WWOOFING ADVENTURE II: Gut Kappel, Great Impression

It has been awhile since my last communication. This is due to our seven + week learning visit with a beautiful couple at Gut Kappel (Good Chapel). A “little farm” about 300 years old and use to have a chapel. I am not sure if I can ever get used to seeing houses that are 300+ years old, amazing really, I feel safe knowing that the Germans build to last. 

It is funny, we left the last place wondering how or if we could afford to “make it” as full time farmers, to wondering if we have enough start-up money or drive to be full timers. Gut Kappel has been a grateful experience, they have about 4000 Naturland laying hens as their main production, along with, turkeys, broiler (cooking) chickens, cows, pigs and a what it seems to be two other business enterprises, delivering other farmer’s eggs twice a week and buying and reselling regional speciality products such as wurst, cheeses, milk, honey, jams and breads at the local markets. Wow, they are busy and of course they have employees, but it definitely puts it in perspective on what we are aiming for...A quality sustainable lifestyle for us as a family, our animals that we care for and Earth. 

I see us more as earth carers and not just using the land and animals for only our benefit. We want to work and care for them - this includes raising and killing chickens if we want to eat them - there is a humane way to raise and kill a chicken - hence the photo of Thorsten helping prepare. It has come to our thoughts of joining with another like-minded family to ease the financial stress and be able to share the workload. It is hard, demanding and time consuming it is definitely not the lifestyle for the faint hearted. It is a lifestyle not just another job. 

And well, Liljana just loves everything about it! She will run the place before she is potty trained, I think...

I have been a bit more restricted on this farm with the repetitive learning than Thorsten. Mainly due to caring for Liljana and their stricter policies on where she is allowed to access. With good reason, of course this is a much bigger enterprise and more income dependent than the last place.  However, I have had plenty of learning opportunities as well, like collecting eggs, which is approximately 990-1100 per stable per day! Helping pluck feathers on slaughtering day, sorting eggs, going on delivery/pick up tour, helping prepare cheeses and setting up for the market, driving a tractor (one of my favourites, I must admit!) and painting like I have never painted before (including giant happy chickens on doors)! I think I could get a certification as a professional farm painter and make my mark with green and brown doors with happy farm animals for everyone. I truly think these folks do have happy healthy chickens, you can really see that that care for their animals which is a nice thing to experience.  

                                                   

Thorsten speaks the language and therefore obtains much more valuable information through conversation, which will benefit us both. I am struggling a bit in that department and made some funny mistakes, like putting asparagus shavings in pea soup instead of it being for two separate soups...oh well. I think the best was saying "Ichhohnchen" translating as "I little horned thing" instead of "Eischhohnchen" which means "squirrel". You can see how one can get it confused...I probably never spelled them right either, for the German speakers out there reading my blog may get additional laughs or not...I at least like to think I entertain the Germans with their own language and my version of it! Something I have come to take light-hearted because it would not be so fun to learn if I never. 

Another great thing to mention is that we are both happy with the work and lifestyle potential farming has. It is quite satisfying at the end of a long hard day and looking upon the rolling hills and listening to the birds sing and not cars yelling. Liljana loves to be around all the animals and makes sure to feed the chickens grass, taste test the dog food for quality, and mooo at the cows to say hello. 









Challenges come both physically and mentally but I believe as long as we look at each other at the end of the day, smile, feel satisfied and it feels right in the heart and soul then we can overcome the challenges one chicken at a time.