Organic farmstead surrounded by the mountians and wilderness of Northwest BC
British Columbia
We are Jonathan and Jo and our farm and home is a 320 acre century-old farmstead in the Kispiox Valley, northwest BC. This land we steward is within the unceded traditional territory of the Gitxsan.
We eat what we grow: organic vegetables from the acre of gardens and greenhouses; bread and baked goods from the woodfire brick oven; milk and cheese from the Jersey cow; salmon from the river; and meat from the sheep, cows, and chickens that keep the farm fertile.
After a decade primarily growing food for our local weekly farmers' markets, we have shifted to growing select crops for an our retailer friends and spring CSA (May, June), while directing our energy towards our seed, garlic, and fermented salt products. Our main focus continues to be on finding a measure of self-sufficiency in food, energy needs, and building materials here on the farm. Everyday work usually combines time in the garden, preserving food, tending the animals, preparing meals, and work on an ever-evolving list of building projects.
Seasonal tasks include planting, lots of weeding, and harvesting vegetables throughout the growing season; bringing in the hay in mid-summer; processing garlic scapes and spruce tips; harvesting and cleaning seed and grain crops; and cutting firewood in winter. And of course, there's no shortage of repetitive tasks like pulling thistle, rock picking, brush cutting, mowing, pruning and washing and packing veggies, the perfect way to let the mind wander while keeping the hands and body busy.
The Kispiox Valley is home to a vibrant, eclectic community of old-time ranchers, back-to-the-landers, First Nations, and all around interesting folk, and is host to the Kispiox Valley Music Festival in July. On occasion there may be friends, neighbours, guests and wwoofers around; more often the farm is incredibly quiet. While there may be a chance to get out for a hike up the mountains or a paddle on a lake, farming is busy at times and you should also be happy just to go off for a wander through the forest trails, or down to the river. Or, just enjoy the peacefulness of the place and the rhythms of the farm.
Farming is about food, and wwoofers with a genuine interest in either are most welcome. The farm is a half hour drive from New Hazelton, where you can be picked-up from the bus or the train*. Farming can be hard work, and days tend to be full, but the rewards are those shared around the table at the end of each honest day. Welcome!
About us:
Before moving north in 2009, Jonathan had a popular organic bakery on Vancouver Island and helped set-up a small social-enterprise bakery in town. He has travelled widely and done stints wwoofing and cross-country cycling. These days his focus is on building projects on the farm, including restoring the original hand-hewn farmhouse, a new wood-fired oven and propagation greenhouse, growing grain and tending the animals.
Jo is a naturalist and biologist and has done extensive field work throughout BC, Alberta, and the Yukon. She works part time as the Northern Seed Security Coordinator and is also an organic farm inspector (visiting other farms to ensure compliance to the organic standards), and has a passion for seed saving, and foraging mushrooms and plants. Her focus these days is on growing vegetable seed crops and variety trials.
Your Stay:
Accommodation is usually in our guest cabin up on the hill, looking over the farm and the surrounding mountains (it's the A-frame structure in the middle of our cover photo above). There are 3 private bedrooms, and a full kitchen, bathroom and living area that may be shared with other farm helpers. The cabin has electricity, running water and decent wifi. If the cabin is unavailable, we have a hip vintage Trillium travel trailer perched in a scenic spot for your comfy abode.
Breakfast and non-work day meals are self-catered from farm food that is provided. Lunches we usually eat together at the farm house, and we mix it up for evening meals, some shared and some you can prepare yourselves. As our diet is largely based on the foods we grow in our northern climate, including our seasonal vegetables (stored vegetables in the winter) grain products, dairy and meat, accommodating diets markedly different to ours can be a challenge, so please let us know up front if you have dietary restrictions. If you have a sweet tooth - ingredients are available to make treats, or you may want to bring some extra snacks along. Strawberries and raspberries are in abundance in June and July.
Due to the increased risk of wildfire in our region, there is strictly no smoking allowed on our farm.
Getting here:
Travel here without a car is not necessarily easy but worth the effort! From Prince George or Prince Rupert there are direct BC North Buses and Via Rail Trains several days a week. Your stop is New Hazelton, where we will meet you. There are also local BC Transit buses certain days from Smithers and Terrace, which both have airports if you are looking at flying. Check which days the bus runs before booking a flight.
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Grain farming
Sheep or goat farming
Forestry
Wild foraging
Seed saving or production
Meat processing
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Food justice / sovereignty
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Holistic management
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
Certified organic
Former WWOOFer
129.5
Hectares
|
320
Acres
Accommodation
Jonathan
Member since 2009
Languages spoken:
English
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 86%
Response time: typically within 8 days
British Columbia
There is limited BC North Bus and Via Rail train service to New Hazelton. The closest airports are Smithers and Terrace, from where there is limited BC Transit bus service to Hazelton.
