Large gardens above Shuswap Lake

British Columbia

the view of Shuswap Lake from our favourite local hiking destination

3 reviews • Updated 8 months ago

1. Describe your project, your place, and its inhabitants (including animals): We have lived here for 54 years, growing our own food and living a sustainable lifestyle. Our property has a greenhouse for starting our plants, a large compost box, three vegetable gardens, many flower beds, ornamental trees and numerous fruit trees, plus a large raspberry patch. We recently had some logging done, so there is plenty of work required for the clean-up. Other than using a rototiller, all the gardening is done by hand. We are vegetarian, but I enjoy fish as well. We would be happy to add meat to some of the meals if requested. Take a virtual tour of our homestead here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeqCbzezAp4&t=74s 2. List the activities that WWOOFers will participate in and what you want to teach them: Gardening, yard care, building, mulching and fence maintenance, construction projects and food storage and preparation. 3. What could a WWOOFer's day look like at your site (time slot for participation in activities, expectations...)? Weeding, mulching, hoeing, mowing, pruning, fencing, maintenance, and clean-up work after logging. A typical day would include some weeding, harvesting, logging debris clean-up and/or hoeing. During their free-time, WWOOFers could go for a hike, a swim or go canoeing. If they are a musician, there are other musicians in the neighbourhood they might enjoy jamming with. If they want to do some writing, I am an author and an editor and would be happy to help with suggestions and editing. Photography opportunities abound. One of Kathi's hobbies is baking, and they could learn about baking cakes, cookies and squares. They can help with food preparation and later in the year, with canning and freezing. If they are fortunate to be here when we host one of our dance parties, they can help with set-up and clean-up, plus enjoy a night dancing to great live music. Our first show this year will be on July 8th. 4. Play the guide! Talk about your own hobbies (music, cooking, etc.) and those possible around (hiking, swimming, etc.): We swim, hike, bike, canoe, and host live music dance parties. The Shuswap is indeed a paradise that attracts many thousands of visitors in the summer. WWOOFers would enjoy joining us on the lake or the many trails.

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Forestry

Flower farming

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Bakery

Green Building

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

Holistic management

Permaculture

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

16 Hectares | 39.5 Acres

Accommodation

1 WWOOFer

Bedroom

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Vegetarian

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

Jim

Member since 2023

Languages spoken: English Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 1 day

December 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

British Columbia

Kamloops, B.C. has an airport and buses arrive in Chase and Sorrento.

Reviews

Willow

United States • November 2025

My time with the Coopermans was so great! When working, instructions were clear and expectations reasonable, plus a good variety of tasks to do. They were gracious with plenty of opportunity to enjoy the area and have fun with them, even including some dance events! Meals were always delicious too, with opportunity to learn some great healthy recipes if interested. All in all, great people to spend your days with - I left with so many positive memories!

Reply from Jim

Thanks so much! You fit perfectly to our scene!

Jonathan

Canada • June 2023

I really enjoyed my stay with Jim and Kathi. They are very nice people and I always felt comfortable during my stay. They took me to many activities, such as concerts, hikes and as a highlight to the Wells Gray National Park. In addition, Jim and Kathi know the area very well and can tell you a lot about it and recommend cool spots. In general, the location is very nice, quiet and you are completely surrounded by nature. I worked mostly with Jim in the big garden, where we weeded, planted and built fences. Furthermore, I did some work on the house, mowed the lawn, cleaned up and tiled the roof of the workshop. So it never got boring. I can highly recommend the farm to any Wwoofer.