The real basis for this blog are my plans to travel - which at this point are made possible by a fabulous organization called WWOOF (World Wide Organization of Organic Farmers). Basically, being a "wwoofer" allows you to stay at organic farms all over the USA (and other countries if you join their wwoof programs). In exchange for about 35 hours of work per week wwoofers receive a place to stay, food, and occasionally a small stipend. I have met a few people on various train and bus rides who participated in this and had nothing but great things to say.
Once I decided to really get serious about seeing the rest of the country and learning about sustainable farming practices (and having taken a sad look at my bank account) I decided to join WWOOFUSA. The fee for a year is minimal ($20) and for that you receive your WWOOF Directory - a complete list of all the farms looking for workers in the next year. As soon as my (bright orange!) directory arrived in the mail I called about 20 farms before I landed on one that was a good match for me. (More about that farm in a soon-to-come blog, I promise!) The great thing about WWOOFing is that it is all up to you and the farmer - the organization just works as an information storehouse - the rest of the specifics and contact are up to you, the farmers and your enthusiasm.
So now I am an official WWOOFer, ready to learn about farming, sustainability, and culture! And of course, eat some really great food...
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