Ancient Valley Growers

Aloha! we are Matt and Andy. We are considered beginning farmers because we have under 10 years of farm experience each, we purchased our own farm in august of 2022 and in the first 6 months we produced almost 10k of food. Our dream is to be able to contribute to the food hubs-CSAs and food chain in Hawaii and reduced the imports from the mainland. Hawaii is a unique climate where we can grow food all year around. At the farm we live 4 people full time, Pete, my Dad which only speaks Spanish , Matt and I. For us the Aina (land) comes first, if we take care of her, she will take care of us, we are not certified organic but we are a non spray organically grown farm. Ancient Valley Growers is located 20 minutes drive from black sands beach, 30 minutes from Naalehu and 8 minutes from the Pahala town. PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE LOCATION, google us for more accuracy. We are seeking happy, drama free, hard working genuine people with integrity to help us on our new farm. As today we have develop almost 10 acres from which 5 are planted with different vegetable like -Rainbow Carrots -brassicas (kale, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli) -radishes -lettuces -Beans - corn -Squashes and pumkins and other cover crops Also we have a small chicken flock to run 30 but we would love to get to 100 chickens at least. We do not mono crop, on our style of planting we like to plant different things that would help each other, kinda of like the three sisters, beans, corn and squashes. Our location its pretty unique, most of HAWAII is on a volcano and big island is the "newest"island so you will see lots of rocky areas in places like Kona or Hilo, However we have lots of deep soil and it can get to 50 degrees which is amazing weather for vegetables, our elevation is of 2400 ft. As today March 2023 we are not highly develop since we moved to our new farm in August of 2022 and we are creating this farm from the bones up, however in the short time we had produce much food in a small place, we had been in wwoof since 6 years ago and we have experience with work traders and wwoofers from different parts of the world. The reason we are on Wwoof is because we want to teach the new generations about food, soil and how to be a homesteaders, when you come to our place you will be able to disconnect from the stress of the city, pollution and be able to breath fresh air of the mountains and connect with the earth.

Living accommodations: The living quarters are on the lower level of the main house on the farm. There are 5 separate private rooms, each with queen or king beds and basic furniture. Living quarters can be shared among 2 people or one couple. If you are ok with having a room mate we will ask 5 hours less per week of you because you are giving up your privacy. high speed Internet at the main house is available, We have a living room area with a TV available and dinning area. House is on the grid, Hot showers, our water supply is the best on the big island and we are pretty lucky to have an amazing resource. Kitchen: There is a shared kitchen with a stove, long farm style sink , and all dishes needed to cook. We have an oven upstairs that everyone is welcome to use if they want to bake.*If you have GF allergies, nuts or vegan I'm sorry this is might not the right farm for you. *NO microwave food or instant food on the daily basis. We ONLY provide Flour for baking including baking soda and baking powder or making anything with wheat. meat Wild pork which we hunt and process in house. Sugar, Beans, White Rice, Oatmeal, salt and pepper, oils for cooking, fruit (citrus) and any veggies (carrots, lettuce, beans, radishes, taro) from the farm that mentioned before. We also provide some cleaning supplies like simple green, bleach, and dish soap (not hand soap). -We offered two ride per month to costco located in Kona (2 hours from us). -We can bring you (and pick you) to the Bus stop located in Pahala 8 minutes from us. Please check heleonbus.com for more info. -if you are a single person we will ask 25 hrs per week, for couples or for people willing to share the living space will be 20 hours per person. Shower/bathroom/laundry room: This room is separate from the main house, about 15 feet away from the living quarters. There is 2 showers and toilet available, we just ask you to be respectful of other people things, This area also has a furo (Japanese soaking tub). There is also an outside shower right outside of this area. We ask all Wwoofers to take turns each week to clean the common areas like bathroom, kitchen and living room/ -We do not provide toiletries. -Outside of the main house is a covered common area with a picnic table and cement bbq. Please note! We do not want people who are attempting to "find" themselves. However we do encourage people who are trying to find a better sustainable life style. We will try to go on an educational adventure once per month if time provides, However, we encourage you to go and explore the island on your own. Please take the time to thoroughly read all of our listings. 2 professional references are required. Please add this when you message us. Due to past experiences, we required a minimum age of 21. If you are younger than 21 and you would like to apply please don't get discouraged, you could apply but we would need to speak with one of your parents and a signing where it says you won't drink or do any drugs during your stay with us. We ask a minimum of a 4 weeks stay. What you will learn- -Entire vegetable process of over 15 different main stay vegetables. - How to harvest and process mamaki tea. -All tools required to run a farm, from how to swing a hammer to how to operate a farm tractor (if we feel you are capable and ready). Tractor use is only for long term stays. The tractors are the lifeblood of our farm and need to be taken extremely seriously. What to bring: A good sweater(yes it gets chilli at night time) and hiking or working boots, rain-gear, Not fancy clothing. Bring clothes that you will be ok to get dirty and stain. Please be aware you will be working on a farm so dress properly for it, meaning jeans and t-shirts you won't mind getting dirty or we can take you to the thrift store to get the proper clothing. We are happy to teach you everything you want to learn, from planting to cooking. For safety of all people and animals living at the farm we have certain rules in place, like not taking others personal belongings, no drama, no drugs, communication is the key, as per legal reasons we have a non dating at the farm with coworkers or tinder dates to be allowed in the farm, I'm sorry but we had pretty bad experiences and we just want to keep our farm drama free, if you come with a partner ill ask that your couples disagreements don't affect your work or the vibe among other wwoofers. Our farm is our home and our business and is unique to most peoples experience of an occupation. We Do not require covid vaccination