This time last year I was in Grants Pass, Oregon, staying at an organic farm/restaurant called Summerjos. I traded 2 weeks of 6 hours/day work for room and board. I got lunch and dinner 5 days a week (plus all the food I wanted to pick from the farm). Amy Joy, the chef at the restaurant is wonderful, so I ate very well!
It's called WWOOFing (Willing Workers on Organic Farms). You can google WWOOFUSA to learn more about the program. Farms wanting workers can add listings to a directory and potential workers can join and then get access to the directory. I got a copy in the mail, and it was my bible last summer. After SummerJos, I went to Idaho and then Montana, but I'll write about those places (and post pics), in future
On Saturdays I worked the Grants pass farmers market. Along with the standard greens, they sell flowers, lavender and bread products. Both weeks I worked there, I got to have some of the extra bread left over after the market. Yum. Friday was harvest day. It was quite a learning experience. I could have stayed longer, but I was antsy to figure out what my future was going to hold, and it wasn't going to be at SummerJos.
I slept on a mattress under the stars. It wasn't dark, or quiet, since SummerJo's is basically within Grants Pass and is only 2+ acres. There was significant light pollution (as in bright lights just across the field), and noise from the neighbors and yappy dogs. The search for dark and quiet became a bit of a quest last summer, but sleeping outside was very nice.
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