Association WWOOF France
Urban shepherds, Julie and Guillaume raise a flock of sheep in the heart of La Courneuve, in Seine-Saint-Denis. Co-founders of the associative farm Clinamen, they campaign for agriculture in the city. Their sheep are sometimes the only link between living things and concrete. For them, WWOOFing is a popular way to experience what you don’t learn at school.
Having uprooted from the mother country and settling in a new land, foreign hosts retell their stories of how they came to be in France, started organic farming, and welcomed WWOOFers from back home as well internationally.
Michel and Catherine are organic beekeepers who are a part of the WWOOF France network. For a year, they have been welcoming WWOOFers and they explain why.
In winter, the pace gets slower as the temperature grows colder. But the work on organic farms continues all year around. From cutting wood to baking bread, WWOOFers and hosts talk about their experiences WWOOFing in wintertime, when there is never a lack for something to do or a warm meal to share.
Today’s industrial and conventional bread has come a long way from its ancestral origins. This recipe for pain à l’ancienne, or old fashioned bread, uses ancient unmodified grains and a natural traditional yeast method that yields a home-made loaf not only more wholesome in nutrients but also in flavor.
International WWOOFes share their experiences of coming to WWOOF on French farms in hopes of practicing and improving their French language skills. Inversely, hosts recount anecdotes of teaching their mother tongue to their international WWOOFers and the deeply human échanges that ensue.
With minimal and natural ingredients, castile soaps offer an alternative to the conventional suds of commercial cleaning products. An everyday, household item that’s used all year around, this zero-waste recipe comes just in time for all the washing-up of the holiday season!
Executive in environmental protection in Germany, Christiane decided to discover France through its organic farms. During several months, she shared in the daily life of organic farms in the WWOOF France network to do “simple things with my hands that have meaning.”
WWOOFers and WWOOF hosts share their advice on the ‘best practices’ of WWOOFing as well as some general guidelines that may not be so obvious to those unfamiliar with the culture. These rules are not written in stone, nor necessarily are spoken outright, but are born of the experiences working on organic farms.
Literally translated as « cooked bread, » this dish has been nourishing farmers and families for generations. We share with our WWOOF community a traditional Italian recipe that can come from any garden, anywhere.