1000 year old (big) family farm- we produce flour and vegetables and renovate old buildings
Innlandet
We are looking for more people for September and October :-)
Instagram: wwoofaschimvestre
We are Ylva (38) and Alf Ove (43). In 2021 we moved from Oslo to take over an old farm, "Aschim Vestre" from Ylva´s parents. Our goal is to produce local, healthy and tasty food, and to create a beautiful and inspiring place for local and international visitors.
In many ways we are starting from scratch. None of us have ever been farmers before, and as a wwoofer with us, you will take part in building up the Aschim Vestre farm. We are looking for people who, like us, are positive, find happiness in physical work, and who like new challenges.
The tasks will vary with weather and season, and sometimes they may also depend on the people who are here. Maybe you have some special skills or interests?
As the tasks are different, also the hours of work per day may be different. Some days we may work many hours to finish a task on time. Other days may be short and the tasks will be done in just a few hours.
On the farm we cultivate ancient grains (spelt, emmer, einkorn and many others) and potatoes. We have a small vegetable garden, some fruit trees and berries. We are also running Norway´s smallest mill and produce our own flour.
The farm is very old, with a history dating back more than 1000 years. In addition to farm work, renovation of old buildings and machines, is a high priority. In total there are 15 buildings on the farm, the oldest dating back to the 17th century. All these are in more or less urgent need of love and maintenence.
We have a few hens, four cats and four adorable children, born in 2018 (twins), 2020 and 2022.
To make the ends meet, we both work outside the farm. Alf Ove is in the entertainment business. He is often away on tour and can sometimes be gone for days or even weeks at the time. When Alf is away, Ylva is alone on the farm. Ylva, who is an engineer, currently works outside the farm for 2-4 days a week.
As you probably understand, having read this far, every day at the farm is different, and the tasks will vary with season and weather. As a wwoofer you are welcome to take part in our daily life, which contain a number of different tasks ranging from house work to maintenence work, farm work and hands on production. If you have any specific interests or skills, please let us know.
Wwoofers will have their own, or shared bedroom in the main house or in an old log house (one of the renovation projects). We try to eat and prepare meals together.
In your free time we recommend you to explore the area, as it has a rich history and several historical remnants. The area also provides great hiking and cross cuntry skiing opportunites, depending on seson. The farm consists of fields, forests and one of the longest and most beautiful shorelines around lake Randsfjorden (a former fjord that is now Norway's 4th biggest lake). Not far from the farm you have the opportunity to climb old vulcanoes, from the top of which you will get beautiful view over the Hadeland area.
We have frequent train connections to Oslo (1 hour), Gjøvik (1 hour) or you can take the bus to Lillehammer (2 hours).
We are non-smokers and prefer you to be the same.
Looking forward to hear from you!
Best regards,
Ylva and Alf Ove
Organic methods: Biodynamic. Vegetables and grains produced without manure. Only by building humus from plant materiel.
Certifications: Debio
Current projects: Maintenance work, gardening and harvesting
Milling, selling flour
Restoration work and general maitanance work
Child care
Internet access available
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Grain farming
Poultry farming
Forestry
Seed saving or production
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Green Building
Renewable energy production
Methods or systems
Biodynamic agriculture
Holistic management
No-till farming
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
Former WWOOFer
300
Hectares
|
741.3
Acres
Ylva & Alf Ove
Member since 2017
Languages spoken:
English, Norwegian, Swedish
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 59%
Response time: typically within 1 day
Innlandet
If you come by train from Oslo, we can pick you up at Jaren station.
Reviews
Capucine
France
•
November 2025
I stayed for a month in June at Aschim Vestre Farm, I had the chance to be there for long enough to feel at home with the people and the routines.
About the work: The tasks were varied, we did lots of weeding in the potatoes, grains or vegetable fields during my time. There was also some scraping of the paint of the red house, grain sorting, building fences, demolishing walls or taking care of the chickens and ducks. We chose when we would start, depending the tasks, how were feeling and what Ylva thought was best we started between 8-10am and worked around 5 hours per day. We had a one or two days off per week. The tasks were always manageable and when tasks allowed it, Ylva made sure we were working with at least 1 other wwoofer.
About the experience: The farm is a beautiful place, and so is the family that lives there. A big thank you To Ylva and Alf Ove, and the kids, for taking us wwoofers on with lots of kindness, appreciation and patience. They welcomed lots of wwoofers so there was always 3-5 of us, Ylva tries to arrange when possible to have wwoofers come at the same period that might be similar in age, and that was a sucess because I met lots of wonderful people. The farm is near a beautiful fjord where we had lots of fun going down to and swimming. You'll definitely love your time at the Aschim Vestre Farm.
Thank you for hosting me for a wonderful time this summer. I hope the farm continues to grow and thrive.
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Lucas
France
•
March 2025
We spent two wonderful weeks at Ylva and Alf Ove’s farm. They were very welcoming, as well as their four children. The tasks are varied and well-balanced with the days off.
The farm is beautiful and vast, which makes the work less monotonous since there are many different tasks to do. It is often very interesting and also contributes to the development of the place, so as WWOOFers, we feel like we are taking part in something meaningful.
The farm is located an hour by train from Oslo and about two hours by public transport from Lillehammer. Brandbu is a very charming town, and just a few kilometers from the house, you can find the fjord. There is also a volcano that can be climbed, offering a breathtaking view.
A big thank you to Ylva and Alf Ove for their wonderful hospitality! We highly recommend this farm.
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Flora
Austria
•
October 2024
I spent one month at this farm, hosted by an adorable family. I was very lucky to choose this place. The family manage to immediately include you into their family and I felt like home from the first day on. The task were very varied, which i really like. Ylva is a great host mother and you can talk about everything with her and also for hours;)
The farm is very beautiful and the children are also very lovely.
I think everybody should have an Aschim Vestre experience once a lifetime and I‘ll definitely come back and have it more than once.
Thank you for everything and I already miss you🌟,
Flora
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Sebastien
Spain
•
September 2024
I spent three wonderful weeks in July by Ylva, Alf Ove and their family. They are very open-minded, calm, friendly, always ready to help and to discuss about different topics. I recommend this place to have different farm activities, learn the Norwegian culture and meet people from all around the world. :)
Sébastien
France
•
August 2024
Tusen takk for everything i had a wonderful time with Ylva and her family, working conditions are perfect and the life is incredible. i recommend if you looking to meet new people and be part of a family :)
Loic
France
•
July 2024
I had a great stay at Ylva and Alf Ove's farm. I immediately felt like a part of the family and had a good time in every tasks. We planted many different varieties of potatoes, did renovation work in the houses, took care of the chickens and did some gardening, weeding the vegetables and cutting the grass and bushes. Sometimes we made dinner for the wwoofers and the whole family and could share our recepes. We also learnt a lot about how to make flour from many different sorts of cereals, some of them being uncommon. I got the chance to play with the children and could practice some Norwegian with them. Moreover the farm is settled in a beautiful landscape, close to a lake and where to have great walks in the nature. I was very proud to help the farm to develop and am excited to see how it will improve in the future. So I heartily recommend the farm.
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