Jules Harrell

Sara Lov wrote:Hey Ya'll ~

I'm a Missourian who wants to put down roots in a colder climate. So far, upstate NY seems to have everything I care about environmentally speaking. My goal is to purchase 50-100 acres and parcel 10 acre lots to slowly form an off the grid permaculture land trust neighborhood. There seems to be strict zoning and septic restrictions for the entire state as far as I can tell. What I'd like to know is if there's anyone here who has or is living off the grid and built their own dwelling and got away with no septic or building permits?

Clearly Missouri is one of the best states in the USA to live this way with no restrictions, but I am sure there are Amish folk and other off grid folk in NY right?

Your time and wisdom on the matter is deeply appreciated!  

Hi there, lived here in NY for 32 years, owned 80 acres in VT for a decade. VT and NY both have zoning laws, largely depending on where you are living what you want to do. Forming an intentional community with multiple 10 acres plots would require you to subdivide your property legally first in both states. Where we live, the Right to Farm is an amazing grace that allows us so much freedom. I LOVE Rensselaer County, NY, especially the eastern part of the county. You can IM me if you want to know more. Jules

Hi we are a 150 acre homestead farm, Cherry Plain Sanctuary Farm. On wwoof usa we are Hearts in Hand Horsemanship, LLC. Our link is here: https://wwoofusa.org/en/host/20691 and here: www.heartsinhandhorsemanshipllc.com. We have wwoofers here now and have hosted over 40 wwoofers, along with friends and permies folk.

We have an off grid cabin available for the right person/persons/family. Last farm helper lived there with her dog for 21 months. Please check us out and send a note if you'd like to know more about this opportunity. See our profile below, from wwoofusa.

Welcome to our farm!

Before reading any further, please note there's info you want to know.

Dwelling Portably: We LOVE travelers who have campers, vans, smaller RVs, and tiny traveling abodes on trucks. If this is you, we probably can find you a spot even if our multiple wwoofer dwellings are taken. Bushcrafters, archers, forest dwelling creatures who thrive on the wildness of complete and total mountain forest, we welcome you.

Weekend Warriors: We get a lot of requests from downstate city folk for weekend "wwoofing" visits. That ain't gonna happen here but we have good news for you. Please see our Hipcamp site if you'd like to come stay in the country for the weekend, and we might even arrange to show you around the farm. We have a tipi that is especially delightful for short family visits during the spring, summer and fall.

Must Have Personal Vehicle: A personal vehicle is required to visit us here as there is no public transportation.

USA Only: At this time we are not offering to host wwoofers who reside outside this country and/or are not US citizens. There is an international wwoof site where you can apply to farms outside the USA.

Dress: Wow I can't believe I have to write this LOL. We are a conservative crew here, and live in a conservative town, within a conservative county. That said, we cover ourselves to a reasonable level, i.e., tank tops and shorts, not bikini tops and thongs. If this is you, awesome. If you like to wear less or nothing, we wish you well on your journey.

Now that all the above is out in the open, let's see what our farm is all about.

We are a multi generational family and community with many places to rest and recover, including hammocks, multiple dwellings where one can stay, and shaded areas including the huge pavilion where our camp kitchen is located. Reesa has a little one and visits frequently. We encourage strong, outdoorsy independent folks to apply here at our farm. For this precious Sanctuary, we are especially grateful and give thanks for the many blessings from our Creator, Jesus Christ. Please note: For us, nature is the closest we can be to our Creator.

We are a home base farm sanctuary serving local youth, combat veterans, law enforcement professionals and their families who wish to enjoy our horses and farm. Please note, if the police and/or military make you uncomfortable we are not the farm for you and wish you the best on your journey.

Having some knowledge of what grueling hard work goes into creating and maintaining a farm is helpful. Please read past wwoofers comments, both bad and good, for a flavor of what we do here. It's hard work followed by more hard work. Dirty, grungy, unforgiving hard work.  The rewards are great, and we love stopping work in the middle of the day to go jump in the nearby lake, followed by hours lounging in the hammocks, wandering in the woods, or exploring the local area which is incredible. We have a beautiful archery range, with bows and arrows available to share with you. Mountain biking, kayaking, hiking in the local state and national parks is only minutes away. Our own farm has miles of marked trails that you can explore. Does this sound like you? Are you ready for a real farm experience? Then please, contact us. We would love to share our world with you.

Big projects this year include maintaining our huge existing gardens, creating big new gardens up the hill at a very sunny spot, taking the horses for walks on our wild mountain trails, building a forest trail mounted archery course, setting up our hunting lodge near the NY DEC line, adding sheep fencing for rotational grazing and creating a wild forest camp.

We built a trail system over over 3 miles, and will be maintaining that in our spare time (LOL what spare time?). We are setting up our wildest 100 acres, adjacent to NYS DEC land, for the ultimate bushcraft experience. If you are minimalist low tech bushcrafters we want to hear from you.

