Our little house on the mountain

“Away, away, from men and towns,
To the wild wood and the downs, —
To the silent wilderness,
Where the soul need not repress
Its music.”

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Our 2013 season is now finished and the farm is slowly at a slumber. We had a very prosperous year with people that we were happy to share our home with and who enriched our lives. This year we had over 40 volunteers and many visitors who came to take part in our various workshops and events.

The highlight of the year here at the ranch was our two week long Ecological Construction Workshop, a course on how to render a log house with natural materials and simple cob building. We also hosted many other successful and fun workshops in the field of photography, permaculture and music. One of our funnest workshop weekend was our second annual Fashion in the Hills, a study between fashion photography and nature. During several Weekend Permaculture Events we had the chance to meet enthusiastic people from all over the world who didn’t mind getting their hand dirty and experiencing nature in its purest form.

Thanks to helpers who arrived from Australia, the USA, Japan and various European countries, we finished the barn from the outside, and had a rich harvest of fruits, vegetables and herbs from our garden. We started learning more about extending our growing season: right now we still have some lettuce in the greenhouse, and we must admit it is amazing to have fresh salad while it is snowing outside!

 We were also glad to extend our collection of recipes thanks to enthusiastic cooks who shared their own local dishes with us: gumbo from New Orleans, homemade sushi from Okinawa, paella from the Costa Brava and more.

We would like to say special thanks to Sebastian, who led the Eco construction workshop, Matthias for his donation to the farm, Tamito, who once again helped us finish several projects. Thank you for the hard working hands and smiles of all who came to the Organic Art Ranch this year.

Now as snow covers the farm and the smoke peacefully rises from the chimney, we are weaving new plans for next year, new dreams, new hopes for a harmony between nature and humanity. As the pace of the world quickens, we slow down to savor the beauty of the holidays that we can share with our friends in this tiny little paradise that we have created.