Market Garden 434

As hosts we work hard to make guests a part of our family. We work together in all aspects of our garden. Our guests share meals and are welcome to participate in meal planning and preparation. Guests have time to enjoy evenings around a campfire roasting sausage and gazing at incredible sunsets, watching stars come out in the dark skies. Guest can also choose to work in one of our fully equipped studios learning the art of pottery. Guests can also choose to learn how to work with glass creating works of art with fused or stained glass. We live 20 km’s from town.
Our skies are dark with the air being filled with the sounds of nature from the wind in the trees to the howling of the coyotes you will enjoy a sense of space and the “sounds of silence”. Each season we look forward to meeting new travellers, making new friends and gaining a deeper appreciation for the vast diversity of thought and culture that meeting new travellers brings to our home.

Both my wife and I work alongside the volunteers. Our only staff are volunteers. Our days are flexible and weather dependant. Typically we start work at 8 am and work until lunch. After lunch we take a 3 hour break usually going back to work for an hour or so at 4pm. We eat dinner together at 7pm. Our kitchen is well equipped. Volunteers prepare their own breakfasts and lunch. Should volunteers have special dietary requirements we will ensure we have the necessary food stuff in the pantry. Volunteers may also be asked to help prepare dinner for the group. In all we do we are committed to working together in a manner that is respectful, considerate, and recognizes the unique qualities each of our guests brings. Both my partner and I enjoy pets. We share our home with 2 dogs and 2 cats. As our pets play a significant role in our lives it is important that our guests are okay with living in close contact with dogs and cats. These are some comments written by people who have been with us in the past few years. For the past number of years we had been using the WWOOF platform for finding help. These reviews were left for us on our profile on the WWOOF website. _______________________________________________ In the past we have received the following write-ups from people who have worked with us. This one was from Noah who came to us from Germany. "I stayed with Ray and Deb from June to October. It was my first time alone away from home. To be with them was the best thing. They helped me with everything (documents, Covid-restrictions, bank account, taxes). If you need something from town they are pleased to get it for you or you can drive with them. The house is very clean and you can wash your clothes and shower every day. Deb is a great cook. She cooks fresh and new meals for supper everyday. Supper is eaten together. Breakfast and lunch you prepare yourself. Most of the times you eat leftovers for lunch. For sure you will gain weight during your stay. They serve you so much food and Deb also bakes cakes or cookies almost everyday. My everyday life started after breakfast at 8am with working till 12am. After lunch Ray and Deb are having a nap till 4pm, which you can use for everything you want. Then I worked from 4pm to 6 or 7pm. Suppertime is mostly at 8pm. After supper we watched together movies and TV series. In the summertime we often spent our evenings around a fire. In October we started at 9am. This summer was so crazy hot that we decided to start earlier. But every WWOOFer can decide it for himself. Sunday is off. Ray only expects you to work 5,5 hours a day, but you can work more if you want. I decided to work more, because they treat you so well and your work is easy and fun. Ray is a good, fair and understanding boss. “ _______________________________________________ This review was from Timo also from Germany. What an amazing stay! I stayed with Deb and Ray for 6 weeks, left for a couple weeks of travel and then came back for another 4-5 weeks! Within days you feel like you're part of the family. I was there during harvest season so every day we were picking, washing and packaging something delicious for the market. The work was fun for the most part and there are many different things to do. Going to the markets and seeing people buy the stuff you worked hard for was definitely a highlight (also because it included driving the truck :D). Deb is a great cook and there is always amazing food when you're done working! In your free time Deb will happily teach you to do pottery or glass art, you can ride the quad, a bike or the can-am. You should also challenge Ray to a game of Crokinole! Don't underestimate Saskatchewans beauty! Saskatchewans skies are amazing, especially at night and I saw my first ever northern lights there. On top of that Deb and Ray will do whatever they can to give you a memorable experience. We did a few small trips together and I was also able to borrow Debs car for a solo adventure to Manitoba. They also helped me where they could when it came to moving on, helping me rent a car or having Rays sister pick me up in Saskatoon. In addition to all that the animals are just as welcoming as Deb and Ray and after just few hours Mateo and Jazz will greet you as there