There's a LOT we do during the growing season. Our style of gardening is all raised beds with occasional cattle panel trellises. You'll like the ease of both planting, weeding and harvesting produce. Farm educational exchange is 25 hours per week. We share time together to teach, to learn, and to share farm activities. Your true commitment with a willingness to our honor our system is vital to the Farm Sanctuary.

Since we are a non-commercial and small-scale family homestead, your time living with us in our home here is fairly relaxed except on rare occasions such as if there's an animal emergency.

Our farm is located in the mountains of the Great Northeast, nestled between Vermont and Massachusetts,  We are adjacent to 1000s of acres of state  and federal land (NY/MA/VT), including the Green Mountain National Forest, the Berkshires, Petersburgh Pass, Cherry Plain State Park, Pittstown State Forest, and the Taconic Crest. Somerset and Harriman  Reservoirs are nearby for clean water kayaking. Eagles and hawks are a frequent sighting here. There is also a state park lake about 15 minutes away that we often frequent to swim! If you walk in it is free of charge.

Living spaces include our beautiful off grid cabin, should a wwoofer stay with us who demonstrates long-term potential; a not fancy but cozy barn loft, complete with electric, a full sized futon, a TV and tea kettle;  and lastly, another small hut closer to the main house that we call the Tiny Hut. Wwoofers have also camped in the past and we welcome that.

We have a fridge and flush toilet in our basement for wwoofer use, and two other composting toilets. The shower is outside and very "low tech" but it gets the job done! We purchased a propane water heating system and hope to get that up and running this next summer, maybe with your help?

Meals are primarily  fend for yourself as our schedules vary wildly. First and foremost you have full access to the unlimited vegetables and berries in our garden. We provide store bought staples for woofers to prepare and cook for themselves. These include coffee, tea, half n half, one dozen eggs per week, cooking oil, oats, lentils beans and grains, pancake mixings, bread, jam and peanut butter. Occasionally we will probably grill you a steak from local farmers beef . If you have something in particular that you crave such as ice cream,  we have small shops nearby where you can find it. When we make a big meal we often  invite woofers to join us.  We also recommend you bring your favorite snacks.

Do you love horses? Our rescued horses are a big part of this Sanctuary. We are a Similar Ministry of Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch. Training our horses is a daily exercise and we welcome horse people, especially those who want to experience Natural Horsemanship. Our equine assisted services program, which we provide to at risk youth, Police, Firefighters. Military and EMS providers is funded by our LLC.  I travel to train and trim rescued horses, including mustangs at the Mustang Valley Sanctuary.

Praise the Lord! Some (not all) of us here are Jesus believers. We do not attend conventional church and all beliefs are welcome here. Our primary church is outside and we love our native, pagan, Buddhist and "other" believing community.  At present, we are Jerome, Jules, Reesa, River (part time), with occasional friends. Amongst us, we have 4 dogs on premises, 3 goats, 4 sheep, 4 cats, 5 horses and 1 llama spread out over 30 of our 150 acres.

Your well behaved pets we will consider on a case by case basis. What's an extra dog or cat, right?

We especially appreciate visitors from May through October, with the possibility of an early spring or late fall stay. You would be welcome to remain here for longer if you are willing to help us continue with the farm work that has to be done, and have a strong desire to learn about new ways of homestead farming. Our last farm helper who lived in the off grid cabin with wood stove, propane stove, and cozy upstairs bed stayed with us for 21 months. Just saying. Longevity can be good.

Preference is given for wwoofers who stay for a month so as to get a fuller experience. Please note, if we find that we are simply not going to be a match, a quicker departure will be requested and ensue.

To wwoof with us, a note expressing your wish to visit us through wwoof-usa, a phone Interview, photo ID and two professional references are required. Cigs, drugs and alcohol are discouraged. Minor stuff we really worry about, as long as it's legal. All belief systems are respected and welcomed. No politics here please.

Thank you. Jules, Reesa, River, Jerome

Hi Sera, well, hmmm. This is an old post from a while back, but happy to discuss woofing with you. Our website: www.heartsinhandhorsemanshipllc.com, on wwoof usa we are Hearts in Hand Horsemanship LLC, https://wwoofusa.org/en/host/20691 my email is heartsinhandsllc@gmail.com.

Let's talk! We already have one permanent resident farm helper in our off grid cabin, and we have a wwoofer from Troy, NY (near us) scheduled to be here this spring. We could definitely find space for one more person who is a good fit.

Jules

Sera Wilder wrote:Hello!

I've just joined permies under the EcoVersity summit opening my eyes... so I'm badgeless but not completely without experience! I am largely unvetted by others and would love an opportunity to prove my hand at harvesting, sustainability, and building. I'm an aspiring fiber farmer and believe I could make great use of the skills I'd learn here.

What experiences are you open to? What does an ideal candidate look like for you and your home?

Hi everyone. We have a spot available for a single or couple to come help us with our gardens for a few weeks or a few months. RV/Van/Truck dwellers welcome. Please note, we do require photo ID and references. Thank you so much. We are longterm wwoof-usa hosts, and Hipcamp hosts. Right now there are 5 of us here on the homestead, including our close friend Jenny who lives in our offgrid cabin. Plenty of room for you. We have 150 acres including forests, pastures, mountains, near lakes and streams here in the beautiful heart where the Berkshires, Taconics and Green Mountains meet.

