New, small (4-acres) hobby farm is seeking sober individual(s) not afraid of hard work, hard play + mentorship in a
sustainable,
PermaCulture environment. The goal is to exchange ideas & provide a rich learning venue for the "Lost Arts" while working hands-on to build this "food farm" and seriously renovate its living space(s).
LEARN USEFUL SKILLS: Here's your opportunity to learn marketable trades, practical life skills,
experience: fermenting, beekeeping, making no-filler hand salves from our
bees wax, making
soap incorporating products grown on our farm, capturing rain
water to purify for drinking, composting, raising vegetables, pruning our 40+ tree Orchard, canning, dehydrating (apples, crackers, peaches, tomatoes, e.g.), making the world's best jerky,
medicinal honey, and you'll learn how to MAKE KOMBUCHA. Your Host Doc Jody has been making World-Class Kombucha weekly for the past --um-- 15 years. Wow.
PROJECTS: Projects interns can participate in:
~~Constructing a
Root Cellar
~~Growing a variety of
Mushrooms
~~Installing pump system (convey water from downhill cold spring up to Orchard)
~~Building greehouse, raised beds, to become sustainable food-wise
~~Install 30-Amp electrical receptacle + water line for on-site RVs
~~Build solar-panel array
~~Build-out wood-working shop (paneling, floor coating, e.g.) to build
wood slab-table furniture
~~Plumbing upgrade for guest bathroom
~~Cooking using high-end, quality home-grown food and unprocessed ingredients
~~Writing music
~~Hosting workshops & community "Mighty Good Eatin'" Potlucks
WHAT'S PLANNED: So far, we have some raised-bed vegetable gardens + new fruit Orchard to complement established fruits (Sand Pear, Scuppernong, Fox Grapes, blueberry,
Apple, Dewberries). Plans include installing:
chickens (for eggs), pecan grove, expanded gardens, seedling nursery and maybe even a pet hog. We're in Escambia County, whose Zoning does permit us to have livestock, which is upbeat as we've considered fostering a rescue horse who'd love the cold spring at the base of the property. In April comes the harvest of a solid acre of sun-bursting blackberries.
Alas, our current farm livestock consists of the house cats.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS: One among many reasons we love Beulah is the proximity to Pensacola's world-famous white-sand beaches, its world-class Naval Air Museum, tallest lighthouse on the entire Gulf Coast, micro-breweries (if for some bizarre reason you tire of our Grade-A double-ferment Kombucha), best-ever sushi restaurant (Ichiban on Davis), fishing, swimming, boating, and when you're bored-- shoveling 500-pounds of horse manure to fill our trio of
compost bins. We also love living in USDA Growing Zone 8-B and its nearly year-'round growing season. The Pensacola Palafox Farmers Market is second to none. Pensacola has a vibrant
permaculture and
gardening community, as well as military bases-- more reasons we moved here. Your Host Doc Jody is retired military. If you are a Veteran or retired military, that's a plus. "Work hard, play hard." This is easy as we're quite near the IH-10 Exit-#05. And, Beulah is horse country!
THE PROPERTY. No traditional "dirt." Ours is sand + red clay. Mixed w/ horse manure creates our version of soil that's sustainable + effective. We don't spray anything on-site to help protect our
honey bees. The cold spring is a major attraction & we can't wait to figure out how to tap it to overcome a 240-ft. run w/ 30-ft. rise. Property has a carport (great
workshop venue), garage, and another converted garage destined to become a woodworking shop and possible open-bay "barracks" sleeping area.
LODGING. Starting out, quasi-roughing-it period if you're up for adventure, as we've focused on installing the new Orchard, not fixing up living-space interior, which needs loads of work. Once complete, will be quite comfortable. Lodging involves a variety of venues ranging from tent-camping on the property, to residing in a Class-A motor home (if you'd lend a hand installing 30-A, mini-septic and water line hook-ups), to occupying one of two small bedrooms in the house, or camping-out in converted garage, 500-sq.ft. w/ its own HVAC unit.
Shower is shared. Otherwise private bath in motor home or main house. Mutual respect of each others' privacy is key.
ARRANGEMENTS: We seek Interns w/ strong work ethic, solid values, not afraid of hard work. Requirements incl.: Photo I.D., strong references, a car. Prefer long-term commitment for interns/apprentices. You must value sustainable practices,
PermaCulture, and frugal living (we don't use air conditioning & have no interest in $400 electric utility bills). You
should have an appreciation for keeping bees, fermentation, cooking, maintaining vehicles/tools/household, among all green-planet initiatives. Starting out rooms are available at $450/mo. incl. utilities. Shared kitchen or you'll have access to an outdoor cook stove. Availability a/o 10DEC2020. Lend a hand w/ building or systems construction, gardens, bees in exchange for produce that you help grow, mentorship, training.
INTERNET: We tether onto PC w/ T-Mobile mobile phone's Hot-Spot. Works for us as we have patience for the occasional buffering and dropped calls. But living out here in Upper Stixville is Heaven, esp. the dark sky and its bright diamonds. .
PARKING: Plenty of parking on-site for your POV, tent, camper or RV.
DRUGS: Never. Drugs/alcohol/overnight guests not allowed on Property. Grounds for immediate dismissal, no refunds.
CONTACT: Questions? Contact us here.
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