A privileged environment
Our farm nestled in an isolated valley in the mountains of Southern Ecuador. There are no cars coming there and we have two rivers passing along – including one that gives us all our water for the farm -, so all we hear are the sound of nature: the birds, the water, the wind, the rain (during the rainy season)…
We have a very mild climate, with an average of 20°C and sun mostly all year long. Even during the rainy season (from December to April), it rains mostly at night and leaves us sunny days to work outside. And of course our food grows very easily with such a climate!
A multicultural community
With Walter and Susan from the United States, José, Carmen and Cristian from Ecuador (and from Palta origins, the local indigenous tribe) and volunteers coming from all over the world, there is always a multicultural atmosphere at the farm.
Everyone brings a little bit of its culture, knowledge and traditions to the place, learning all from each other and sharing on all aspects of life – farming, cooking, personal development, spirituality, etc. –
Our big family lunch is a special moment where we all sit together and share much more than food. Speaking English and/or Spanish is a key to adapt to the place!
A “cooking lab”
At Finca Sagrada, cooking and eating is a very serious matter! We (almost) always receive volunteers that are fond of cooking and that love experimenting new meals.
First of all, we have the luxury to go and harvest our fruits and vegetables just before using them, so they couldn’t be fresher and tastier!
Then we prepare sourdough bread, pizzas, granola – all cooked in the fire oven -, kombucha (fermented tea), cheese and yoghurt with our own farm milk, our own turmeric and ginger powders, a lot of pastries, and so much more!
Thanks to José and Carmen, volunteers also get to learn about traditional Ecuadorian meals like the repe (a soup made with green bananas, green peas and cheese), or how to use the local fruits and vegetables like the yucca, plantains, white carrots…
The Inca Garden
Our long-time partner Cristian created a medicinal and herbal garden at the farm. Not only is it beautiful, but also it gathers a wonderful mix of local and more common plants, like basil, mint, insulina, ruda, rosemary, escancel, horse tail, aloe vera… just to mention a few. Medicinal plants, blooming flowers, and different vegetables all growing together… It’s a beautiful example of what can happen when a space is shared with love and care.
Whenever someone needs some plants for any disease, the Inca Garden always provides us with what we need. And of course it makes our meals and herbal teas so tasteful!
