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! (more…)

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 feedback has been that they are having a busy season.

Below are some great food and beverage suppliers from around the country with how Christmas has gone for them so far and the great deals they have on offer

Kevin from Ardkeen Quality Food Store in Waterford has a few Organic Turkeys left. They sold out last year so my advice would be to get your order in quick. Their turkeys are locally reared and are only fed on natural feed stuffs, guaranteeing you a premium taste. They also have lots of local organic growers and food producers with very low food miles selling their quality produce in store

For farms such as Gubbeen in West Cork, the last few weeks have been a time of great confusion. Why their pork products were caught up in the decision to recall all pig meat even though they feed carefully (locally sourced GM free meal) to all their animals, milk herd, chickens and pigs is beyond me.

Giana from Gubbeen said that she took great solace throughout all this from their customers, “your understanding of the real message which we believe in, confirmed that small farms and artisan methods do mean something at a time like this – the message being: local small producers on family run farms with artisan skills do have something special to offer”

Giana would like to say a big thank all the customers who wrote, rang or just came to the markets with their shopping bags and bought Gubbeen Pork Products.

To order some fine Gubbeen produce including Ham, Salami, Cheese and Hampers ranging from ‚¬30 – ‚¬100, contact Giana or Clovisse and they can arrange delivery to your door with their night line delivery service.

Con from The Apple Farm in Tipperary has found the run up to Christmas very busy this year. People have been ordering their cases of juice online for delivery to friends as a Christmas gift. At a starting price of ‚¬35.95 per case of 12 large bottles, you can probably see why. Also people coming to the farm shop have been buying lots of fruit and juice hampers, which along with their preserves,local honey and cheese have proved very popular.

At their local farmers’ market Con made up a mulled apple juice for those whowere driving, using just the Apple Farm′s juice, cloves, cinnamon, and some brown sugar, which is even nicer to drink than a mulled wine, but less expensive, and without the hangover.

You can make this recipe by pouring a bottle of juice into a saucepan, adding one stick of cinnamon, a few cloves, a tablespoon of sugar, and warming to about 70 degrees for about 20 minutes.

So for a hassle free shop that supports the local community and helps retain much needed jobs, check out the GreenMe food directory for a local producer or supplier in your area

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 yogurt. All of which was costly and unpredictable.

Well, not any more.

My new, foolproof technique has one crucial ingredient: some probiotic “pixie dust”, aka commercial yoghurt culture.  In other words, the culture that commerical yogurt producers use.

I sourced a sachet from someone selling yoghurt at Dublin’s Temple Bar food-market; it cost €10, and is good for 200 litres of milk… two years later I’m still using it (just store it, sealed, in the freezer)

Or, you can buy a box of 10 sachets here, and sign-up nine friends to share the box with you!

To make 2-litres of yoghurt:
You need:
2-litres of milk (full-fat works best, and I like to use organic)
A pinch of  probiotic  culture (less than 1/8 of a teaspoon works fine)
A timer (essential, so that you don’t forget the heating/cooling milk while doing something else, such as eating breakfast!)
A large bowl & lid to culture the yoghurt
Somewhere warm (I’m currently using a ‘nest’ made out of a sleeping bag (!) in a draft-free cupboard; but I’ve also used a tea-cosy over the bowl, and a south-facing window on a sunny day; and in winter, the warming plate from an old wine-making kit)

Method:
1] heat the milk until nearly boiling (about to lift off!) about 10 minutes.
2] Cool the milk, until it drops to about 45° (so you can just bear to stick a (clean) finger in it and count to 10).   I sit the saucepan uncovered in a sink of cold water for about 10 minutes; remember, the timer!  (if it gets too cold,  just heat it up again a little)
3] Pour the warm milk into the bowl (plastic is best for staying warm; if using glass/metal, preheat the bowl).
4] Add a pinch of the culture, and stir well.
5] Cover, and place somewhere warm and undisturbed for about 10 hours, or over night.
6] Cool fully, before refrigerating
7] Enjoy!

While culturing, try not to disturb it, as this can upset the process.

The bacteria double in number every 20 minutes, so if the yoghurt hasn’t set even after 10 hours, it may just need another 20-40 minutes (happened to me just the once); because it has probably cooled by then, simply transport the bowl (carefully) and set it in a basin of boiling water for 20-40 minutes.

This may sound elaborate, but it really is very simple.  Once you get the hang of it, you can do it in the morning while having breakfast, and come home in the evening to a batch of fresh organic yoghurt, and for a fraction of the price of commercial stuff.

And no plastic rubbish!

