Ranch Animals
A definite highlight to any visit to NewTree Ranch is experiencing time with our animals. The open fields of the ranch house are home to our Scottish Highlander Cows, Kathy and Eddie, who love grazing on the native grasses that grow in abundance. They in turn provide manure for the compost that enriches our soil. Just next door, our Nigerian dwarf goats, Sally and Wanda, weed the fields of the ranch. Our 22 chickens provide fresh, healthy eggs and provide manure for the farm.
The WimHof Experience
The WimHof method is a mindfulness technique that allows you to reconnect to the body's inner wisdom, a wisdom often lost in today’s world. According to Wim, “Because we wear clothes and artificially control the temperatures at home and at work, we've greatly reduced the natural stimulation of our bodies, atrophying the age-old mechanisms related to our survival and basic function. Because these deeper physiological layers are no longer triggered, our bodies are no longer in touch with this inner power. The inner power is a powerful force that can be reawakened by stimulating these physiological processes through the Wim Hof Method.”
The training involves learning Wim’s unique breathing exercises reminiscent of Pranayama breathing in yoga, with the goal of helping us become happy, strong and healthy. Once trained, participants are invited to submerge themselves into an ice bath. Many of our guests, when first presented with the Wim Hof method, have no intention of challenging their body in this way. With few exceptions, however, most do enter the ice and are stunned at how easily they are able to manage the frigid temperatures.
Cooking Experience
The farm at New Tree Ranch is home to a beautiful, fully equipped outdoor kitchen, with an impressive pizza oven and professional grill. A favorite pastime for our guests is to spend time in the garden, harvesting fresh vegetables and learning to cook authentic seed to table meals to share with each other. Our talented chef/instructors lead classes in plant-based cooking. The cooking experience teaches us how delicious plant-based cooking can be, and how easily we can incorporate these lessons into our everyday lives.
Tent Experience
Nurturing an authentic relationship with nature has been a central theme in all that we do at New Tree Ranch. The tent experience is an intimate and inspiring way to develop that relationship. Set apart from the main properties, the tents offer our guests the ability to spend time under the stars amidst the beautiful land that surrounds the ranch. While staying in the tents, guests can greet the cows and horses that often come for a visit and sip on hot, herbal teas brewing on the wood burning stove. In the mornings, guests can take a dip in the hot-tub and watch the morning fog cover the land with dew. The silence and stillness here offer an inspiring opportunity to meditate on nature, renewing our relationship to the land, the plants and animals. Tent experiences are only open to guests staying at the Ranch House.
Farming Experience
NewTree Ranch is a biodynamic farm, using a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition. Theoretically, biodynamics strives to combine the science of agriculture with the Spirit of nature. Practically, the goal of a biodynamic farm system is to eliminate the need for external inputs such as pesticides and chemical fertilizers, instead focusing on creating a self-sufficient ecology. During a farm experience, guests learn about the six biodynamic preparations (Chamomile, Stinging Nettle, Dandelion, Valerian, Yarrow and Oak Bark) and how they are used to naturally care for the plants. After the introduction to biodynamic farming, we hold seminars on compost building, companion planting, permaculture, as well as a more detailed exploration of Rudolph Steiner (the founder of biodynamics) and his groundbreaking work in agriculture.
