Our Newfoundland Adventures are centered around Wwoofing at a small farming operation in Cormack. It is located in a valley just outside of Deer Lake and is the home of Mark and Lauralee - the owners of Upper Humber Settlement. There's not much farming here, but the valley is a lush landscape with lots of small farm operations.
There are many aspects to this operation. First - food of all sorts - there are endless gardens growing everything you can imagine and things you've likely never heard of (like lovage) and chickens for meat and eggs, lots of ducks and even one massive sow! They also have a vibrant bed and breakfast - yes, it does include a cook who makes breakfast! They also host farm to table "story telling" and "foraging" meals where guests enjoy time with Mark and/or Lauralee and a fine meal!
There's a lot to this place and since Lauralee is a full time teacher, Mark does most everything on the farm. He is definitely a jack of all trades and has a shop full of equipment and tools to fix most things - and he's an excellent cook! In addition to Mark, there's a cook / housekeeper in the BnB and one hired man to help around the farm. And, it is truly incredible watch Mark's 80+ year old "Pappy" who works with us almost every day. With all that goes on here, there is enough work for everyone - even a couple of randoms from Ontario.
So far we've had a good time working in the gardens - weeding, hoeing and getting ready for planting. Gayle has planted parsnips as well. We've helped to assemble a green house that was procured used and damaged from a nearby farm. Most of the day on Wednesday and Thursday was focused on "project beautification" to make the place look good for a busload of 14 visits who were coming for a story telling dinner. (More on that in another post coming soon!)
This meant moving, leveling, rewiring the gazebo as well as adding steps and skirting. After the building was moved, Gayle and I handled most of the rest of the prep in the light rain on Thursday. We also set up the tables and heaters for dinner. We even added small bouquets to brighten things up!
We've been working 8-5 most days and are thoroughly enjoying the diversity of tasks and being exhausted at the end of the day. Being involved in such a busy operation with cool people is so rewarding!
