Warm welcome to WWOOFERS. I am a gardener, yoga teacher, and hike daily on the Bruce trail.
I have renovated an old Ontario farmhouse, with plenty of beautiful (but overgrown) perennial gardens, on a quiet dirt road. It used to be a large apple farm but now the pastures belong to a farmer who grazes mama and baby cows all around us. My lot is small but I put in a small vegetable garden, had 400 trees planted to eventually add shelter, and like to add perennial edibles each year.
I have two lovely housemates, a large shared harvest kitchen with a wood stove and fully equipped.
My previous Airbnb suite will be used for wwoofer accommodations and is quite lovely! It has its own full private bathroom and queen bed.
The views from all sides of the house are of the wetlands, escarpment hills and offer plenty of wildlife. The Bruce Trail is close by for gorgeous hikes. I am out daily for spiritual nature walks with my dog and you are welcome to join me. I teach a bit of yoga, am involved in a Repair Cafe, organized by the Georgian Bluffs Climate Action Team, and am developing outdoor spiritual programming.
I have interned at a Nursery for Edible Perennials, called Fiddlehead. Local organic growers are happy to let us tour their farms. I teach yoga once a year at Rooted by the Bluffs, an established permaculture garden near by. I am establishing what I can to produce food everywhere possible on this square of land over time. Kepple Croft Gardens is also a great place to visit and be inspired by. Once ‘garden of the year’ in Canadian Gardening Magazine, it is a whimsical and beautiful floral landscape to tour when also getting central at the Big Bay General store and gazing across Georgian Bay at the big Dock. Skipping stones is the main pastime in Big Bay!
I just renovated the last room in the house (the yoga studio) but there are old decks and smaller outside projects still if carpentry is of interest.
Expanding the vegetable garden designs, planting seeds, seedlings, weeding, mulching, composting, revitalizing perennial beds and some stone path work and small retaining walls, removing rotten decks and trimming old trees (including old apple and pear trees) are all things on the list this summer.
I have hosted wwoofers previously when I built a straw bale house and gardens not far from here. My son runs a Fair Trade Organic Coffee roasting business there now. It was always a wonderful exchange experience and we can visit the roastery.
I look forward to sharing my fairly extensive skills in yoga, gardening, permaculture, carpentry and highlights on the local trails and beaches. Although small at my garden, and still in development, other garden visits might also inspire you, plus the amazing natural setting around my location.
I’m also considering chickens this season and have set up a small greenhouse this spring that can double as a chicken coop for 12 weeks raising meat birds in the summer.
I get up early for coffee and meditation and yoga. Everyone is responsible to get their own breakfast of anything from hot oat, flax seed, chia turmeric cereal, muesli, to farm eggs, toast, cooked greens or smoothies.
By 8:30 watering and planting, digging or looking after chickens starts. Harder work (like making paths or digging or stacking wood) will be done in the cool of the morning and possibly split with a shift in the evening, that would be more like harvesting, washing vegetables for the next day, prep of pestos, or other meal treats. Every day could look a bit different but be 4/6 hours each day, depending on weather, projects and your personal interests.
Lunch is often about 12:30 to 1 and the heat of the afternoon can be spent relaxing, doing yoga, trying the hammock, or a visit to a shady trail or nice beach. I even have paddle boards if you want to try! I love showing off the best of this area. Trips to town are also possible when supplies are needed.
We will try to eat together at lunch and dinner. I like a lot of vegetable variety in my meals and cook creatively from what I have on hand. We eat well around here!
There are always possibilities to pack a lunch for days off or hiking, beaching excursions.
I eat a variety of food, including organic meat from a local farm. My purchases are either local or organic, and two markets are favourites on Tuesday mornings and Saturday mornings.
I play a variety of music while cooking, have friends that love to play music, and have a new Cahone drum that I am shyly trying to play.
There is a large fire pit circle and plenty of wood for group campfires if it’s not too windy. There is a small contained fireplace outside you can always use.
Walking right from the house is lovely and quiet. My friends welcome my guests to visit their beach spots for swimming and enjoying Georgian Bay. Transportation around here is just me! I try to help when I can to get you to where you want on days off when possible.
Read more
Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Green Building
Methods or systems
No-till farming
Permaculture
Mentoring opportunities
Woman-operated
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
Former WWOOFer
1
Hectares
|
2.5
Acres
