We are a young family building a start-up hobby farm on the Niagara Escarpment in the Blue Mountains, about 20 minutes from Collingwood and 15 minutes from Thornbury. At home it’s us, our 7-month-old Boone, our 8-year-old, 13 chickens, 3 ducks (and doubling our flock this year), and our farm dog Sunny. The property also includes a lovely two-stall horse barn and 5 large animal paddocks. We’re working toward becoming fully off-grid and self-sustainable, with solar being installed soon, and are in the early stages of building out the property and its systems.
We’re new to much of this and learning as we go, so we’re best suited to independent, self-starting people who are hands-on, curious, and comfortable figuring things out without constant direction. We’re easygoing and focused on building something real over time. We already share eggs with friends and family and are working toward expanding into a small self-serve farm stand at the end of our driveway, offering eggs, flowers, and fresh produce.
Our focus right now is expanding our gardens and food production. After our first season growing vegetables last summer, this year’s crops include pumpkins, a wide range of squash, tomatoes, onions, mint, thyme, parsley, broccoli, cabbage, peas, jalapeños, and spinach. A typical day involves 4 to 5 hours of hands-on work, mainly helping Jessie in the gardens while she balances that with caring for Boone. Tasks range from planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting to general property upkeep and caring for the chickens and ducks. The rest of the day is your own to relax or explore.
WWOOFers stay either in a private 18ft 2014 RV with hot water and a full kitchen, set in a quiet horse paddock with wide open views, or in our renovated Airstream Excella 1000. The Airstream is primarily used for friends and family and will eventually be rented for short-term stays, but it’s available for WWOOFers until then. We’re best suited to people who enjoy a bit of independence. You’ll have your own space and can manage most of your meals, with groceries provided based on your preferences. We typically share 3 to 4 dinners together each week. Our neighbour and friend Jen has hosted WWOOFers for years and often has a few staying, so there’s often an opportunity to meet others and socialize nearby as well.
Outside of the farm, life is active and outdoors. Jessie runs daily (usually around 10km), and Brennan, when he manages to carve out time away from work, family, and the farm, which isn’t often these days, gets out kitesurfing, paddleboarding, mountain biking, and surfing. You’ll be based right on the escarpment, surrounded by provincial parks with some of the best hiking and views in the region, and close to Georgian Bay for swimming and paddling. In the winter there’s skiing and snowshoeing nearby, and year-round there are great local cafes, markets, and small towns to explore.
We also have Starlink WiFi across the property
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Learning opportunities
Poultry farming
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
4
Hectares
|
9.9
Acres