And, if you like that, I have a 101 tips for saving time, money and resources in my new book, Drive like a Woman, Shop like a Man.

(c) Mary Mulvihill 2009

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 the country. The likelihood is that the large swathe cut by a colonial Britain had in fact introduced the banana much earlier, probably the seventeeth century, but irregularity of supply and their high price would have made them a very scarce commodity. According to the book, ‘The International Banana Trade’, McCann’s import was the first recorded bulk import into Ireland.

If you trace the history of the banana, it does indeed seem to parallel the history of colonialism. Because the banana can only be grown in semi-tropical conditions, high tech greenhouses being an exception, the usual source for the fruit is Third-World countries. As it happens most of these countries have been colonised at one stage or another in history. With that colonisation came unfair and unethical labour practices, monopolies and in recent times modern agricultural methods, pesticides and such.

It is this method of production and supply, the use of pesticides and low paid labour, that makes the banana an interesting subject for consumers to be aware of, especially since bananas take a lot of energy and water to get here; fossil fuel energy for the pesticides, water to grow, wash and then transport them. They are shipped in a modified atmosphere to avoid ripening, treated with pesticides and wrapped in tonnes of plastic and cardboard before they finally make it to the shelves of the local supermarket.

Long distance usually equals a bigger carbon and water footprint . And since carbon footprints are increasingly becoming part of the lexicon of the language of food, just as water will in the near future, then we as consumers should become more conscious about where our food, the banana in this case, comes from.

With the introduction of fair trade, organic and more sustainable methods of agriculture and consumption we have an opportunity to change this trade for the better. Given predictions on climate change however, we might just be growing them in the back garden ourselves and then we truly would be a banana republic….

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 the compost heap for months before they finally rotted down. Good natural tomatoes should last 2 days as they have soft skins. Klaus loves his tomatoes, one of his favourites is a beautiful soft skinned one called Sungold.

FACT: Plants grow faster when they are fed artificially.  They produce a uniformed size and colour of vegetable, which is good for the display stand in the supermarket, not for the soil or the environment.

POLLUTION
Conventional farming practices are responsible for a lot of pollution, especially phosphates into watercourses.  This kills fish and the chemicals inevitably end up back in the water supply.   “With a population of just 4 million people in the island of Ireland, this practice should be avoidable.” Klaus thinks, and continues. “In America there are initiatives where farmers are paid to be totally organic within 500 metres of a water course so no pollutants seep into the rivers and waterways.”

It’s a possibility: In 5 years from now the need for water could be so great that it could be Ireland’s biggest export.

CERTIFIED ORGANIC
In Ireland, to be organic you have to go through a strict certification process. There are two organisations where you can get certified.

 IOFGA (Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association) were set up to certify the organic integrity of foodstuffs, produce, and products for farmers, growers, and food processors. Including wholesalers, traders, and retailers
 
The Organic Trust  claim to be the centre of excellence when it comes to organic inspection and certification.

“It’s a two year process,” says Klaus.  “In the first year you have to make all the practices on your land organic from the soil to the seeds.  Only after the end of two years will you be truly organic.  And then the organic certificate will only apply to seeds and plants that are planted after the two year period.” The site inspection can cost from €150 -€400.  We all agreed unanimously that this is a reliable method of having certification, although it’s a long winded process it does ensure good organic practice.

 FACT: Only 1% of land in Ireland is farmed organically. Austria, Switzerland and Italy have the highest percentages of up to 5%.

WHY DON’T IRISH FARMERS OPT TO GROW ORGANIC?

Klaus hasn’t any official answer for this.  We don’t think it’s anything to do with money. “If farmers converted to organic, there would be double the REPS grants available.” Some people in the group think that farmers don’t take up the offer because of a lower yield but most probably it’s the fear of constant inspections and invasion of their land and farm.
FACT: How many living creatures in a handful of soil? Klaus: “Billions, far more than people on the planet, it’s the foundation of life and needs to be looked after.” 

FACT: 90% of all organic food is imported into Ireland.

I am at Mary and John Reilly’s farm in Fawn, Malin on the tip of the Inishowen Peninsula.  It’s a glorious sunny day and looks like staying that way. Mary told us that there was always a wind here but there’s no sign of it today.   Mary and John run Greenhill Farm and together they grow organic vegetables for sale to the public and supply local shops with fresh, high quality home grown produce ranging from fresh salad crops, root vegetables, greens and of course spuds.

Today is the start of a four-day organic vegetable growing course which is fully booked with 20 people including myself.  We are all here to learn more on the art of growing vegetables and being that bit more self sufficient – and less dependent on shop bought produce that has travelled the earth to get to us. 

