Cherry Plain Sanctuary Farm, NY USA

Location: CHERRY PLAIN, United States

Here in the Great Northeast, in a tiny corner of the world, we have a small space where we grow organic food using permaculture, raised beds, llamas for fertilizer, and the many blessings of Gaia, our Great Earth Mother. Living simply, we built a cattle panel greenhouse, dry composing in pallets with local sawdust. Plans for expansion include four more raised beds this spring, with cattle panel hoops for trellising vine veggies. For recreation, we have built several miles of trails here in the woods for mountain biking and hiking, and we live across from Cherry Plain State Park. We recently added a new tipi on a deck with a woodstove to be used as a healing sanctuary and space for traveling organic farmers and friends. Gaia, we love you. Internship Starts: June 1, 2010 Internship Ends: October 15, 2010 Number of Interns: 2 App Deadline: April 15, 2010 Minimum Length of Stay: One month. Meals are shared, and fend for yourself. If we are making dinner, you are invited. Otherwise, you are welcome to share our food, we will combine expenses for grocery runs to the Co-op. I am looking for people who are interested in learning about raised bed micro-farming and working with llamas. If you have building skills, that is a big help. Ideal folks would be one or two people who wish to live in the tipi, help tend the gardens and animals, and go outside and play. If you are a musician, we may have some music jams round the campfire in the evenings too. I have a vast library and much information to share. We make our own herbal tinctures, liniments and fermented veggies too. If you'd like to learn more about herbal remedies and other ways to be healthy, this is a great opportunity. It's a free place to live in exchange for a learning opportunity about maintaining a small micro-farm and of course, bountiful veggies and strawberries too. I have a wonderful 22 foot Earthworks tipi made from 15 oz duck material with a dry composting toilet and Four Dog woodstove. This tipi sits on a 24 X 26 foot deck and is a sweet space. There's a strip for electricity, lights and a laptop. We can also add a DSL connection quite easily to this space. Since we are a non-commercial and small scale family microfarm, the work here is fairly chill. There are three dogs, four cats, four llamas and a goat to care for, beds to build, plants to tend, and plenty of time to also go outside and play. Rivers to run, lakes to paddle, cliffs to climb, trails to hike. If you have a mountain bike, so much the better. Our work can be strenuous at times, such as when we are hauling dirt from the farmer and building raised beds. We occasionally build trails, cut down trees and haul wood. There is a small orchard of old apple trees that will be pruned, berry bushes to maintain, a fence to expand. We have a spring we are digging out, and another member of our small community will be building his Adirondack lean-to and will need some assistance. Strong athletic people are encouraged to apply. If two people are together and wish to be here, you'll have plenty of time to work outside of the farm for extra cash if you wish.