I am doing WWOOF – a month-long programme where I am working on a French farm. I am writing a daily blog about my experiences. I will write in English and French. My French isn’t perfect and there will be mistakes. And I may use Frenglish. I welcome all corrections. I tend to transliterate more than translate, but I’m working to improve this. Considering this, the French sections of the blog won’t be exact word-for-word translations from the English. Firstly, the language doesn’t work like that and secondly, I make jokes and references in the English that won’t translate over to the French.
We finally did it! We made apple juice. I was worried that I had come too early in the year. Anyway, work began at 9 when Marianne joined us. Although she was working with Matthias this morning, while I had the full job of putting all the animal shit and rotten hay in the trailer. It was ready to become compost.
This meant that I had to clean Bruce’s sty again, which was fun. Not. It stunk like hell. And Bruce didn’t help either.
Anyway, I finished at half 10. Matthias and Marianne had gone out and as I had no more work, Elisabeth suggested that I start peeling apples to make compote.
Initially, I used a vegetable peeler, but then Elisabeth produced this great peeling machine. It wasn’t that precise but it did speed up the process.
I did this until lunchtime at 12. For dessert, we had this chestnut spread and yoghurt. Apparently, it’s a very French thing. Matthias remarked that it’s what I needed to complete my transition into a true Frenchman. After all, I’ve bought baguettes, smoked and said ‘merde’ a lot. Apparently, the chestnut spread is very popular in France, especially with the previous WWOOFERs. I’m not sure why. It was disappointing. Sorry Elisabeth!
After lunch finished at 2, Marianne finished for the day. At 3, work recommenced and we made apple juice. Or Matthias showed me how to make apple juice. Firstly, I washed the apples then we put them into this medieval contraption to turn them into pulp.
After we put the pulp into this industrial-sized juicer and Matthias slowly ground away the apples. And I mean slowly. I’ve discovered why we’ve waited so long to make apple juice. The apples we used weren’t quite ready. ideally, we needed apples that were so soft, you can squish them in your hands. The apples we used were still quite hard. But as it was only a demonstration. It didn’t matter. The apple juice was yummy, although it was very sweet, so you couldn’t have too much otherwise you’ll have an upset tummy.
The reason it’s so cloudy is because of all the bacteria in the skin. If we wanted to make proper apple juice, we would boil out all the bacteria. But if we wanted cider, we would make apple juice and leave that to ferment for 3 months. Over time, the sugar will turn to alcohol. Compared to how many apples we used, we didn’t make that much apple juice. But Matthias said that generally with 15 bags of apples, he can make 80 litres. I think we have about 75 bags, which equates to 400 litres. Lots of apple juice and cider.
Anyway, I cleaned all the equipment and work finished at 5, just as it began raining. I ran back to my caravan and across the next few hours, it poured down. And I mean poured. It was a proper storm.
At 8, I chained up Jack for the final time, before heading to dinner. When Matthias was coming for dinner, he forgot to turn off the light in the living room, so I told him off, saying “c’est pas Versailles ici,” or this isn’t Versailles. For dinner, we had a delicious selection of pork chops and sausages. I’ll sorely miss Elisabeth’s cooking. Over dinner, we reflected on my experiences here, which I will elaborate on in my final blog entry tomorrow. Although Matthias asked me whether I would WWOOF again and whether I would do it in France again. I definitely want to WWOOF again, in France, but maybe another Francophile country, maybe Canada or Switzerland.
Although I’ve heard that Canadian French is completely different than Metropolitan French, which Matthias and Elisabeth agreed with. They can’t understand Canadian French and they find it amusing to listen to. Also they said that Nathaniel will arrive tomorrow evening, meaning i won’t see him. After dinner, we ate the compote, which had been made by the apples I had peeled this morning. Also, we drank the rest of the apple juice we had made earlier.
Matthias is teaching tomorrow, so I said my final goodbyes to him. And that’s the end of my final full day here. That’s all for day 30, a day of apple-washing, apple-peeling and making apple juice. A day of apples basically.
