Cose Pazze [crazy things]: Living 'Sustainably' with the Fantaccis

I'm sitting here during my pausa (siesta) after lunch, and have decided to write a little about my current whereabouts. I'm at my second wwoofing site, having been here now for a week.

I am currently living in my own small apartment which is part of an old house built in the 1850s (the walls are 1.5 feet thick). The family of four - Andrea (who I work for) is the father, Monica the mother, Camilla (24-yr old daughter, student), and Teo (typical 16-yr old boy, student). Although not a farm, the family has a good sized orto (garden) and also tries to live sustainably in the countryside outside of Siena.

Here are some examples of how they live...

they have 10 chickens which they feed kitchen scraps as well as organic feed
water collection from rooftop feeds an enormous concrete cistern which we emptied and cleaned the other day (Initially I estimated that nothing less than a pressure washer and hydro-vacuum would be necessary to clean this monster. We did it with buckets of water and rags.)
since the stored water is not necessarily potable, they fill glass jugs when they go into the city (it is free public water)
solar panels for heating water. Also other solar panels upload electricity onto the grid. (Unfortunately, the electric company will not let them use their own power on an exclusive line; but they do get paid for the energy they contribute).
they recycle paper, plastic, glass, and metal
no clothes dryer; they use the Tuscan air
the orto produces a good quantity of produce. So do the prolific fig trees and pear trees. No commercial fertilizers used. Only an anaerobic mixture of chicken poop.
they make their own bread -traditional tuscan bread with only mother, flour, and water - in a brick oven attached to the house (original)
they jar fruits (fig jam, pears) and tomato sauce from the orto
roof is traditional clay roof, bought locally, and lasts a long time
they use homeopathic medicines
rechargeable batteries
the car runs on methane. Plus, Teo drives a moped into the city often.
no air conditioning. windows often left open, but it is always cool inside. I think the stone walls/clay roof helps.
the family is very conscious of the origin of the food they eat. They try to buy organic often. And on Wednesdays, they buy from the weekly outdoor market in Siena. They also go to the grocery store, "Co-op"

Also, you know how there are certain things that you always keep on your dinner table because you use them so often. This family always has these seven things on their table:

Glass jug of water
Red wine
Salt
Tuscan bread
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Another jug of water

While we're in to listing things, here are some of my tasks so far:

gathering wood in the forest to make posts for a fence around the orto (and later scraping the bark and staining)
cleaning out the big outdoor underground cement cistern (this water for garden only)
cleaning out the two big water tanks used for household
removing vines from on top of a 4-ft wall around the orto (this wall is from the late 1700s and was built without cement or binder; very sturdy; the previous owner planted things on top though which would have eventually weakened it)
general orto maintenance
chopping firewood

I'm guessing you're tired of list, but I'm not.

Things I've done with the family:

eat lunch and dinner together everyday
talk about Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkel, etc (Andrea and his sister Lucia saw Neil Young when he came to Rome in the 80s)
big concert in Siena last Friday by famous Tuscan artist, Silvestri. Music was awesome. He plays piano and guitar and has a band. Played everything from lullabies to heavy rock stuff. Anti-Berlusconi from what I can tell. I thought he was awesome. So did the crowd - ages 2 to 95. Really diverse following.
dinner at a friend's house, an artist friend named Francesco, who happens to be well-known around Siena. Incredible dinner. Art nice too. That reminds me, I need to talk more about food.
Dinner with a small community of 13 people who live nearby.
Card games, native ones, and poker
yesterday we went to the weekly market and then "Co-op" - grocery store. (noticed that the back wheels on the grocery carts were also swivel wheels - unlike in the US - making steering a bit difficult). I bought nutella.
wii sports

All-in-all terrific family. Andrea only speaks to me in Italian to help me learn. He worked in a bank for 30 years (hated it), retired, and now raises a family out in the country. I speak English to Teo to help him learn.

The aspect you're missing is the food. I need to write about the food.

So do you like lists? I doubt it. You'd rather read stories I think. Tell me in the comments.