Tour de Farm

So, I finally have pictures.  Maybe these will help you get an idea about what life is like on the farm.

 This is Ecoville.  We live in yurts and geodesic domes overlooking the fields of the farm.  This area is often referred to as “Upstairs”.

 

This is my yurt!  Home sweet home.

 

 This is my part of the room.  My bed, complete with mosquito net.  I share the yurt with two other people, Zoe and Gabby.

Every dome and yurt has its own garden that we get to take care of and experiment with different crops and growing techniques. 

Pomegranates! Yum!

        

Surrounding Ecoville, there and fields in different rows of a huge variety of crops, interspersed with fruit trees.  All the crops are planted to work together to produce the most food for the amount of space.

The very scary scarecrow.

These our a few of our lovely Chickens! I really enjoy bringing them food and collecting their eggs.

One of the roosters that LOVES to wake us up in the morning.

And their duck friend that thinks it is a chicken.

On the farm there is no sewage system and therefore no waste of water… or of waste!  Therefore, we use greywater systems, where waste water from sinks and showers goes into watering plants in the gardens. We also have extensive compost bins like the ones below to compost yard waste and food scraps and use compost toilets that turn even human waste into manure that can be used to fertilize trees.

The outdoor shower is one of the favorite spots on the farm, especially at night when you can light it up with candles. 

The last Eco group made an awesome mosaic in the shower.  We also have two “indoor” showers.  

 

All showers on the farm are heated with these solar water heaters.  We also use solar panels for our other electricity and lighting needs.

 

The kitchen is always a popular place to be.  We take turns preparing meals for the group every day. 

 

Our ovens are wood heated. We are still adjusting to how to bake things at the right temperature, especially for bread, and many of the Ecos have gotten really good at it.  

 

Just about every day we collect baskets full of farm produce to use in the kitchen.  The majority of al our meals are made up of food from the farm.

I like to hang out in the alcove by the kitchen that is called the “Café”.  It’s breezy and a wonderful place to sit and drink coffee or read a book.  Some of these benches and many throughout the farm are made of mud and tires. Behind you can see a banana tree, fed my one of the kitchen sinks, and a pretty view of the farm and hills beyond it. 

After working on the farm in the mornings, we take classes during the hot hours of the afternoon.  This is the “Kita,” one of our main classrooms. 

The Zula is our outdoor area for meals and group meetings at the beginning of the day. We use the insulated “Big Dome” for winter meals and meetings.

Here Nadav is going over the weekly schedule.  Nadav coordinates our program and is also in charge of agriculture on the farm.  He knows so much about EVERYTHING and is just the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.

Well, that’s all the pictures for now.  I’ll try to post more soon.  I hope this gives you an idea of what day-to-day life is like on our beautiful farm!