Sustainable, organic homestead
Hungary
We are a family of 5. My wife is from Transylvania and grew up in an off grid community, until she was 10 years old, using a bartering system, exchanging goods, produce and physical work. I was born and raised on the California coast and moved to Virginia as an adult. Our two boys were born in Virginia. When they reached the ages of 3 and 5, we thought we would expose them to a different culture and smaller community life, so we moved to Hungary. Our children now are 11, 9 and 4years old.
Our family is multi-lingual. The children are fluent in English and Hungarian, and my wife is also fluent in Romanian as well. We are big in crafting with leather and wood and play music together most days (drums, violin, banjo, recorder, harmonica, guitar, accordion, etc) .
We have begun to develop a small community among the families attending the local Waldorf schools. We often get together to share methods and approaches to becoming more self-sufficient; raise goats, make cheese, do arts and crafts, help farm, garden and construct buildings, among other things.
The kids love being in nature, wrestling and playing music: drums, violin, banjo, recorder (flute), harmonica, guitar...
We are living in a natural way, so please know that our farm is a place where you may experience a "digital detox", and you'd be enjoying our (odor free) compost toilets.
We live a simple life, much like people did before modernization. Our days are shaped by nature, not by machines or screens. We grow our own food, eat what the land gives us, and prepare our meals in the simplest way, seasonal, and nourishing.
We do not use perfumed or chemical products on our bodies. We believe in keeping things natural and pure, respecting the balance of life. Our home is quiet, our needs are few, and our hearts are content with what we have.
This life may seem plain to some, but to us, it is rich with meaning
1. Describe your project, your place, and its inhabitants (including animals):
We have 3 properties in Hungary that we are developing for sustainable living, to teach our children the values and lessons from living a simple life in harmony with nature. We are obsessed with alternative living . One property, our main residence, is in a small village North West of Budapest. Here we have an off-grid solar system, ducks and chickens, a green house, young fruit trees and a permaculture/bio-dynamic garden and forest garden. The other 2 properties are 8km away on a hill with a scenic view. There we have a fruit tree orchard, with various cherry, plum and other fruit trees, goats and off-grid living tiny houses.
The main priorities where we'd be happy to receive help are:
+ Gardening and Soil work
+ Teaching the kids skills, such as: Acrobatics / Music / Juggling etc
+ Wood work (craftsmanship)
+ Taking our dog for daily long walks and the goats to pasture
We are in the process of turning all 3 properties into self-sustainable farms using natural, permaculture/bio-dynamic practices and techniques that we have learned over the years. Currently we have projects that range from planting bushes, trees gardens, making a fishpond, swales for water retention to working with animals, milking goats and turning to cheese to construction with traditional building materials and techniques. All properties have off-grid solar panel systems.
2. List the activities that WWOOFers will participate in and what you want to teach them:
Planting vegetable gardens, digging swales, planting herbs
Garden maintenance, harvesting veggies, developing swales for water retention
Converting soil for organic agriculture, Clear brush
Building and outside shower, build fences for gardens and animals
Work with animals such as goats and maybe cows
Restore stone built buildings with hand made bricks and mortar
Learn ethical practices for living simply and resiliently
Learn about harvesting wild foods
Learn how to work with traditional building materials
Learn how to use recycled, scavenged and natural material
Learn how to set up an off-grid solar system
Learn how to work with animals, from goats, to poultry
Learn to milk goats (seasonal)
Learn to bake fresh bread from ancient grains
Learn to make cheese and much more. Cheese making is seasonal!
3. What could a WWOOFer's day look like at your site (time slot for participation in activities, expectations...)?
Wake up to the sounds of nature, absent of cars or city noises. Center yourself among trees and songs of the birds. Walk the homestead and great the chickens and ducks as you make your way to the back garden. Put in some honest work either digging and mixing soil, tending to the vegetable garden or nursery, feeding/milking the goats, planting a couple fruit trees or building a fence from locally collected trees. Milking goats are SEASONAL.
Walking the dog daily, watering the vegetable in the morning, feeding animals in the morning, harvesting vegetable, making pestos from wild plants etc. HARVESTING vegetable is seasonal.
Enjoy a well earned lunch from locally produced cheeses, breads, meats and vegetables. Did I mention free range eggs are on the table? Spend the rest of the afternoon with similar work as you learn about traditional, sustainable, ethical methods for all sorts of things, from making soap and plant medicines to raising animals and planting agriculture.
Spend you evenings staring at the stars, without any light pollution, in the hills in a private tiny house or camping in your own tent.
We prefer people who would stay at least two week or longer.
