Clay Construction and Gardening at Kastanienhof.de

Description

We have an old farmhouse with plenty of space for a few animals, for farming, for renovation materials and earthen building workshops, for volunteers, and for trying out all sorts of things (cream, soap, tanning, building, a greenhouse...) The property was in a state of disrepair, and we’re not done renovating yet. We have a few animals, have planted 120 fruit trees, and have a small herb garden. We sometimes rent out 1–2 rooms to guests. I teach earthen building courses. I trained as a construction technician and a social education worker. Rocco was a computer science teacher in Berlin and holds coaching certifications for sailing, windsurfing, and snowboarding. We have Wi-Fi, towels, bedding, work clothes, 5 guest rooms, and an attic with 5 beds available here. If you’d like, we can show you the ropes and work with you to care for the animals (bees, pigeons, chickens, chicks, dog), pull weeds, mow with a scythe, prune trees, plant, make creams and ointments, can food, bottle honey, sort wool (I spin, knit, and weave), build walls, plaster, build straw bale structures, and handle all the preparatory and follow-up work.... There’s always money for food, and some produce is in the garden—it’s just that cooking isn’t really my thing… Please think about what you’d like to cook here; everyone takes turns “cooking for everyone” in the evening. We have breakfast together at 8 a.m.; we usually work from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Then we have lunch together. In the afternoons, the WWOOFers have free time to themselves. Weekends are free. SPANISH: Our house is one kilometer from Neu Kosenow; this village is located between Anklam and Ducherow, on the B109 highway. We’re close to the sea and the island of Usedom. I, Bea, trained as a bricklayer and then went on to study; my husband is a computer science professor and loves everything about surfing.... We offer 5 bedrooms and 5 beds in the attic. Circular Fertilization Avoiding chemical pesticides and animal pest control agents (liming the chicken coop to combat mites, plant essential oils and formic acid for the bees) There’s plenty to do with animal husbandry, in the herb and vegetable garden, renovating the house and facade with lime and clay, and with the bees: Inspecting hives, harvesting honey, uncapping and extracting it, collecting bee glue (propolis), cleaning everything inside the hive, and scraping off wax where we don’t want it. We also plant quite a bit, gather herbs for salads and tea, make our own soap, candles, and creams using beeswax, honey, propolis, and oil, and the incubator occasionally hatches little, cute chicks that then need to be cared for. Weeding, digging, clearing paths, grouting walls and stones, doing laundry, vacuuming and mopping, mixing clay, watering, raking the lawn, gathering chestnuts, mucking out the stables, feeding and watering the animals, ... Some things need to be done urgently, but most of the time you can also choose, In the summer, I make soap and cream once a year; in the fall, jam; in the spring, elderflower syrup and cough syrup. You can also join me in gathering wild herbs, planting and pruning trees, feeding the animals, letting them out, locking them up at night, cleaning, building, plastering, sawing, chopping wood, laying bricks, harvesting honey from the bees, making propolis, making soap and felting, and canning. Here’s a short blog post from a couple of volunteers: https://zukunftssuche.home.blog/2020/07/30/wir-haben-die-echte-villa-kunterbunt-gefunden/ Location: off the coast of Usedom Island (20 min), 7 km from Anklam, 500 m to the B109, 1 hour to the imperial spa towns of Albeck, Bansin, and Heringsdorf. 30 min to Greifswald, 2 hours by train to Berlin. There’s a lake (Pelsiner) and a large nature reserve (Anklamer Bruch) 3 km away. And there are many fields and villages all around. Our small, charming village has 33 permanent residents and about 20 weekenders. The neighboring villages are 1–2 km away. Internet access available

What's included

Wi-Fi A lovely parking area (our young orchard meadow) for campers and tent camping Herb giveaways

Amenities & features

• ✓ Kitchen
• ✓ Wi-Fi / internet
• ✓ Washing machine
• ✓ Garden / terrace
• ✓ Parking
• ✓ Electricity
• ✓ Water
• ✓ Non-smoking
• ✓ Vegetarian/vegan possible

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