A couple of weeks back, we picked up the children from school on a Friday afternoon and drove all the way to the very south of Belgium. Reason for our trip was a weekend stay at a Feather Down farm, or in other words, we were going ‘glamping’ on a real working farm.
Feather Down is a concept that originated in the Netherlands (where it is called ‘Boerenbed‘), and for years already I had been toying with the idea of going. The idea is so simple, and so cool: offering people the chance to re-discover ‘simple living’ by staying in a ‘tenthouse’ with no electricity and hot water (except for the shower — this is clamping after all), encouraging them to rewind, to slow down. Plus, giving them the chance to actively experience farm life; to physically work on a farm, alongside the farmers, to put their muscles to work and get their hands dirty.
After our arrival at the farm in Belgium in the evening, we immediately stepped in the mud, and of course the bag with wellies was left forgotten on the doorstep back in Amsterdam. But we were welcomed warmly by the farmer’s wife who, herself a mother of three children, quickly provided us with proper footwear in a variety of sizes. Then, we transported our suitcases in the wheelbarrow (which we were handed for this purpose) to the tenthouse, which looked terrific, but was freezing! No central heating and no electricity — we were lucky to arrive before sunset so we could see what we were doing. But an hour or so later, the candles and oil lamps were providing a cosy light, and the fire was roaring in the wood burning stove.
After a fairly comfortable night (although we did get a bit chilly!), Saturday morning started with a breakfast we had ordered from the farmer’s wife the evening before. She baked her own bread, and together with fresh milk from her cows, fresh eggs from her hens, homemade jam from her garden and drip coffee we made on our stove, we had a copious breakfast. Which was a needed source of energy, because we were going to sample a tast of farm life immediately after breakfast!
The coming hours we tended to the animals — feeding them, adding fresh straw, and giving a bottle to the lambs and calves who had lost their mums or had trouble nursing. All of this is the job of the farmer’s wife, while her husband is out on the fields, taking care of the even heavier labour.
I thought it was interesting to see that the looks of this working farm are perhaps not picture perfect, but after having spent time working alongside the farmwife for a bit, one quickly sees that the welfare of the animals is what is of the utmost importance. It is so much work to take care of them! The work really never stops, and I quickly understood that there is simply no time to keep things more than functionally tidy or pretty. And actually, a bit of mud is a lot of fun, and the surrounding fields and wild spring flowers growing in little corners are so pretty.
The tent-houses, which are apparently always the same at all the Feather Down farms, are tastefully designed, with walls made of fruit crates, zinc countertops, copper taps, and enamel kitchenware. There are proper beds with duvets, a comfortable couch, and lovely antique chairs around the wooden table. Outside, each tent is equipped with a picnic table and a couple of lounge chairs. Everything is really well thought through, and even though you are meant to live a simple life here, you are equipped with all the means to do so comfortably.
We also helped to milk the cows, which is a nearly 3 hour job that takes place twice a day. The farmer’s wife really involved us in the process — we were actively milking cows here, checking the quality of the milk, cleaning and disinfecting the nipples, operating the milk machines… (Sara and Pim became quick pros and even ran the operation themselves for a little while!)
How fun was this day full of labour — we were all so hungry. After we lit the fire, we cooked a simple bean dish on the wood burning stove that I used to love as a child. A one-pot dish which only needs a few ingredients: diced bacon fried with onions, mixed with canned brown beans, brought to taste only with a bit of pepper and served with a side of apple compote. We all devoured it.
The Feather Down Farm tents are set up in the middle of the fields, so it’s a true outdoor experience. Waking up in the morning in the middle of dew covered fields is so romantic, and it was relaxing to hang out on the field, where there’s a simple wooden swing and slide set up but is otherwise left empty.
Being outside the entire day, helping alongside the farmer’s wife and cooking on a wood burning stove (which means making a pot of tea or coffee takes close to an hour) made us forget the rush of city living very quickly. Tamar chopped wood, we milked cows, cuddled lambs, calves and kittens, washed the pretty enamel dishes by hand (first we heated water on the stove, of course), we trotted through the mud and demure, we ate hearty and simple, tasty food. We definitely unwound and spent great quality time together, but what I loved most is that the children got a true tast of farm living, the hardship and the wonders of it!
There are now Feather Down farms in America, South Africa, France and Germany besides the ones in the Netherlands and Belgium. We definitely would love to go again!
xxx Esther
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