4. Play the guide! Talk about your own hobbies (music, cooking, etc.) and those possible around (hiking, swimming, etc.):
We enjoy growing, harvesting and cooking our own food and sourcing our own materials for making crafts, structures and instruments. Hiking in local vineyards or walking along ancient Roman roads is as close as walking up the street. Bluegrass banjo often generates a improvisational sing-a-long and frequent quests keep each day eventful and unpredictable. Budapest is easily accessible by bus from Szél Kálmán tér (50min)
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Poultry farming
Sheep or goat farming
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Bakery
Green Building
Methods or systems
Biodynamic agriculture
No-till farming
Permaculture
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Self-sufficiency property
Accommodation
Tim
Member since 2022
Languages spoken:
English, Hungarian, Romanian, Spanish
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Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 2 days
Hungary
Piliscsaba
Reviews
Hanno
South Africa
•
April 2026
I spent 12 days with Tim and Martha and had a genuinely welcoming and comfortable stay. They made me feel at ease from the start and was always helpful while still giving me plenty of independence.
A big highlight was the hands-on experience—working with goats and chickens, helping out in the fields, and learning a range of new practical skills. Tim explained things clearly and made the work engaging and rewarding.
The whole experience was very relaxed and chill, with plenty of free time to explore the rich natural environment of Hungary, which made the stay even more enjoyable.
Overall, I felt welcome throughout and learned a lot. I’d definitely recommend staying with Tim to anyone interested in practical farm work, new skills, and a laid-back atmosphere.
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Adrien
France
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March 2026
Great Stay with Tim Marta and their children !
Here you can try a lot of different things in field work, goats, sheep, chicken, duck and the new arrived poney.
Everything is explained clearly, you won't feel abandoned with things you don't know how to do, Tim and Marta will show you everything and always with smile !
You don't spend lunchtimes with the family, you can enjoy Marta's cooking in the studio for wwoofers. You will have time for yourself, to discover the quiet village of Tök or becoming friend with the animals.
Thank you Tim and Marta for this experience !
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MARTINE
France
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March 2026
I stayed at Marta and Tim's in February for a little over two weeks. I had a great time there. I fed the animals, collected, moved and spread manure, cracked nuts, cleaned part of the garden, moved raspberries... The work was decided based on what was necessary but also the weather, what our interests were and how tired we were so it was fine. I had my own appartment, adjacent to the house and I could cook but most of the time Marta provided the meals and I only had to heat them up (which is a luxury, especially when you are tired). Budapest is about an hour away, there is a direct bus and I explored as much as I wanted during the weekend or the afternoon (we worked mostly in the mornings). In February the countryside is very muddy and so not so great for hiking. Even though woofers do not stay in the house and so do not share as much of a family life as in other places, Marta is keen to share her culture in other ways: I went to a kids' folk dance with her and little Isabella, she took me twice to a craft workshop (where we also sang traditional Hungarian songs!) we also went to a parade and I enjoyed everything very very much. Thank you to all the family!
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Laura
United States
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July 2025
This was a growing experience for us. Tough and steady work, basic amenities, living off the land. We brought our 4 children who were able to contribute in helping with the gardens, goats, and chickens. Hunting for “slugs and bugs” on the plants to feed to the ducks and chickens was a favorite task. It was very hot during our 2 weeks, so we did early morning chores, took a break during the heat of the day (to read, write, rest, or play games), and then did evening chores. This is a family-based site so connecting with the family is key to having a good experience. Tim and Marta also found local work that fit our skills during our time there, so we split up some days. We have stories and skills now that will last a lifetime!
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Lena
Germany
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June 2025
When I arrived at Marta and Tim’s farm I found myself in a small village family farm with cackling goose, bleating sheeps, croaking frogs and a barking dog who welcomed me excitingly. I’ve spend 2,5 relaxing weeks there, loved to stay close to the nature and learned a lot about gardening and animal care.
Here some insights from my stay to give you, as a potential next volunteer, an idea of the stay there:
I slept in my tent in the garden but there are also rooms for the volunteers and two kitchens. In the volunteers fridge you will always find lots of food. Mostly homemade soups and other (saved) food. So you don’t need to worry about cooking after work.
The family has their own house part. During the day they’ve got their own schedules. So there happened to be every day some time I only spend with the other volunteers, such as our work, hanging out, playing ping pong or going for a bike ride to the next town.
Despite the spatial separation from the family it will be sometimes not possible to avoid conflicts within the family. Tim and Marta also have some different and sometimes special views on things that might be interesting to hear, think and discuss about.
All in all I had a good first wwoof experience and I’m grateful for the things I’ve learned there!
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Emma
Germany
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October 2024
I had a wonderful time staying with the howes. :) This was my first volentering experience, so beforehand I was a bit worried how it will go but the whole family was so nice and welcoming. Marta always took great care of us, showed us everything she knew and was so hard working. I enjoyed talking to Tim about all sort of things or just listening to him play the banjo while cuddeling with the cats. The kids were all so nice and were really advanced for their ages. I spend a lot of time with their daughter which I really enjoyed. In general they always made sure to give us task that we like and they were really considered about everything.
I learned a lot about sustainable gardeing but also about life. I loved working with all of their animals.
I hope to be able to see them again one day. Thank you for everything <3
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