"Back to basics" organic sheep farm welcomes your help on your adventure! Tartu - Volunteers Base - Free Volunteering and Work Exchange Opportunities.

Location: Tartu, Estonia

Welcome! Our family farm in South-Estonia feels very private thanks to the lovely hilly landscape where it is located, yet it is in the middle of a small village Assikvere in South Estonia, about 50km from university city Tartu. Buses from Tartu twice a day come to Assikvere bus stop located 200 meters from our farm. Food shop, post office, medical shop, library etc are 7 km away in Pala. 15 km away is Europe's 5th largest lake Peipsi between Estonia and Russia. We swim there. Closest airports are Tallinn and Riga.

Our webpage is www.lauritalu.eu

Our village Assikvere has good bus connection with city Tartu. We can pick you up from Tartu or Mustvee with car, if needed, too.
After (or even more likely before :)) work we can take you to swimming, fishing (we can smoke fish or meat together), have a barbeque, tractor driving, hunting (optional, official), picking mushrooms, berries etc. from forest, also herbs. We have lots of wild strawberries all around the house area in June/July. We have quite many different birds living/nesting in our house and yard area (best time to listen/observe them is in June). Fox is seen quite often, also storks are usual. We have a young cat

Farm's main activity is growing black-head sheep (about 250 heads). At the moment we are using approx. 100ha of land. Additionally the potatoes and several other vegetables (garlic, strawberry, rootbeet, carrot, beans, green peas etc.) are growed and volunteers welcomed. Our family of 5 lives part-time in Tartu and part-time in this country farm (named Lauri farm).

Farm´s main building was built in 1919 and is an example of Estonian farm mansion architecture with its size, height, porch etc. It is unrenovated. Sheep growing in farm began at year 2008 so we are new in this and we are growing. 2 production buildings have been built since then and 3rd is under construction, as well as new sauna. There is lots of different, also historic technics (6 tractors, mainly older etc. - even a caterpillar tractor) - if you´re interested in such things, here is lots to see and probably help, too!

During school months (that is, except June, July and August) mother and children live mainly in city Tartu, where we have a city home (50 km from farm), not in the farm.

It seems that our lifestyle in farm at the moment is more or less what was normal around here even 80 years ago, but nowadays is pretty much lost. (a´la growing and preserving your own vegetables, strawberries; picking mushrooms, berries, herbs; smoking meat and fish; using old-fashioned sauna and toilet; heating house with firewood; making firewood; during cold times cooking on the stove heated with firewood etc). More modern lifestyle we live in city, so it is a nice balance for us. The Farmer grew up in this neighborhood and therefore knows the local environment and the people to the details. Was away though many years, learning and working in totally different area. Also he still can speak local dialect (Kodavere), memory from his childhood, which is rare now. Practically died out.

Help here is needed on building (always something), making and repairing fences, forest works, hay-making, with sheep during the year, in vegetable garden, playing with kids (!) etc.
House in private room with twin bed and also in shared room, tent, trailer, hayloft. We provide food for volunteers, also vegetarian and vegan. We cook a lot local fresh products like vegetables and mushrooms.
Work usually means assisting and being a company to the Farmer (Andres) in whatever he is doing that day, depending on the season, weather, needs, mood and the people available. He likes to do all he can himself from building to shopping. He is interested in everything. When doing something, he likes to discuss and share his knowledge, which is quite a lot, I tell you. So 95% you will work with him or at least start and finish with him!

We have both dedicated much time and energy on studying and career in our lives. Due to different reasons at the moment we have put these things aside (or on hold) and enjoy our lifestyle as it is, deciding ourselves how to use our time. We do not like to be bored more than anybody else so we move and switch actions a lot. Several days a week Andres and his company is in city, if he feels so.

Currently more or less on action or planning:
- building log sauna, stone basement under construction, next step also peeling the timber;
- finishing several buildings by details;
- making hay and silage rolls, taping the bird-made small holes on silage rolls, bringing rolls home by tractor;
- relocating and organizing wood material piles;
- planning children playground;
- taking off old fence wires and posts (mostly done by now);
- cleaning animal buildings with us;
- making new net fences (big project in August!);
- taking care of animals and veggies;
- we could use architectural advise on how to fit modern toilet and washing room into 1919 building and also how to build out its 2nd floor and use better its arched fieldstone basement;
- forest works;
- making and storage of firewood;
- repairing tractors etc.;
- planting a field of daffodils;
- we also have a fieldstone building nearby which could use some serious repairing;
- our web page could use some help to update it... also to take new pictures and add there!
- ...
- we also appreciate company and playing with our children in ages 10, 5 and 3. Also help with cooking!

NB! During school months mother and children live mainly in city Tartu, not in the farm. By the way, long-term help would be needed in Tartu with children, too, as well as short-term help with small repairs on the house and garden. Plenty of room there for living for a volunteer.

Guests are welcome to join us in our trips/activities.

We personally don´t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. Others may.