French
On le fait finalement. On fait le jus de pomme sur mon jour dernière ici. Je parti a demain. C’est dommage. Alors, mon travailleur a commencé a 9hr et Marianne nous avons rejoindu. Mais elle travaille avec Matthias pour la plupart, donc mon métier était nettoyé toute la merde des animaux et rotten hay dans le traileur. C’est prêt pour être compost.
Mais je devrais nettoyer l’étable du Bruce était superbe ! Pas ! C’est puer horrible.
Alors, j’ai fini 10hr30. Matthias et Marianne est sorti donc Elisabeth m’a proposé que je peel les pommes pour compote.
A première, j’utilisais ces couteaus mais Elisabeth m’a donné que machine pour peeling des pommes. C’était imprecise mais plus vite que le couteau.
Alors, je le fais jusqu’un dejeuner a 12hr. Pour le dessert, on a mangé de chestnut spread. C’est très populaire en France. Matthias a remarqué que c’était tout j’avais besoin a devinais un vrai homme Français. Après tout, j’ai acheté des baguettes, fumé les cigarettes et dit merde un beaucoup. Quoique, je ne sais pas c’est très populaire. C’est dégoutant. Je suis desole, Elisabeth.
Alors, a 14hr quand on a fini notre déjeuner, Marianne est parti pour le jour. Je ne pense pas que je lui vu encore. Et a 15hr, on fait jus de pomme. Premiere, j’ai lavé des pommes. Apres, on utilise cette machine to turn the apples into pulp. Finalement, on a mets la pulpe dans the industrial-sized juicer where Matthias slowly ground down the pulp. Mais, je sais maintenant pourquoi on attend pour un longtemps – les pommes dois prêt pour une processe. Et les pommes qu’on utilise aujourd’hui n’etais pas prêt. Idéalement, les pommes seront trop douces que tu les peux squish dans la main mais ils était trop tard.
Mais, Matthias m’a montré la processe donc ce pas grave. Le jus de la pomme était encore yummy. C’est trop turbe parce que toute la bacteria dans la peale. C’est pourquoi c’est très doux. Si on fait jus de pomme properlement, on a bouillé le jus de pomme, mais avec le cidre, tu fais jus de pomme premièrement. Après, tu le laissé a ferment pour trois mois. Et la sucre devinait alcool.
Quoique, on a utile beaucoup des pommes, il n’y avait un beaucoup jus. Mais Matthias m’a dit qu’avec 15 jus des pommes, il peut faire 80 litres du jus de pomme. On a 75 sacs, je pense, donc c’est 400 litres. Un beaucoup jus de pomme et cidre.
Alors, après je nettoyais toute l’equipment et j’ai fini a 17hr, quand il commencé pluie. J’ai couri a ma roulette et pour les trois heures prochaines, il pluie et pluie. C’était un orage. Alors a 20hr, j’attaché Jack pour le nuit dernière et après on apprit notre diner. Quand Matthia viens pour diner, il oublie a turn off la lumiere dans la salon. I told him off dit « c’est pas versailles ici »
On a réfléchi sur ma experience travailleur ici, mais je le vais discute plus a la blog pour demain. Mais Matthias m’a demandé que je ferrai du WWOOF encore et si je le ferrai en France. Oui, absolument. Peut-être en France, mais aussi un autre pays du Francophile. Comme au Suisse ou Canada. Mais j’entendu que le francais du Canada est très differente que Français métropolitain.
Matthias et Elisabeth d’accord avec moi. Ils ne le comprennent pas et ils pensent qu’ils drole a écouter. Aussi, Matthias a dit que Nathaniel va arriver demain soir, donc je ne lui vus pas. C’est dommage. Aussi, matthias enseignez a demain donc je l’ai dit adieu. Et c’est tout pour mon jour dernier. C’est tout pour jour 30. Un jour des laver des pommes, peeling des pommes et faire jus de pommes. Un jour des pommes.
James Linton Writing 