Time on a Biodynamic Farm Reconnecting with Nature
[NOTE: We aren’t doing farm-stays right now but we have enjoyed them, and people got so much out of them, that we are leaving this page up to show you how our farm-stay days unfolded.]
Farm life has its own daily and seasonal timetable — feeding the hens and cows, tending the garden, creating meals and the occasional excitement of a calf who insists you drop everything to watch her enter the world.
Our farm is a balm for the soul. Follow the honeybee’s path, milk the cow, collect still-warm eggs from gossiping hens, create wonderfully fresh meals from our biodynamic garden.
We offer stays at our farm to people who want to get their feet back on the ground in a calm environment surrounded by thriving plants, pensive animals, fragrant herb gardens, blooming flowers, quiet places to relax and hear the birds singing in the spruce trees. We are especially interested in creating a peaceful place to listen to your own guiding light.
While we encourage you to revel in your quiet time, we also teach skills that can help you be more sustainable at home. Learn to care for bees and chickens, make a raised bed garden, help us spray enlivening compost tea on our plants, learn to preserve fresh food, make simple cheeses, bake a delicious pie. Take part in farm life chores and weave in time to relax in the hammock with a good book or swim in the river at the end of a hot day.
When you leave, we want you to be happy, relaxed, enthusiastic and a whole lot more rested than when you arrived.
Vibrant vegetable gardens, fruit orchards and salad beds
Biodynamic compost for better food nutrition
Make compost tea and nourish the plants
Feed the worms in our backyard worm bin
The benefits of weeds!
Producing backyard food year round
Picking fresh fruit, herbs and vegetables
FOOD — Make delicious organic meals
Fermented foods, yogurt and kefirs
Cider from grapes, apples and pears
Make fresh condiments
Kitchen cosmetics (ooh, a honey mask! Yum!)
Creative cookery: What can we do with that?
BEES — Backyard organic beekeeping
Friendly native northwest bees
Make your yard bee-friendly
Heirloom breeds, handling happy hens
Free ranging hens who eat bugs and slugs lay truly delicious eggs
COWS — Natural grazing: Healthy cows = healthy milk
How to be around animals so they enjoy your presence
WILDING –Native plants and edible wild plants
Local wildlife: bobcats, owls, mink, possum, deer and oh so many more
Keeping a balanced relationship with local plants and animals
Many other interesting sites within a short drive.
RECREATION — Hammock riding
A lovely waterfall close by
Swimming lake, hiking trails, drive to the volcano
RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS — If you’re interested, we’ll even fill you in on little known secrets of a happy marriage.
Some topics are seasonal but there’s always something to do year-round.
COST and DAILY CALENDAR
Stay-overs for single or couple are $xxx a day. Classes that day are also included.
Agritherapy farm stays are $xxx a day per person. Like the regular farm-stays, the agritherapy stays have plenty of personal time. Beyond that, Joseph or Jacqueline will spend time helping you rekindle that deeply satisfying relationship with Nature.
These stays are individualized, no one’s is the same as the next person’s. Some folks may work with our animals, some with our herbs and garden plants, some with the farm, some directly with Nature. Our goal is to ascertain what you need and then give you the language and space to
find that.
Read more about our Agritherapy stays
We’re used to having company and are happy to share our farm with people who appreciate the sanctity of nature. Staying over lets you feel the full rhythm of the farm from dawn to dusk. Time here includes family style meals, too. We want you to feel part of the farm while you’re here.
When you stay-over, classes, meals and a bed are all included.
Rise and shine — Make breakfast (fresh eggs!) Our classes begin when we finish milking
the cow, always at a reasonable time. (Don’t worry, we have no dawn wake-up calls here.)
9 to noon — Let the hens out of the coop! You have no idea how exciting this is until you do it. We’ll introduce you to all the different breeds we have, talk about how hens and roosters interact, chicken nutrition, free range vs. all the other ways to keep hens, show you our coop and watch the hens forage, bathe and groom themselves. No hurry. Watching chickens must be a form of meditation because we’ve found time effortlessly flies by when our girls are happy. <p)
If you’re interested, we will give you a good grounding in the basics of keeping chickens, natural and holistic healthcare, benefits of chicken poop in your garden, predator-proofing, taming backyard hens, hatching chicks and oh so much more. We’ll also talk about turkeys (we raise
turkeys every other year). Turkeys are adorable and, let’s be honest, dumber than a box of rocks.
But such SWEET personalities, really!
Afternoon — Your choice: Help us with a farm project we’re working on (these change daily) or use the time to write, read, paint, swim in the river or wander off on your own.
Dinner— Family style! We all pitch in to cook and clean up together.
After dinner — Help us with evening chores putting the animals to bed or take personal time. We usually hang out on the outdoor patio in the evening and talk. A pleasant wind-down.
Each day is different and despite our best plans, often unfolds in ways that encourage us to bend and flow with what asks to be done that day. You’ll hear about our many “learning experiences” and the importance of keeping a sense of humor when things turn out different than you imagined.
We try our best to cover everyone’s interests. If you don’t see something on our “skills you can learn” list, ask us anyway. If we know enough about it, we’re glad to share our knowledge. We have many farming friends and are happy to set up tours to other sustainable farms, too.
“Thank you for opening your home and hearts. I am awestruck with your generosity, sharing your land, your food, your animals, spreading laughter and joy.” — Lynn Wolf, CO
“This place is truly a haven. Thank you for creating it. How can this not have an effect on the planet? I am a better person because of the my time here.” — Lea Moonnsong, ME
“This was an experience I could not have imagined. It was all that was promised but I was nurtured in so many other ways – the food, much kindness and compassion, the willing animals, generosity of the land, and a place where confidence, knowledge and an internal life can grow. I needed this! It is a starting point to new possibilties.” — Susan Laurino, CA
Kids and Dogs
We already have plenty of animals so we don’t allow pets to visit the farm. When we did in the past, normally well behaved dogs caught scents they must have remembered from their ancient past and suddenly took up chicken or cow chasing and wreaked havoc. Alas, we decided to side with our animals and ensure they’re kept safe.
Even a peaceful farm can be dangerous to kids who are not knowledgeable about cows, roosters, electric fencing, sharp tools, etc. and we worry so we tend not to have kids as overnighters.
