Here we are in a crisis with a very simple solution – Independence: energy independence, agricultural independence and economic independence.  We can choose as our single overriding objective to make Ireland self-sufficient: it makes financial, political and ethical sense. Ireland’s independence was brief: no sooner had we become a sovereign state than we deferred to Rome, and now as the influence of the Church collapses we depend on Brussels for our legal system and multi-nationals for our economy. Link to this post!

If you find youreself in the Kildare region this month, a visit to Castlefarm is a must.  Castlefarm is nationally renowned as one of the top food destinations in the country.  As well as being awarded Bridgestone plaques for the past four years Castlefarm is a Teagasc organic demonstration farm.  Castlefarm sells its own farmhouse cheese, organic beef and pork, organic vegetables, organic eggs and seasonal chutneys and jams as well as other locally produced and Irish food.  Castlefarm not only produces good food but it also educates people about good food offering group tours of the farm as well… Read More »

WHEN it comes to adopting green parenting practices, being environmentally aware is not the same thing as being environmentally friendly, says green parent and ‘ mumpreneur’ Claire Lancaster, founder of Dandelion Lounge, a personalised stationery service with a focus on families. ” If you asked my mum raising a family in the Seventies if she was ‘environmentally friendly’ she wouldn’t have been able to answer the question, simply because the term would have meant nothing to her,” says Lancaster. But in the Seventies, her mother opted for reusable terry-towelling nappies, walked everywhere, purchased from a local farm and greengrocers and… Read More »

Spring is in the air and as the weather finally changes, everyone around me seems to be coming down with a cold. Like so many Irish folks, I am sensitive to foods containing gluten.  And, I try to stay away from dairy in the damp weather.  And, I’m a vegetarian, hmm…. No meat, no wheat, and (mostly) no dairy.  Alas, I’m a professional cook so I spend a lot of time creating recipes to suit a variety of diets. Here’s one of my favorite cold weather  meals that’s tasty, satisying, easy to make and good for ya! Link to this… Read More »

Irish company Ocean Energy, which designs turbines capable of converting wave power into electricity, has signed a major development deal with a US multinational. Ocean Energy‘s CEO John McCarthy said the agreement with Dresser-Rand would significantly develop wave energy in Ireland and should lead to the creation of thousands of jobs. Link to this post!

Instead of pushing your way through the hoards of disgruntled holiday shoppers in the large town shopping centre or supermarket chain, why not do your last minute Christmas food shopping locally. You’ll find lots of unique and interesting Christmas gifts for everyone on your list and at reasonable prices too. Plus you know the money you spend is going into the pockets of the local people and that money is likely to stay circulating in your local economy rather than traveling overseas. GreenMe has been talking to some of the producers and suppliers listed on our directory and the overall… Read More »

I am delighted to see that the magic of a good Christmas market is casting its spell over more and more Irish towns each year. Traditional Christmas Markets, held in cities, towns and villages throughout the country, are becoming increasingly popular. Not only do they evoke an enchanting festive atmosphere but in the ever present economic doldrums, they present the perfect and powerful answer to supporting your local economy! For my book, I can simply not think of a better way of getting hold of that unusual or rare Christmas pressie that doesn′t smack of commercialism.  These markets are full… Read More »

What if you knew where your cotton socks came from? Or knew about the person who picked your coffee beans? What if you knew how fresh green beans come to sit on the supermarket shelf all year round…? Would you stop buying them? Or would you in fact start buying them? Link to this post!

I am setting out to write this blog when I am hungry.  So inevitably it is going to be about good.  And even before I start to write I have decided what supper is going to be tonight! Staring from it’s lonely perch on my kitchen worktop is a slightly stale ciabatta loaf. There was a time when dishes made from slightly stale bread was thrifty.  Now it’s fashionable! However, in order to follow this fashion trend your bread needs to be of a certain quality that avoids the mass produced bleached variety. What I’m talking about is a traditional… Read More »

So the British Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has deigned down upon us all their view that organic food has no health benefits over “ordinary” food.  Funny how food that is produced by using chemicals and pesticides is now regarded as being “ordinary” food don’t you think? It’s not natural, but thankfully and to much relief all round, the FSA has decreed it to be “ordinary”.  Phew! It is even more funny (peculiar, not ha ha) that when you think about it that we are therefore the only species on the Planet who are eating “ordinary” food by choice because we… Read More »

