was more on my end.
I worked for 6 hours per day, Mon-Fri and starting at 10am. I was mostly cleaning up and helping with the construction of their air BNB house, since that's what they needed help with most. I know many who go into WWOOFING for the farm skills would complain about this, but I needed to work on my domestic skills anyway and the trade off for the lodging, food, and access to the land was fine by me. However, I did also replant and water some aloe; I even got to take one home, since I was local!
Favorite task here was painting windows and cabinets!
EXPERIENCE 2
Next, I went to what is my favorite of the three, a small blueberry/chestnut farm in Ohio run by a woman with three kids. I stayed for about a month in a cozy family environment, sleeping directly in the basement of their home. She was super laid back and kind, always happy to explain everything and appreciative of anything I did, especially outside of work hours. The kids, although I'm not too good with them, were also super friendly and sweet, although a massive handful. I can't gush enough about this place: the land was so open and green, no insects even in the beginning of summer, no stickerburrs, just beautiful.
I stayed for a little over a month, working for 5 hours daily, from 9am to 2-2:30pm. I got a wide variety of tasks here, some better than others: clearing brush in the woods, flushing antifreeze out of their tiny house, picking cherries, placing nets over said cherries, how to skin and gut an animal, planting new seeds, harvesting garlic scapes, weeding the thickest driest damn weeds on the planet (arthritis causing things!), and spraying an entire field of blueberries with compost. (That was when we camped out at their blueberry farm for a night. Living wild.)
After work was done, I'd usually help with dinner, clean up, play with the kids, and so on. None of this was asked of me, but because I adored my host so much, I didn't mind. She also invited WWOOFERS on family outings on the weekends, or to the kids' sports games. Miscellaneously, she taught me how to make yogurt and sourdough bread, freezer jam, how to set a raccoon trap, and crosstiching. I even made acquaintance with her entire extended family, lol, and good friends with her mother in law. I have too many good memories here to count.
But I ended this trip on a great note, because I made probably over 8 gallons of strawberry and cherry freezer jam the day I left. 36 quarts of strawberries for free from their Amish neighbors.
Favorite task here: picking cherries and making jam
EXPERIENCE 3
Third, I set out to a beautiful orchard in Oregon, for about 3-4 weeks. My flight was heavily delayed overnight, which meant I was not in the greatest state here. Had to get a hotel in Portland before taking the bus to their town. But I digress, my host here was okay, although very quiet and awkward around me. I couldn't really tell if he liked me or not, but I think that was just how he is. Either way, he was fine.
Here, I stayed in the most gorgeous land of pine trees and mountains and a lake, rows and rows of fruit trees EVERYWHERE, had my very own tiny house with all the utilities (convinced it was haunted every night!) I worked for three hours a day, Mon-Fri, and made all my own meals/supplied groceries.
I helped mostly with sprinklers, putting collars around some baby fruit trees, weeding blueberries, pruning pear trees, spraying compost, and most of all, my favorite, picking and tasting endless varieties of sweet and tart cherries. My favorites in the end being Danubes (tart) and Black Pearl (sweet). It was honestly a very relaxing experience. Shade, huge trees, and bucket after bucket of cherries. One thing I really respect about my host here is how passionate he is about fruit—I picked this orchard due to my interest in fruit trees, and I feel I did get the experience I was looking for. OH, and I got to work at the farmer's market one weekend, which I was paid 40$ for!
One more shoutout to his wife; she was truly amazing to me, dubbing herself my temporary "host mom". I didn't work with her too much, but we always had the loveliest conversations, and she even shared my niche taste in music! Ended up buying me new shoes even though I insisted it was okay. I intended to go back here to make jam for them, but unfortunately my plans fell through and I feel extremely bad.
Favorite task: picking and sorting/packaging cherries for the warehouse
TLDR; I had an overall great experience and would recommend this for people who feel lost or stuck in life.
Wrote much more than I meant to, incoherently, but I hope it's still understandable. Will probably become an anxious mess about its incoherence later, but I hope someone can get something out if it. @moondazed, since you mentioned it.
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