WWOOF Hrvatska

This past winter break I went to Šverki, Hrvatska, which is Croatia in their own language, to a small farm owned by a German woman named Helga. Even though it is winter, there are always things to do on a farm. Most of the time was spent chopping downed trees into small segments that could be loaded onto a trailer and stored at the home for the wood stove to stay warm through the winter months. The wood cutting was the majority of the work, but each morning the animals need fed and their areas cleaned (shoveling shit). There were a few fields to plow and we sowed the onions, garlic, and beans.

Magi was born in NY but spent many summers in Croatia, where her parents emigrated from. She came to the farm over a year ago and bought a house, so she is no longer considered a WWOOFer, but an adopted daughter. Dani is was another WWOOFer from France who arrived a week before and left a week after me. In our free time we played soccer alongside the beach, played Uno ALL the time, and read.

I think one of the things I miss most is the great food. The majority of the food we ate was grown right there are from a nearby friend. From milking the cows came our fresh milk, soft cheese, hard cheese, yogurt, and whey. The garlic, onions, potatoes, jams, bread, sprouts, oranges, lemons, persimmons, lavender, wine (red and white and several variations of both), the best damn grape juice I've ever had and olive oil come direct from the farm. I am thoroughly impressed how many products one woman and her son (with some volunteer help) can produce. However, few products are made on a level higher than sustenance.

It is a lifestyle that I miss and hope one day to adopt, at least at some level.

CLICK HERE for pictures of the farm.