Ahhh, WWOOFing. You might be asking yourself, “What on earth is WWOOFing”? No, it is not acting like a mad dog with rabies. WWOOFing stands for World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms, and is an international organization with an aim to promote organic farms that focus on sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry. This is achieved through linking up interested volunteers with the farm operators, typically small growers, who need help with their daily activities. The volunteers benefit from learning how such farms are operated, including everything from tending animals to gardening, farm construction, and food production.
Ben has a secret passion (not secret anymore!) to one day own goats for their wonderful milk/cheese/yogurt and Patricia would like to have a small productive fruit and vegetable garden. Given that we had planned lots of time in Turkey it seemed a perfect opportunity to put in some work and do some learning. We also felt that an authentic experience in a small Turkish village would give us a better understanding of life here. We paid to join the local association (TaTuTa) and punched the keyword “goat” into the farm search engine. Up popped Tangala Farms. Tangala is owned by a young Turkish couple, Buket and Cem, that originally lived in Istanbul, but fell in love with the farming way of life on previous trips into the mountains surrounding Fethiye. When some land came up for sale in the small village of Yakakoy, a 30 minute car ride up the mountain from Fethiye, they bought it five years ago and spent the next few years fixing up the cabin and adding additional buildings including bathrooms and separate small bungalows for family, friends and volunteers.
Initially they would spend the summer in the village and winter in Istanbul, but two years ago they stayed for the winter as well and have now successfully left the big city behind. They purchased goats who have since had babies and now have a total flock of nine – three adult males, three adult females and three young ones. The goat milk from the females is used to make cheese, butter and yogurt and the male goats will eventually be sold for their meat (after ensuring more babies are on the way first). They expanded their garden and grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables including watermelons, green beans, peppers, corn, eggplants, and strawberries. There are also peach and mulberry trees. They make their own preservatives, whole wheat bread and soap. Everything produced from the farm is for personal consumption or to share with friends and family. They live a healthy lifestyle, active on the farm, eating fresh food daily, and they were an inspiration to us. We were so happy when after writing an email, they accepted us to work as volunteers on the farm for seven days.
Our WWOOFing adventure started when we left Fethiye by Dolmus into the surrounding mountains. Buket had emailed some instructions in Turkish for us to give to the drivers and to the owner of a corner store as no one in the countryside spoke English. We felt like little kids with “help me” tags around our necks! It felt great to get off the tourist trail and into the "real" Turkey.
When we arrived at the afore-mentioned corner store, we were met by Franke and Graham, also volunteers on the farm. Franke is from Holland, and Graham from Britain. They were super friendly and welcoming, and after meeting Buket and Cem, who were equally amazing, we knew we were in for a fantastic week.
Since Franke and Graham were already using the two bungalows down by the goat barn, we used a tent pitched underneath the veranda of the washroom building. It turned out to be great, as we enjoyed the sounds of nature and fresh air at night and the overhang protected us from rain. Sitting outside our tent on a makeshift couch was a great place to relax and enjoy the view.
The farm was cozy, with a wonderful set-up. The main cabin bungalow had a large partially covered wooden deck overlooking the garden and the beautiful valley below.
On the deck was a covered outdoor kitchen and couches, with the dining table and comfy chairs for lounging and enjoying the sunshine out in the open. We spent only one rainy evening in the living room with the wood burning stove – the rest of the time we were outdoors for meals and for spending time together. The goats were kept in an enclosed area below the garden, and we would often hear them bleating away as if talking to us. The neighbours had chickens and sheep and it was truly a beautiful setting.
The days quickly developed a pattern. In the morning we would get up at 6:30am, for a wake up walk and then a communal stretching session on the deck - except for Cem who would practice what he called “sleep yoga”. Then Ben would help Buket with cleaning out the goat shed, feeding and milking the goats. Meanwhile Patricia, Franke and Graham would make a breakfast of coffee and porridge, which was subsequently enjoyed in the great outdoors. After the morning meal, two of the wwoofers would head out with the goats into the forest for two to three hours of grazing to supplement their farm diet of corn, barley and goats horn (a brown bean that makes them want to mate – not sure about the effect on humans as two bites was all Ben could stomach!). After spending so much time with the goats, we really developed a fondness for them - with our cry of "Gai gitchee gai gitchee gai gai gai!" it would never cease to amaze that they actually followed us around, with no need for leashes!
Typically Patricia and Franke were out in the woods whiling away the hours chatting and enjoying the trek. The men, Ben and Graham, would perform manly chores such as digging holes for a future bathroom, reclaiming land for new growing space, or cutting down trees to shape into fence posts.