If you have wwoof, you can look at the reviews posted by our 38 visitors. Also, take a look at our website: www.heartsinhandhorsemanshipllc.com. We also welcome law enforcement, combat veterans and their families.

Jules

Hi, we have been woof hosts for over a decade. To answer your question, it's simple: Photo ID and references. Check the references very carefully. Ask questions designed to elicit the factual response, not the feel good response. I've had references tell me in no uncertain terms that I do not want the woofer at my farm, if she's going to have to spend any time with people.

Hope this helps.

Shay Gleeson wrote:I was wondering if anyone has experience dealing with volunteers who arrive on-site and turn out to be suffering from a mental illness.

We recently had a case where the host communicated extensively with a volunteer via WhatsApp before their arrival, and everything seemed fine. However, when the volunteer arrived, it quickly became clear that they were unable to take care of themselves—barely eating, surviving on coffee, and struggling to communicate. They appeared very lonely and depressed, with little self-respect or consideration for their lodgings.

Although their work was satisfactory, the state in which they left their accommodation was completely unacceptable. The place required deep cleaning, as it was covered in mud from top to bottom. Washing up was left in the sink, coffee was spilled all over the floor, soft furnishings were scattered on the floor, mud was tracked up the stairs, and the bathroom was filthy.

This volunteer was clearly not a suitable candidate and seemed to need professional help rather than a volunteer placement. I’m wondering how others go about identifying such cases in advance—how do you screen or pre-vet volunteers without being too intrusive?

Smokie sounds awesome. Very glad you got her when you both needed homes. Having been homeless myself I feel you. Our situation is we already have 6 dogs here, including weimeraner females who HATE other females, a male Great Pyranees who guards, a pittbull female who wants to kill puppies LOL, a terrier who is an awesome ratter, and lots of livestock. We keep all the dogs fenced in some way, but with 6 dogs already here, spread out on the farm, we really can't accommodate another dog. I'm sorry!!!

yes, that's correct... my only concern is you have a German Shepherd? That might be an issue.

Hi Alex, that's awesome yay! We may have a spot, all things considered. Let's talk. Please privately PM me a moosage and we can discuss offline. Thank you. Jules

alex tomy wrote:grand rising Jules, my name is alexandria or alex, I am currently looking for a new opportunity to be of help and learn more about your homestead, have a lot of knowledge with medicinal native plants, growing vegetables, herbs, can prune fruit trees and edible berries, love horses, they are amazing. my number is 716 261 5114. am currently staying in bath ,ny looking for farming work and staying at truck stops since i have no family here. was caregiving for a friend in niagara falls  she needed someone with more experiences with medical issues and am not qualified for that position, I love growing good food and caring for the land and learning new skills. would be great to connect with you. thank you

Hi, we are Cherry Plain Sanctuary Farm. We are a longterm wwoofusa.org host, and this year, we are offering our beautiful, off grid cabin for a couple who plan to stay with us for the entire season. This cabin has a propane cook stove, very warm woodstove, and a good supply of wood. Please see us here: https://www.heartsinhandhorsemanshipllc.com/volunteer/ , and here: https://wwoofusa.org/en/host/20691-woman-operated-jesus-believing-open-to-everyone-sharing-natural-horsemanship

Please IM me through Permies and we can discuss.

Thank you,

Jules and Family
Cherry Plain, NY

Great! We are on the NY/MA/VT line. Pownal is 15 minutes, and Bennington is about 25 minutes from us. Would love to be part of this forum.

Jules

Cj Sloane wrote:

Greg Spevak wrote:
... by physiographic region (http://academics.smcvt.edu/vtgeographic/textbook/physiographic/physiographic_regions_of_vermont.htm). If indeed these physiographic regions represent distinctly different sections of the landscape we call Vermont, I feel like it'd beneficial to us (as far as productive ecological restoration is concerned) to ally ourselves with other folks in the same regions and collectively share best practices for producing [____ form of food, fiber, fuel, shelter, etc.] in our particular physiographic region. Different regions will (I suspect, I could be totally wrong here), TEND to be best-suited to particular forms/methods of land use. Anyone else have thoughts on this? Am I crazy?

For now, to fully answer this question, the attached image with Google Earth roughly represents what I see "Southern Vermont" to mean – parts of nearby states included. I hope this clarifies!

I wish that physiographic link had visuals. Your link isn't showing up, BTW.

People in similar areas are going to naturally raise similar items and hopefully share best practices. I belong to a local sheep group, for example.  A Local permaculture group would be excellent but local can be a rather broad area in Vermont. I play on a tennis team out of Middlebury & a team or two out of Burlington. For the right group, clearly I'm willing to travel.

I'm in Central Vermont, I guess. Takes me 1 1/2 hours to get to Burlington or Brattleboro.