What could be nicer than always having a big bowl of fresh, organic probiotic yoghurt ready in the fridge. Making it is easy-peasy and I usually do it while having breakfast. It’s half the price of commercial stuff, and because it has fewer ingredients, it has fewer ‘food miles’ as well.  What could be better. If you’ve made yogurt before, you probably bought some commercial live yogurt to start, and then saved a fwe scoops from each batch to start the next until, after a few goes, it lost its potency and you had to start again with fresh shop-bought… Read More »

We’re talking rubbish, here, folks! In particular, how to make yoghurt plastic tubs disappear with a little ‘pixie dust’ — about which, more in a minute. The small bag  pictured here, weighing just 128 g, is  pretty impressive: it’s all the rubbish that one English family threw out in one week.  Admittedly, it took them time and effort to reduce their rubbish to this small amount  — not least, becoming familiar with all the different types of plastic that can (and can’t) be recycled. The whole weight-reduction story is told in their blog, The Rubbish Diet — well worth reading… Read More »

Eat, drink & be mindful!

It has been claimed in many places that these new economic times will slaughter the small, the cute and the eco friendly places to shop. The thinking is that no one will be able to do anything other than go the ALDI and buy the cheapest of the cheap. While there is  a marked increase in the availability of organic food in outlets traditionally aimed at the lower income consumer, it is also the case that the small, the cute, colourful and the eco friendly have a bright future too. Link to this post!

Yes the Boomtown Rats sang about it. And you could be excused for thinking that we have been living in one for at least the last ten years, but that’s not the subject for this blog. In fact, it’s the connection between bananas and how they get to this republic that I am more interested in. The history of the banana and it’s import in bulk quantities into Ireland can be dated back to the beginning of the twentieth century, 1906 actually, when a firm named Charles McCann of Dundalk became the first company to import bananas on the large scale into… Read More »

Glenisk, the family owned and operated organic dairy company has joined forces with The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim to encourage Irish people to grow their own organic vegetables this summer. Under the scheme, entitled Grow Your Own Organic Garden, Glenisk will give away ten thousand packs of organic vegetable seeds. The packs will be accompanied by expert sowing and growing advice from the Organic Centre, and recipe ideas.   The scheme was launched in Dublin by Trevor Sargent, T.D., Minister of State for Food & Horticulture. Commenting on the initiative, he said: “This is an important opportunity for people to… Read More »

Classic reasoning suggests that organic food is more expensive to produce and buy than so called main stream food.  But is it? If you look at the strict production costs then yes, on average, organic food costs about 10 -15% more to produce. But, that is not the whole story because you have to consider the side effects as well. For did you know that the average Irish person consumes 7 kg of preservatives and additives each year?  In fact it takes human beings longer to decompose when they die because of all the preservatives and additives in their bodies! Many of these… Read More »

John and Klaus are pouring water into a hole to see how the drainage is doing………We’re at Greenhill farm and the sun is still shining….. HOW TO KEEP WEEDS DOWN John doesn’t spend a lot of time weeding.  The thought of vegetable growing being a highly labour intensive job doesn’t wash at all with both John and Klaus. “I only spend a few minutes on each bed a week,” says John who has taken a moment in between clearing up after us to show us some of his rakes and hoes  “I keep on the top of the weeds by… Read More »

I’m still at the Organic vegetable gardening course in Malin with Klaus Laitenberger…. SOIL Klaus takes us all outside as he can see that some of us are sweating and others falling asleep in the heat as the sun shines through the transparent roof.  “Today’s topic is soil. The single most important thing in your garden.” He tells us as we make our way over to the meticulously maintained and planted raised beds. John has been working these beds for years, slowly building up a fine soil high in nutrients, ideal for his intensive crop rotation. Klaus digs a section… Read More »

Back to the course…… FACT: You can get addicted to the blandness of chemically grown produce.  Your taste buds get so used to the lack of flavour, naturally grown vegetables seem too strong. LONG LASTING Klaus also notices something about chemically produced vegetables.  “They seem to last forever,” he notes.  Shop bought crops that are chemically produced can last months, which makes means it is easier to transport, store and display them on the supermarket shelves. I know what he’s talking about. I once had a punnet of tomatoes that had such thick skins on them that they stayed in… Read More »