Around noon the goat herders would return the animals with a cacophony of noise, signalling the time when everyone would gather for a delicious lunch of Turkish food (typically vegetarian). This was followed by a nice long afternoon break, typically used for napping, reading and tinkering during the hotter portion of the day. Patricia really looked forward to this part, as she found a perfect spot on the outdoor sofa in the shade, where the family cat, Pril Pril, would join her.
From three to six o’clock in the afternoon, after getting up for a tea or coffee, everyone would work on garden chores such as weeding, planting new seeds or preparing new garden beds. After six o’clock we would end the work day with a yoga session on the deck, led by the master herself - Buket.
After a round of showers and enjoying a cold beer or glass of wine, we would all sit down for a delicious outdoor home cooked dinner and spend the night chatting before hitting the hay. Cem’s mother and grandmother stayed at the farm for most of our visit, and they were incredibly kind and sweet. Grandma took an especial liking to Ben, who won her heart by helping out with her chores.
More family showed up for dinner one night which resulted in an impromptu barbeque with chicken marinated in yogurt and cooked over the fire, lots of wine and some fun dancing. An incredible feast!
It was so nice to get out of the travelling mode and to have some time to feel like we were working with a purpose and making a contribution. Thankfully it wasn’t all work – Cem and Buket made sure to take us on a few fun excursions. We had lunch at a local village restaurant with delicious grilled fish, and one night we all headed into Fethiye to watch the final of Champions League football tournament. On another afternoon Cem and his mother took us for a chill out session on the mountain, where there were wooden platforms built near running water under the shade of trees where locals go on the weekends during the hot weather to relax and escape the heat.
They made tea and lentil soup over the fire, and both tasted extra special with a distinctly delicious smoky flavour. On our last day, we all headed off in the afternoon to swim at Oludeniz, a gorgeous beach with the most striking blue water we had seen so far – it looked like a swimming pool for many meters out from the sand. This is where we finally learned how to play Backgammon and spent a leisurely afternoon swimming before saying our final goodbyes. In such a short time we already felt like family and it was hard to part ways – we miss the fresh air, great food, fantastic company and last but not least, the goats!! Our favourite goat was Shimshake, due to his whimsical hairdo and goofy personality.
Who could resist this kind of charm?
Ben has a secret passion (not secret anymore!) to one day own goats for their wonderful milk/cheese/yogurt and Patricia would like to have a small productive fruit and vegetable garden. Given that we had planned lots of time in Turkey it seemed a perfect opportunity to put in some work and do some learning. We also felt that an authentic experience in a small Turkish village would give us a better understanding of life here. We paid to join the local association (TaTuTa) and punched the keyword “goat” into the farm search engine. Up popped Tangala Farms. Tangala is owned by a young Turkish couple, Buket and Cem, that originally lived in Istanbul, but fell in love with the farming way of life on previous trips into the mountains surrounding Fethiye. When some land came up for sale in the small village of Yakakoy, a 30 minute car ride up the mountain from Fethiye, they bought it five years ago and spent the next few years fixing up the cabin and adding additional buildings including bathrooms and separate small bungalows for family, friends and volunteers. 
Initially they would spend the summer in the village and winter in Istanbul, but two years ago they stayed for the winter as well and have now successfully left the big city behind. They purchased goats who have since had babies and now have a total flock of nine – three adult males, three adult females and three young ones. The goat milk from the females is used to make cheese, butter and yogurt and the male goats will eventually be sold for their meat (after ensuring more babies are on the way first). They expanded their garden and grow all kinds of fruits and vegetables including watermelons, green beans, peppers, corn, eggplants, and strawberries. There are also peach and mulberry trees. They make their own preservatives, whole wheat bread and soap. Everything produced from the farm is for personal consumption or to share with friends and family. They live a healthy lifestyle, active on the farm, eating fresh food daily, and they were an inspiration to us. We were so happy when after writing an email, they accepted us to work as volunteers on the farm for seven days.Our WWOOFing adventure started when we left Fethiye by Dolmus into the surrounding mountains. Buket had emailed some instructions in Turkish for us to give to the drivers and to the owner of a corner store as no one in the countryside spoke English. We felt like little kids with “help me” tags around our necks! It felt great to get off the tourist trail and into the "real" Turkey.
When we arrived at the afore-mentioned corner store, we were met by Franke and Graham, also volunteers on the farm. Franke is from Holland, and Graham from Britain. They were super friendly and welcoming, and after meeting Buket and Cem, who were equally amazing, we knew we were in for a fantastic week.
