This summer, my husband, Diego, our thirteen-year old son, Pablo, and I went to Spain and embarked on our first WWOOF adventure.
WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) is an international organization that administrates a network of organic farms and people who want to work on them. In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts provide food, accommodation and the opportunity to learn about organic lifestyles.
Diego is always on the lookout for novel ways to see the world. My vegetarian, cycler, recycler of a husband is the most environment-friendly person I know. Once he paid his 30$ membership fee via PayPal and had access to an exhaustive list of WWOOF hosts in Spain, he was in heaven. After scrutinizing descriptions and photos of farms, we hooked up with La Almarcha farm in Andalusia.
La Almarcha is located high up in the Genal valley, on a steep cliff. It is a fifteen- minute drive away from the nearest village, Algatocin, one of the white villages, on the Levante Route. The terrain is rough. Flat land does not exist here unless you make it. However, it is undeniably beautiful, with its impressive mountain views and generous vegetation. Olive trees spill over like fountains. Pears, almonds, figs, quinces, lemons, oranges and blackberries are there for the picking.
Ely Lozano Rio, a true Andalusian, runs the farm, with her German companion, Manfred. They have a thirteen-year old daughter, Ana. Ely is a botanist and herbalist. She cultivates plants such as lavender, thyme, laurel and sage, distills them and extracts essential oils. She has a vast knowledge of indigenous medicinal herbs and has just completed a manuscript on the subject. When Diego got stung by a hornet, Ely picked a couple of calendula flowers and concocted a magic potion, much to the relief of Diego’s swollen hand.
We stayed on the farm for one week. Diego and I worked five hours a day. Most of our chores had advanced by noon, and were completed after six o’clock, once the intense heat eased up. I did not keep track of temperatures but one day Ely showed me the thermometer on her caravan: 35 degrees, in the shade, which meant close to 40 in the sun!
Diego, Pablo and I slept in a wood cabin, uphill from the family caravan. There is no electricity on the farm, so lanterns and candles lit up nocturnal activities, including trips to the outhouse! Nights were soothingly cool and blissfully silent.
One of the main projects was to move firewood. Manfred cut trees and we transported the logs downhill. Diego became a master at winding up and down narrow paths with the wheelbarrow. We also had to move some logs down a particularly steep stretch of land by tying up the logs with rope and letting them roll gently downhill. No need to go to the gym on this terrain!
Making homemade cement
We also installed an outdoor bathtub, next to Ely’s distillation vat. This strategic location will allow Ely to convert the hot fragrant water left over from herb distillation into bathwater. We shaped earth with the pick and shovel, built a retaining wall from recycled wood, installed the tub, and made a fire pit below it to allow for direct heating when needed. The fire pit was made with heat resistant ceramic bricks and held into place with a mixture that we made out of earth, lime, and red clay, which we extracted ourselves from the mountain.
Working on the fire pit
Another project was to dismantle a 20-person tee-pee. Diego and I did this single-handedly one morning. As Diego pulled out the second to last pole I steadied the last one upright by pulling on a rope attached to it. Once the job was done, Diego beamed a smile and said, « Now we can work for the circus! »
Dehydrating pears and blackberries
There were several less physical tasks as well. I learned how to vacuum pack jam, dehydrate fruits in the sun, bake fruit bars in a solar oven, pick pears and blackberries, a yummy but prickly enterprise.
Pablo helped out with jobs such as moving logs downhill with ropes and making the fire pit under the bathtub. His main contribution, however, was making a sign with the farm’s name. Throughout our trip Pablo spent many hours a day drawing in his sketchbook. Ely was quick to recognize his talent and commissioned him for the job. She recuperated a big plaque of wood from a wine crate and Pablo got to work. After he painted his lettering design, Ana adorned the background with floral motifs. The artists were clearly proud when Ely hung the final masterpiece under two olive trees.
Making a lavender pouch
Time floated languidly in the afternoons as crickets chirped and goat bells clanged melodiously. After lunch we’d relax in the hammock, take a shower, do some laundry, or in my case, weave a basket or make dried lavender pouches. Pablo would draw, taking breaks at the source water pool to look for frogs.
We took turns cooking with organic produce from the farm. Diego’s lemonade, spiked with a sprig of mint, was simply succulent. Ely’s gaspacho was rejoicingly refreshing. The only time she used the generator during our stay was for the sake of blending the fresh vegetables for this typically Andalusian cold soup. We shared all meals and always finished supper with engaging conversations that lingered in candlelight while the five cats dashed to and fro in their nocturnal frenzy.
Paella and gaspacho lunch
Our hosts were wonderful. One day they took us to the Reventon River. We swam and Ely taught me basket weaving. With the reeds that she cut from the river bank, I started my first basket.
Another day we went for a picnic to a more remote spot on the same river. We drove down a winding dusty road past magnificent cork oaks, hiked through the forest and got greeted by a wild horse, who led the way to a crystal clear, emerald pond. We spent the afternoon eating, swimming, dozing and savoring life. Now and then the chestnut stallion would trot or gallop in our direction and Ely would scare it away by flinging out her arms while she roared and charged toward it. « This works every time! » she assured us.
It was an enriching experience to live and work at La Almarcha. This opportunity let us experience the land and culture of rural Andalusia from the inside. WWOOFing is a great way to travel and goes a long way to strengthen family bonds. We would definitely repeat the experience, this time in another country, perhaps even Canada. Either that or join the circus!
Talleen Hacikyan
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