About the host

Isabelle is the owner and host of the Rancho Romantica de Red - EcoFarm. She comes from Stettin where she was born and spent most of her life.

One day she decided to leave the city and go 700 km to a tiny village called Czukty where she has bought a beautiful, but neglected farm.

It was 2002. She sold her apartament in Stettin in the North West of Poland close to German border, packed her stuff on a big track and moved to her farm in the North East of Poland close to Russian border.

 

The farm has been her neverending dream about life close to the nature. She always dreamt about living in a forest or among meadows, about breeding beautiful horses, about arranging wonderful garden and since 2002 she has been working hard trying to make come true in each detail her dream. Making neglected farm nice and tidy without rural machines, just by your own hands is extremaly hard task, but she does not mind, because she loves her farm, animals and natural lifestyle. For many years she worked on her own without any help. After leaving the city, she lost internet access and was totally separated from the world, her friends and family for 5 years. She learned about farming using handbooks from the local library. She has learned on her own how to plant vegetables and fruit trees and how to breed hens, goats, cows, horses. She helps when mares, cows or goats deliver their babies, helps to feed them with their mothers milk ant takes care about all of them.

 

She takes care about all her animals on her own. She used to have herd of 50 goats, including 20 milk goats. She used to milk them everyday by her hands. She is really hard working and brave person. Now she has huge experience about farming and breeding. She can teach you all these things if you want to learn them.

She also gained some building skills and forest skills - she knows how to renovate her house and how to cut trees. She can use chainsaw machine, drill, and some other machines.

 

People from the net are asking her about how to breed goats or horses or plant fruit trees. Last year she decided to share her knowledge with other people via WWOOF programm.

RANCHO ROMANTICA DE RED – ecofarm

Location: North-East of Poland, Warmian-Masurian, 17km from Olecko, 158km from Olsztyn

My farm is situated among few small lakes and fish ponds. Some storks found home on my yard and a small river is crossing the farm on the south.

I am a creative romantic girl, a dreamer, a naturalist, a lover of living in harmony with nature. I’m speaking English, German and Russian. Couple years ago I decided to sell my flat and move from the city to the Masurian village. I’m running my farm on my own. I have got 4 horses, 9 goats, 2 dogs, 2 cats, 2 hens and young orchard.

I have established a closed cycle - linkage of a plant crop with an animal breeding - as the eco-farming system. I’m also watering plants with water from local trickles and ponds.

Jobs on my farm may vary. You may expect planting and pruning trees, picking vegetables and fruits, fertilising the crop, milking goats, making jams and dairy products, building and renovating, cutting wood, collecting branches, making hay, feeding animals. You may be asked for whitening walls, plastering, mortaring and panelling.

WWOOFers will be accommodated in a bedroom with bathroom in my house or on the attic with hay or in the tent. I am carnivore, but all vegans and vegetarians are welcome. Smoking is allowed but not inside the buildings and tents.