Twelve acre organic farm in environmental, mountain community.  We are Herb and Marnie Walters and we live in a long established  land trust community on 1,200 acres at the foot of the tallest mountain range east of the Rockies - the Black Mountains. This is an amazingly beautiful place with lots of interesting creative people living on both our land trust and in the surrounding community.  About fifty households share ownership of our land trust.  Our store-front food coop has over a hundred household memberships. We have lots of crafts people here, a crafts co-op, a Quaker meeting, alternative energy homes and resources, a lively community center, and an alternative school for kids. We are just 7 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway and are surrounded by state parks and national forests.  We are an hour from Asheville, NC which is a really awesome city.

Here is what you can do:  1. Work, learn and play on our family homestead with organic gardens, chickens, bees, three beef steers, a co-op milk cow, mushrooms, two horses, fruit trees a trout pond and opportunities to forage wild foods. Our cattle are pasture fed as are our chickens who are in chicken tractors.  2. Experience and  learn about the land trust model of cooperative community. 3.  If interested you can learn other earthskills along with foraging -- for example making fire by friction, basketry,  etc. 4.  Opportunities to cook and preserve our home grown foods. 5. If you are an activist type you could also volunteer some time with Rural Southern Voice for Peace (www.listeningproject.org) but that's not required, just a choice. RSVP's Listening Projects address peace, justice, environmental and health issues. 6. Experience and learn about living in an intentional, ecological community, where there are a variety of opportunities to work, play and share with others. 

Our  need is for one person or a couple who can stay at least a month, preferably 4-7 months  (March - Oct.). You will live in the downstairs bedroom of our house which is in the basement but it has a south facing window onto our fields and the Black Mountain range.. We ask for 20 to 30   hours per week per person with flexibility.. You'll need your own transportation. gas and entertainment money.  We provide room and food which is not vegetarian but we have plenty of vegetarian food.. We need someone who can be self-motivated and work both with us and on your own with adequate guidance. This is farming primarily to sustain our simple, active lifestyle with some products to sell or barter with others. A simple resume from applicants would be helpful. 

UPDATE: We will be building a greenhouse this year. Below are some letters from past woofers including a blog from one couple; just  copy and paste it into your browser search:

  (http://joinedthefarmy.wordpress.com/2010/05/11/theres-manure-on-my-jacket-and-cat-puke-on-the-floor/     After reading what is there go to archives for May, June, July

From Taylor and Suzanna,  Nov.2010:

Wonderful, big hearted folks who run their own little farmstead. Lots to learn, incredibly beautiful setting, and lovely people in the local community. They accommodated me, my wife, our dog, and our cat for three months. It was a perfect way for us to relocate from out West and learn some more good old American farm skills.
Mountain Community and Family Farm wrote on 02 2010 Thu

From another Woofer:
I spent five wonderful months at Herb and Marnie's farm. The two of them are some of the most compassionate, loving and true folks I have ever met. I can definitely say I soaked up an incredible amount of knowledge spending time being a part of this family and the Celo Community. I'd say my time there was a success. Thiswas my first time doing this and it was definitely a success. I couldn't thank Herb and Marnie more for what they have given me. Peace, Bryan CLogg