Since Franke and Graham were already using the two bungalows down by the goat barn, we used a tent pitched underneath the veranda of the washroom building. It turned out to be great, as we enjoyed the sounds of nature and fresh air at night and the overhang protected us from rain. Sitting outside our tent on a makeshift couch was a great place to relax and enjoy the view.The farm was cozy, with a wonderful set-up. The main cabin bungalow had a large partially covered wooden deck overlooking the garden and the beautiful valley below.
On the deck was a covered outdoor kitchen and couches, with the dining table and comfy chairs for lounging and enjoying the sunshine out in the open. We spent only one rainy evening in the living room with the wood burning stove – the rest of the time we were outdoors for meals and for spending time together. The goats were kept in an enclosed area below the garden, and we would often hear them bleating away as if talking to us. The neighbours had chickens and sheep and it was truly a beautiful setting.
The days quickly developed a pattern. In the morning we would get up at 6:30am, for a wake up walk and then a communal stretching session on the deck - except for Cem who would practice what he called “sleep yoga”. Then Ben would help Buket with cleaning out the goat shed, feeding and milking the goats. Meanwhile Patricia, Franke and Graham would make a breakfast of coffee and porridge, which was subsequently enjoyed in the great outdoors. After the morning meal, two of the wwoofers would head out with the goats into the forest for two to three hours of grazing to supplement their farm diet of corn, barley and goats horn (a brown bean that makes them want to mate – not sure about the effect on humans as two bites was all Ben could stomach!). After spending so much time with the goats, we really developed a fondness for them - with our cry of "Gai gitchee gai gitchee gai gai gai!" it would never cease to amaze that they actually followed us around, with no need for leashes!
Typically Patricia and Franke were out in the woods whiling away the hours chatting and enjoying the trek. The men, Ben and Graham, would perform manly chores such as digging holes for a future bathroom, reclaiming land for new growing space, or cutting down trees to shape into fence posts.
Around noon the goat herders would return the animals with a cacophony of noise, signalling the time when everyone would gather for a delicious lunch of Turkish food (typically vegetarian). This was followed by a nice long afternoon break, typically used for napping, reading and tinkering during the hotter portion of the day. Patricia really looked forward to this part, as she found a perfect spot on the outdoor sofa in the shade, where the family cat, Pril Pril, would join her.
From three to six o’clock in the afternoon, after getting up for a tea or coffee, everyone would work on garden chores such as weeding, planting new seeds or preparing new garden beds. After six o’clock we would end the work day with a yoga session on the deck, led by the master herself - Buket.
After a round of showers and enjoying a cold beer or glass of wine, we would all sit down for a delicious outdoor home cooked dinner and spend the night chatting before hitting the hay. Cem’s mother and grandmother stayed at the farm for most of our visit, and they were incredibly kind and sweet. Grandma took an especial liking to Ben, who won her heart by helping out with her chores.
More family showed up for dinner one night which resulted in an impromptu barbeque with chicken marinated in yogurt and cooked over the fire, lots of wine and some fun dancing. An incredible feast!
It was so nice to get out of the travelling mode and to have some time to feel like we were working with a purpose and making a contribution. Thankfully it wasn’t all work – Cem and Buket made sure to take us on a few fun excursions. We had lunch at a local village restaurant with delicious grilled fish, and one night we all headed into Fethiye to watch the final of Champions League football tournament. On another afternoon Cem and his mother took us for a chill out session on the mountain, where there were wooden platforms built near running water under the shade of trees where locals go on the weekends during the hot weather to relax and escape the heat.
They made tea and lentil soup over the fire, and both tasted extra special with a distinctly delicious smoky flavour. On our last day, we all headed off in the afternoon to swim at Oludeniz, a gorgeous beach with the most striking blue water we had seen so far – it looked like a swimming pool for many meters out from the sand. This is where we finally learned how to play Backgammon and spent a leisurely afternoon swimming before saying our final goodbyes. In such a short time we already felt like family and it was hard to part ways – we miss the fresh air, great food, fantastic company and last but not least, the goats!! Our favourite goat was Shimshake, due to his whimsical hairdo and goofy personality.
Who could resist this kind of charm?
Amazing! I am loving your updates. Enjoy your travels. xo Sarah M
ReplyDeleteDear Patricia & Ben,
ReplyDeleteHow nice to read about your experience here in Tangala Farm. I appreciate your appreciation of every moment and detail we've shared. It was so nice to meet you really. Hope to see you somewhere again soon. Have a nicely ongoing jurney with full of good suprises!!
Wish the best
Buket
xx