WWOOF

The elaborate spread on the table looked more akin to a Thanksgiving Day feast than a standard weekday evening fare – roasted root vegetables with cumin sea salt, green lipped mussels in an aromatic lemongrass & coconut broth, a toasted red quinoa pilaf and sticky date pudding cake. I wondered if WWOOFers ate like this every night – not that I’m complaining!

Only a few hours prior, I had lauded the abundance of homegrown ingredients sprawled across the kitchen counter – lemongrass, garlic, carrots, potatoes.... I had expected the food to be fresh but I didn’t know that it’d be just-picked-from-the-garden-fresh, not to mention so ridiculously good.

The three nationalities that had worked to communally prepare the evening's meal working were volunteers through Worldwide Workers of Organic Farms (WWOOF) – an international volunteer organization that brings people together across six continents and more than fifty countries all over the world to work and learn on organic farms.

WWOOF formally stands for World-Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. However, it is often referred to by it's old name, Willing Workers on Organic Farms. The organization maintains an active list of organic farmers in different countries worldwide, from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and elsewhere, who are willing to host travelers with accomodation and food in exchange for work. Volunteers who sign up with a WWOOF organization get access to this list and may arrange visits accordingly.

Generally speaking, 'farms' in this instance is not limited to traditional farms – although if that's the experience you are looking for, there are more than enough farms to be had! However, if you are looking to experience life with a chocolatier, on a vineyard or even at a surfing academy, then WWOOF'ing may be the way to go.

In my travels, not only was my hunger for knowledge satisfied, but also my enormous (yet lady-like) appetite (blame it on the manual labor!) Cooking and eating meals together while sharing stories and experiences allowed me to learn about a new culture, meet new people and get a taste of country life. For me, one of the best advantages of WWOOF'ing was getting to live with a host family. It's an experience enjoyed by thousands of people each year, from students to travelers to those hungry to learn about organic farming, and I'm proud to say that I'm a WWOOF'er!