new friends and sometimes even Tia and Bobby will come to cuddle. Go there, you'll love it! __________________________________________________ This review was from Louis. You need to go to that Farm! Deb and Rey are the most lovely people you will met in Canada. I stayed with them for about 6 weeks and it was such a nice thing. The work is sometimes hard but when you have sold your first bag of carrots or something else on the market you just want to work harder that you can sell even more on the next market. You are getting disappointet when you sell on the next market less then the market befor. You will have every day something good to eat. Their dogs Mateo and Jazz are very cute and need a lot of love. In your free time you can drive with the Quad or can ask Deb if you can have some lessons on pottery or something else. You can do a lot of stuff over there. For myself it was very good to go there for my personal development because I am actually a very shy person. The market helped me a lot to get through that. In the end I can just say Thank you to Deb and Rey for such nice 6 weeks and see you next year! Louis _______________________________________________ This review is from Ania. Ania came from Poland. My adventure and visit as a WWOOFer to Ray and Deb’s home was one of the best experiences in my whole life. This was my first time with the WWOOFer program and I'm glad that I chose their place. Deb, Ray (and Aimily their granddaughter) met me at the airport. When we met at the airport Deb brought me a blanket and pillow for the 2 hour car ride to their home. After a nine hour flight they made me feel warm and comfortable. Immediately I felt like a member of their family. Every day they made me feel welcome and appreciated. Food: Deb is a great cook, all the meals were fresh made with the veggies and fruits form their own garden. The eggs we enjoyed were from their free-range chickens. Deb bakes her own bread, which is one of the best I have ever tried. Deb is a vegetarian but Ray is not so if you are a vegetarian or meat eater you will have lots of good food. Work: During the summer there is always something to do in the garden but the work is not very hard, 4 hours per day. The garden is quite small so the work is personal (I was the only helper) and really relaxing in a beautiful natural environment. Most days I worked with Ray. It was nice to see that the work I did was a big help. During my hours of work I weeded the garden, picked and washed vegetables, and from time to time went to the market to sell the vegetables. At the market I was able to meet many local people. The people were friendly welcoming me to their community. House and the room: During my stay I had a huge room with a queen-sized bed and private toilet. The room has two big windows (what is not so common in Canada) and the view from the windows was of trees and flowers making you feel like you were living in a natural environment. Deb and Ray’s house was clean and comfortable. There are many works of glass art on the walls that were made by Deb making the house feel very cozy. Language improvement: If you would like to improve your English this is the place to be. Both Ray and Deb are retired teachers and are very patient with teaching. They spent a lot of time explaining grammar and discussing vocabulary with me. English is not my native language so I have to say that after one month my English had greatly improved. After work activities: After the work day you can sit down with Deb and Ray at the fire (in their yard) and eat roasted marshmallows, smoked sausage, beans and grilled veggies. You can also drive the Can-am (small off-road car) to explore the area. On the weekends we visited many beautiful places in the Saskatchewan region such as Batoche National Historic Site of Canada, Saskatoon (one of the biggest cities in the province), local glass and pottery studios and a small local Hutterite Colony in Star City. Deb took me camping in Northern Saskatchewan to Little Bear lake. I had the opportunity to reconnect with nature as this part of Saskatchewan has many wild forests and beautiful lakes. Deb and Ray are familiar with Canadian history and its culture so you will be able to learn a lot about this beautiful country. Art: In my opinion this was the best part of my whole visit to the "Garden Market 434". Deb is a very skilled and talented glass and pottery artist. If you would like to try various art techniques Deb will gladly show and teach you all she knows. Deb has a pottery and glass studio in the basement where you can try to make pottery on a pottery wheel, do pottery glazing, or learn many different glass production techniques. Tips for Wwoofers: if you are looking for quiet place or you would like just to calm down in a beautiful natural ambience this is a good place for you. The "Garden Market 434" is located away from big city centers; if you're a fan of big cities and noise, better choose a different place. Ray and Deb’s house is located in a beautiful area, surrounded by fields and meadows and is in the middle of the Saskatchewan province. The area where they live is a home to many wild animals and birds so you will be able to rest in the heart of nature