The Wwoofing Experiment

So what is Wwoofing? First of all, yes, it is really spelled that way and no, it has nothing to do with dogs – or maybe indirectly. :-D

WWOOF is the acronym for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and means helping out for a few hours a day on organic farms in exchange for food and free accommodation. The great thing about it is that on the one hand, you live directly with the locals and get to know them, their everyday life, and a little bit of their culture. On the other hand, it offers the perfect opportunity to learn new things and broaden your horizons. We had already read about the possibility of Wwoofing in Germany and really wanted to give it a try. So we signed up online at the Wwoofing portal and were able to browse through potential hosts in our area in peace and quiet. After some time, we found the Williams family and everything was perfect. The work sounded interesting, the family seemed nice, and previous Wwoofers praised their time there to the heavens. We were lucky and the sympathy was mutual, so we were able to start our Wwoofing experiment on January 14th.

The day we arrived in Hukerenui (30km north of Whangarei) was a Sunday. We arrived at the Williams family's house around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Andrew (mid-60s) and Janine (late 50s) warmly welcomed us, and over a cup of coffee and homemade cake, we got to know each other. They told us a lot about their work on the farm, their family, and what our daily routine would look like.

On their farm called "Hukerenui Gardens", the family grows various vegetables such as beans, zucchini, and eggplants, but also different varieties of plums and much more. They make their own jams, sauces, and chutneys from their fruit and vegetables, which they sell every Saturday at the Farmers Market in Whangarei.

So our work consisted of supporting the Williams family with the daily tasks surrounding their small farm operation. After two months of vacation, we were really looking forward to having a task! I was especially excited to help with making the jams and chutneys. Our working day was from 8 am to 1 pm, including a half-hour break (the "morning tea") at around 10:30 am. In the afternoons, we were free to do as we pleased, and we had Sundays off.

In addition to Andrew and Janine, their two daughters Emeli (19) and Susie (17) also lived in the house. The oldest daughter, Becca (21), was on vacation from university and also helped her parents most of the time. Additionally, Andrew's sister Judy from England was visiting for several weeks and stayed in the guesthouse – the area usually reserved for the Wwoofers. But they already knew that because they had asked us in advance if we would be okay with sleeping in a large tent in the garden. Of course, we were, but we didn't expect such a huge tent! It had two rooms plus a canopy under which you could sit comfortably. Inside, there was a real bed, a table and two chairs, and there was still plenty of room to walk around. After coffee, we set up our tent. When we were finished, Andrew took us on a small farm tour. There was a lot to see: many beds, an old ruin, a sheep pasture, a horse paddock, ducks and chickens, a river (from which they get their water), an orchard, several beehives, many hills, and bushland.

In the evening, we got a taste of the wonderful food that awaited us here. The Williams family served a delicious dinner: baked potatoes with rosemary and freshly grated cheese, braised tomatoes, and a colorful salad with raw corn (which we had only known from cans before) and plenty of everything. Andrew told us that potatoes are his absolute favorite food, and I could tell him that I am someone who shares that love. The first thing we had in common. :-D It was especially great that everyone except Andrew was a vegetarian or even a vegan, and almost all the ingredients came fresh from their own farm.

Our workdays were always very diverse, and time flew by. Sometimes we harvested beans, various types of cabbage, zucchini, or plums. Other times we pulled weeds, helped Andrew with beekeeping, mowed the lawn, or assisted with preparations for the market day. Philipp sometimes had different tasks that required more strength, and I was allowed to help in the kitchen with cooking chutneys. But we could also work together, which was a new and pretty cool experience. Andrew and Janine always made sure that we didn't work too long and took our break on time. They also reminded us at every opportunity to eat enough and encouraged us to help ourselves as much as we liked. When Janine went shopping in town, she asked us if we had any special wishes, and we really didn't lack anything. We felt like full-fledged family members! In the evenings, we often watched movies together, and it turned out that the two of them were just as big fans of The Lord of the Rings as we were. That had to be taken advantage of! :-)

And because we felt so comfortable, we stayed for another week after the initially agreed-upon 10 days. Andrew and Janine were very happy because they were not only highly satisfied with our work but we also got along very well.

By the end of our time here, we had learned a lot:

Among other things, that "morning TEA" by no means only means a cup of tea or coffee. Instead, we were served a second breakfast! Sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, cake – everything the heart desires. When we first came to the kitchen for the break, we were amazed at the abundantly set table!

In addition, Andrew explained to us that it is best to dig the beds deep and loosen the soil thoroughly so that the roots of the plants grow downward and not sideways. This way, you can create more beds on an area and plant and harvest more. While we were weeding, he told us that you never really finish with weeding because when you pull out the roots of the weeds, you also bring new spores up and thus new weeds grow. And finally, as "weed-pulling professionals," we now also know that it is easier to weed in wet soil than in dry soil.

In addition, we learned how to "weave" the pepper, jalapeno, and eggplant plants, attaching them with sturdy string to wooden stakes placed at regular intervals. This stabilized the plants growing upwards and made them more resistant to wind. However, this work was not one of our favorites, as we had to walk bent over through the beds the whole time. The next day, we had some back pain...

We were also amazed to learn that you can eat beans and corn raw (and it tastes really good!), and beans can grow from very small to "ready for harvest" in 1-2 days! Philipp learned how to dig out potatoes and found a huge one, which, according to Andrew's instructions, he was supposed to give to me (because he now knew how much I love potatoes :-D). I donated the giant potato to the evening dinner, and it naturally tasted especially good that evening. ;-)

And finally, we collected a bunch of new recipes – from delicious vegetable fritters to great homemade chutneys.

All in all, it was a really great, fun, and instructive time, and saying goodbye was a little difficult for all of us. However, we are very happy to have had this experience and can definitely say that the Wwoofing experiment was a success and will certainly be tried again elsewhere!

PS: We especially miss the house dog Tarka! The old lady was simply adorable and her gaze could melt anyone's heart! Most of the time, she snored on the veranda (even when she was awake!), which always caused a laugh. :-)