Finca Mycol, Brooker FL

Location: Brooker, FL, United States

20-acre permaculture homestead that has been steadily transforming its landscape since 2002 to live in an eco-centric balance with nature and humans. Located at the end of a dirt road 17 miles north of downtown Gainesville and just outside a dinky town with no traffic light called Brooker. There is a 10-minute trail to the upper Santa Fe River, a swimming pond with dock, and close proximity to amazing springs. If it can grow in this climate I am attempting to grow it. I have been doing plant propagation (grafting/cuttings etc.) and subsequent planting of plum, pear, pecan, chestnut, muscadine grape, citrus, fig, cactus, pawpaw, peach, rio-of-the-grand cherry, blueberry, blackberry, moringa, lemongrass, shitake, and an annual garden area with mints, chives, tomatoes, greens, potatoes, beans, etc. I also engage heavily on ecosystem restoration of longleaf pine uplands and oak hammock habitats ridding of invasive exotic plants (air potato, exotic grasses, Chinese tallow etc.) and planting native ground cover in its place. Also experimenting with mycorhizal edible mushroom symbiants. I am a botanist that works for the state of FL (FWC). I teach wild edible plants and mushrooms on the side. There is a solar shower, solar oven, and live off-the-grid with minimal solar power. We often cook over the open fire but have propane for back-up. We use humanure compost for bathroom facilities. Accommodation is a refurbished trailer with two bedrooms that opens up to a recently completed screened in front porch, a gutted van with a bed, and several family sized tents that can be set up if we are short on living spaces. I am project oriented and expect about 30 hours of work per week and assign tasks if I am away on the job (I typically am away 3-4 days/week doing restoration ecology work). Please note that I must work to maintain funds for the homestead and need honest self-reliant volunteers when I am away. When I am on the Finca over weekends I expect you to help me out most at this time (I also take volunteers on trips/parties!) Stays are limited to a one year period. Current tasks are tending the chickens, gardening, soil building, weeding, control burns, earthen building community kitchen and functional art (also some nature-murals if you are an artist). I hope to get some milking goats this summer 2010. In exchange for volunteering, I provide a roof over your head, teach ethnobotany and other skills and provide you with vibrant predominant fresh organic food as medicine. I do not host children, pets, heavy alcohol or smoking of tobacco (other smokes are fine). You should ideally have your own transportation. I personally don't eat beef or pork but will eat a road-kill deer. FYI I am also a musician (guitar, charango, balafon, djembe, panlago etc.) y hablo espanol asi asi. Politically I am a green anarchist and don't believe in ANY organized religion or alien abductionsâ?¦so no proselytizingâ?¦.all life is beautiful and equally a mystery to me. I hope that one has a positive vibration and state of mind and is motivated to live in such an alternative lifestyle. Love and light to all who have read this even if you don't make it to the finca! I am on facebook.

Please see the Questionnaire for new applicants in our fb page:
https://www.facebook.com/notes/finca-mycol/volunteer-questionarre/253517271480835