Reviews
Pierre
France
•
October 2024
It's always hard to start a review when you know there's so much to say. WoodGrain Farm is a small farm tucked away in a valley surrounded by lush forests and stunning mountains.
As if the great location and our lovely host Jolene and Jonathan, weren't enough, we got to enjoy an amazing experience immersed in nature. We got to try our hand at all kinds of tasks related to organic farming. It was all about taking care of the land, plants and animals in a healthy and respectful way. Jonathan and Jolene are great people who are happy to share their experience and knowledge. We got to try some things we'd never tried before, like their best pickles, burgers, baguettes, and more! Woodgrain Farm is a peaceful place where time seems to stand still. And yet, every time you blink, you feel a change coming over you. In short, it was an amazing experience. Thank you Jolene and Jonathan for your warm welcome! It was very inspiring for us!
Big ups to Sophie, Winston, Mist, Hazel, Robin and the wonderful friends of our hosts that we met and had such a great time with!
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Sophie
Canada
•
December 2023
I had an amazing stay at WoodGrain Farm for about 5 weeks in October/November. Jonathan and Jolene are wonderful people,
very knowledgeable and always happy to teach others. We did a variety of things from cleaning out the last garden beds, harvesting and packaging carrots, planting garlic, baking bread, making soap and so much more. Watching the milk cow Hazel getting spoiled with all the leftover garden crops is by far one of my favorite memories. The food at the farm was always amazing and I got to enjoy the best pickles in all of Canada. It is very inspiring to see how Jonathan and Jolene manage to live in such a beautiful remote spot and with such a high level of self-sufficiency. Definitely a place worth visiting!
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Laura
Germany
•
September 2023
It goes without saying that I love this place, been there for the third time now and I enjoyed it to the fullest. I stayed in this gorgeous cabin, had great company from Sitka and enjoyed the different farm tasks. Mostly we harvested squash, pickles, beans, tomatoes... to make pickled cucumbers and a delicious pumpkin pie.
I definitely recommend a hike to the Skeena together with Sitka, she protected me from a curious (and probably lost) mountain goat. One highlight was a paddle trip on the Skeena on my day off. I really appreciated that you guys took me on that adventure! After that we had amazing dinner (but you get that every day) and Guinness, a beer I like a lot as Jonathan remembered.
Thank you for everything!
See you again in the future! :-)
Laura
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Laurent
Belgium
•
August 2023
We stayed for three weeks at the Wood Grain Farm with Jonathan and Jolene, and we highly recommend this wwoofing. The farm itself is beautiful and the cabin for the wwoofers is private and well equiped; nested in the valley and surrounded by mountains, the overall setting is ideal. We worked in the mornings: weeding, picking vegetables, drying garlic, taking care of the animals. Jonathan and Jolene were very knowledgeable, they let us work at our own pace. They were very generous throughout our stay and suggested many fun afternoon adventures. Moreover, we ate delicious fresh food (fresh bread, eggs, milk, etc.) and tasty homemade meals. If you're searching for a peaceful, diversified farm with a strong philosophy, Wood Grain Farm is the place.
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Mitchell
Canada
•
June 2023
I stayed at Woodgrain Farm for a little over a month and I can’t recommend this place enough! Jonathan and Jolene are very knowledgeable about organic farming, as well as about the surrounding area and love to share what they know. They are also great at making sure you get a chance to experience and learn about the things you are interested in.
The Kispiox valley is stunningly beautiful and this is a great place to spend some time, learn new skills and meet some new friends. There are some great trails around the property so you can get some good views and explore the Skeena River.
The accommodations are very comfortable and the food is always great! They are great at leveraging the skills you are good at, so if you enjoy cooking you can pitch in and make everyone a wonderful meal.
All in all a great experience, I highly recommend checking this place out!
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Alana
United States
•
February 2023
I stayed at WoodGrain for about a month in Aug-Sept 2022. I had an overall good experience, but want to share info I wish I had known beforehand.
The positives: the property is absolutely beautiful. You are surrounded by mountains + lush forest and are a quick hike to the river—just incredible. The cabin (with some cleaning) is wonderful and cozy. The food is phenomenal—nearly all from the farm (butter, bread, yogurt, produce, etc) and Jonathan and Jolene are fantastic cooks. I learned a lot about seed saving from Jolene and growing from Meira and Willow (full-time wonderful workers who have since left). Kispiox Valley is such a beautiful part of the world.
The cons: there was a lack of clear communication from the hosts that resulted in friction and tension during my stay. Different communication styles—they are self-described “doers not talkers,” whereas I ask questions about what I’m learning—and different unspoken desires/expectations were a challenge. I think this place is great for people who want to fully enter the life of a farmer: i.e. really become part of the hosts’ life, follow along for many activities. [EDITED BY WWOOF to meet policy]
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