Wwoofer Profiles - Part 3
Evert
Age: 19
Country: The Netherlands
Length of stay: 5 months
Responsibilities: I have done almost everything in these five months!
What brings you to Allmogegarden?
I wanted to experience a self-sufficient lifestyle (and succeeded).
What did you think it would be like?
Based on what I read on the internet and the pictures I had seen, I thought it would be exactly what I was looking for!
What is it actually like?
It’s even better than I could have imagined. Working with nature and the horses is amazing!
Have you ever worked on a farm before?
No. I had never even visited a farm like Allmogegarden.
What do you do in your downtime here?
Watch McLeod's Daughters :D
Best thing about WWOOFing at Allmogegarden?
Working with the horses!
Worst thing?
Cutting thistles.
Most memorable moment?
Midsommar.
How do you think your Allmogegarden experience has changed you?
Right now I’m sure that I want to live like this one day. And my German improved a lot!
Any advice for future Allmogegardeners?
Stay as long as possible. You will learn new things every day!
Wwoofer Profiles - Part 2
Matthew
Age: 23
Country: United States
Length of stay: 1 month
Responsibilities: Barn Boss, Fireguard, Sheep Manager, Cowboy
What brings you to Allmogegarden?
I'm studying sustainable agriculture.
What did you think it would be like?
I did not really have many expectations when I arrived. I knew they raised animals and grew crops in a semi-traditional way and I wanted to see what that was like.
What is it actually like?
I was pleasantly surprised with how forward thinking Bengt and Maria were and how much fun it was to work with both of them. Sometimes farmers are really not open to discussion or questions regarding their practices but they were very willing and even happy to discuss agriculture and its different approaches.
Have you ever worked on a farm before?
I've done WWOOFing in Japan for 3 months, worked on a CSA farm in NY, and currently work on the farm at my school in NC (USA).
What do you do in your downtime here?
I really enjoyed walking in the pastures on the weekend. I read a lot and played my mandolin a little bit. Mainly I slept so I would be well rested for a good day of work.
Best thing About WWOOFing at Allmogegarden?
I think the best thing for me about WWOOFing at Allmogegarden was to see what it was like to live a more self-sufficient lifestyle. You would be hard pressed to meet such relaxed farmers in the dairy industry right now. With all of the politics surrounding farming, instead of trying to compete with factory farming and contributing to the degradation of the environment, they have chosen to remove themeselves in a big way from that system. The result is two happy farmers who eat healthier food than you can get in any store and enjoy the company of people from all over the world to share interesting perspectives and ideas.
Worst thing?
-
Most memorable moment?
I think the best times for me were at the table. The food was always so good and getting to chat about whatever at the table, which was always full of laughter, were always the highlights of the day.
How do you think your Allmogegarden experience has changed you?
WWOOFing here really opened me up to the idea of subsistence farming myself. Seeing an alternative to being a small farmer in a big market is really refreshing.
Any advice for future Allmogegardeners?
Experiencing this kind of a life is something everyone can get something out of. Getting more connected with how we live and the food systems that are a part of that is never time poorly spent. Thanks for an amazing experience that I will not soon forget!
Wwoofer Profiles - Part 1
G'day! I'm An. I travelled all the way from Australia to spend a month at Allmogegarden in June. A big part of the Allmogegarden experience for me involved getting to know the other WWOOFers. The people I met were fun, clever and a little bit crazy. Okay, more than a little bit. They all had their own stories, had various reasons for coming to the farm, and would be heading off in different life directions after their Allmogegarden experience. They came from Sweden, US, France, the Netherlands, but mostly there were more Germans than you could poke a stick at. These people were all weird and wonderful in their own way, but I noticed that they were generally independent, passionate, generous and bloody hard-working. I left the farm a few months ago, but I'm going to hijack the blog for a few days to introduce you to some of the people I met in my time there. First up, the force of nature that is Meike ...
Meike (Majken)
Age: 24
Country: Germany
Length of stay: 11 weeks, in total
Responsibilities: Chicken and Duck Mum, House Mum, Milk Majesty, Garbage Responsible, Grocery Delivery, Carpenter, Gardener
What brings you to Allmogegarden?
I planned to travel around in Sweden for five months and wanted to try WWOOFing too. I found Allmogegarden on the WWOOFer homepage and was interested in this farm, this is why I'm here :)
What did you think it would be like?
I was expecting nothing so I could not be disappointed.
What is it actually like?
It is GREAT!
Have you ever worked on a farm before?
Yes, I worked on another farm in Sweden and also for a year on a farm in Germany.
What do you do in your downtime here?
I sleep ...
Best thing About WWOOFing at Allmogegarden?
The animals, the people, that we have so much freedom in our work.
Worst thing?
Animals that are dying.
Most memorable moment?
Birth of baby animals.
How do you think your Allmogegarden experience has changed you?
It showed me that I want to live like this (I knew it before but now I know it for sure), maybe not exactly this way but close. I've had so many moments of happiness here that made me recognise that this is the way I want to live.
Any advice for future Allmogegardeners?
Just enjoy it! And accept that, at Allmogegarden, "as soon as possible" means in two months, and "one day" means never! :D
August - September 2016
OPEN FARM DAY (27.8.2016)
Thrashing grains
August 2016
