by WWOOFer Jordan Isbell; via WWOOF-USA

As a full-time student at the University of Mississippi studying journalism with a minor in anthropology, you would think I discovered WWOOF through a professor’s recommendation or a fieldwork case study.

Instead? A Pinterest life hack I stumbled upon a few months ago.

That may not sound like the “traditional” way of getting involved in an agricultural hub, but upon further research, WWOOF sounded more and more like the hands-on experience and sustainable living I wanted to get immersed in.

I knew immediately I wanted to start in the South—maybe a touch of bias as a Mississippi native—so I set my sights on the Food and Flora Plant Nursery in Woodstock, Georgia, hosted by Emily Zielke.

Upon arriving, I could tell this was the real deal. Her front yard sprouted several different plants of borage, monk’s cress, and buzz buttons. To the right of her house was an immense driveway full of tables that held several soil trays of different seedlings, which she would take with her every morning to sell them at farmers markets in Atlanta.

“I have definitely gotten deep into the food and herb and flower growing community in the Atlanta metro area (and even further, up into Western NC and TN and northern AL),” Zielke said. “Those are my people and how I learn about where I am in the world!”

Her immense experience — starting as a WWOOfer before becoming a host — made me feel comfortable asking hundreds of questions.

“I’ve been a WWOOF host for almost 4 years but was a volunteer decades ago, all over Central America,” Zielke said. “I had an amazing time learning about plants, the Spanish language, and people’s history when I did it, so I wanted to give that experience to others, now that I know a lot about plants and history!”

During my time, we mostly planted seedlings of various plants, ranging from basil, hibiscus, summer yellow squash, sunflower moonshine, and many other cool names. As we filled up trays with soil to place the seeds, she told me of each plant’s benefits and how useful they were in food, health remedies, and agricultural communities.

In the evening, we also made food—with every ingredient coming directly from her garden—and had deep conversations about our immense love for Mediterranean food.

Alongside Zielke was her partner, Patrick, who was just as friendly and welcoming. He had even provided me with an ice pack and Benadryl after a yellow jacket stung me on the eyebrow and oblique. Not all wildlife is friendly—a lesson I learned the hard way that day.

And who could forget their pet dog Lundi? Zielke warned me that she loves visitors—a little bit too much, according to her—but I didn’t mind. She may not have been able to help us plant seeds, but her constant smile kept me wanting to play with her outside.

Zielke also recommended that I explore beyond her nursery and take in the beauty of Woodstock. The summer, she said, was too hot to be outside for several hours, so she recommended that I visit the Olde Rope Mill Park in Woodstock, 15 minutes away from her plant nursery. Home to the park were several trails for mountain bikers and hikers to see beautiful landscapes of waterfalls, rivers, and picnic areas.

“I absolutely love travelling around the southern Appalachian region to identify native plants, mushrooms, birds, etc,” Zielke said. “Endless amounts of gratitude for the geography of this area. I love hiking in fall and saving seeds from native wildflowers and important traditional indigenous medicinal plants (when it’s legal).”

She was right. I even found an incredible view along the trails. 

My stay at Woodstock helped me realize the amount of gratitude I have towards nature. Since my childhood, I’ve always felt that my health—mental and physical—is directly tied to how often I spend time outdoors. If I go too long without fresh air or green space, I feel it in my body and my mind.

Unfortunately, that green space has slowly become more foreign over the years.

 “Some notable changes when I started WWOOFing in the 2000s and now is the rapid decline of wild, protected places available to people who want to cultivate them in a sustainable manner,” Zielke said. “So much land is now conventional agriculture for extremely pumped-up and processed end products.” 

Despite my concerns, I feel that it only motivates me to venture out and find a community dedicated to making the Earth a more sustainable place. That might result in countless travels across the world, but if they are all as memorable as this stay, then I wouldn’t mind getting stung again.

“Figure out what you are good at and how you fit into the giant puzzle of fair food/land,” Zielke recommended. “Keep growing your community of people, too. And keep learning—forever!”

She even gave me an aloe plant to keep! I named it Gaia, and I’m bringing it everywhere with me as a yellow jacket-proof remedy.