KLAUS LAITENBERGER
Our learned facilitator is Klaus Laitenberger, who is the former head gardener at Rossinver Organic Centre and co-ordinator of the restoration of Victorian gardens at Lissadell House  It’s great to be in the presence of such an influential pioneer in organic gardening methods in Ireland.  For me it’s the horticultural equivalent of my lad meeting his football hero Fernando Torres… There will be a lot to learn.
FACT: Soil erosion due to intensive farming on land the size of America and Mexico has been made infertile for any future food production.
JOHN AND MARY’S SHED
Klaus begins by taking us all into Mary and John’s large shed/workshop.  The walls are festooned with information leaflets about good organic farming methods, organic certifications and lists of why going organic is the way forward.  Reading the walls alone is a big learning curve.

After the nerve racking bit about who we all are and an assessment on everyone’s knowledge of gardening, Klaus settles down and begins telling us his own reasons why organic is the best…

REASONS TO GROW YOUR OWN FRESH VEGETABLES

“Growing your own is the most natural thing in the world to do,” he begins.  “But only 2% of people in Ireland are growing their own food.   Things are changing and even the Botanic gardens in Dublin now have their own vegetable gardens.  There is a waiting list to go on the courses they are offering,” he tells us.
FACT:  An average Irish person consumes 7kg of artificial additives a year.
THE BENEFITS

Klaus asks us what we think are the benefits of growing your own.
· Organically grown vegetables are healthier for you.  Klaus points out that we are not legally allowed to say this as scientific facts are still not conclusive and it upsets the industry. “It seems unfair that we need to have strict scientific evidence to prove the added nutritional value of home grown organic produce.  This is an unfair system, as regular farmers do not have to account for their usage of chemicals.” I agree, nodding my head.
· Being out in the veggie patch and getting exercise is health bringing in itself.
· Organic farming and vegetable growing is sustainable
· Higher nutrient content of the vegetables means a more healthy diet.
· Seeing your crops grow from seeds to full maturity gives you an amazing sense of satisfaction and achievement
· Growing your own encourages community as small networks of growers pass on their surplus stock to one another.
· It is good for the environment as adding nutrients into the soil locks in carbon…reducing your footprint.
· It’s good for the soil.  You feed and mulch the soil with organic nutrition as opposed to feeding the plants.  Klaus explains “Conventional farming methods feed the ground with NPK fertiliser which is quickly taken up by the plants.  The soil becomes more barren every growing season as nothing is put back.  Organic methods store the nutrients in the ground until they are needed by the plant, which does away with any artificial feed. This cuts out pollution and chemical run off into the water course if too many chemicals are added.” He says.
· Today’s diet with low nutrient values means that you just can’t eat enough.  “If you have healthy nutritional food there will be no need for vitamin pills.”
· You just can’t beat the taste.  For example, sweetcorn is delicious if you have the pan of boiling water ready when you pick a cob and put it straight into the water.

We’re down in Westport with Noeline Haylett getting some advice on how to look after chickens.  

 Noeline runs the Mayo Animal Welfare Centre and knows a thing about our egg laying friends.

 “How long do chickens live?” I ask as we make our way past the barking dogs.

 “They usually live up to eight years.” Noeline tells me. Noeline was brought up in the South African bush. She tells us one of her famous stories;

Noeline’s famous story

“When I was about four, my job was to hold the chicken while my father chopped the head off.  One day my older brother whispered to me, ‘Do you know the chicken will still run around after the head is chopped off?’

‘Really,” It couldn’t be true, so, even though I had strict instructions to keep tight hold I couldn’t resist letting go to see what would happen.  It was amazing. Off the chicken ran, blood spurting out of it’s neck like a pulsating fountain.  My dad wasn’t too pleased though and neither was I when I had to clean up the blood while my brother smirked in the background.”

It’s a miracle

While we laugh at the image, Ronnie pipes up with one of his internet facts.

“There was a chicken called Miracle Mike who lived for eighteen months after getting his head chopped off, he toured the sideshows of America. The owner took a pickled chicken head to the shows, but that wasn’t Mike’s head, that was eaten by a cat.” 

Ronnie and Noeline begin to talk about how Mike was fed through his neck with an eyedropper, while I go off and look at the chicken run. 

I am hoping to start keeping chickens soon and want to see just how we can protect ours from the likes of foxes, mink and farmer Lloyd Olsen, (Mike’s owner and beheader). 

Mesh

Noeline uses a one inch thick galvanised steel mesh, ten feet long by five feet wide that are so sturdy they stand upon their own. Noeline and the gang join me.  “I find that the foxes can chew through chicken wire, so I use this.” Noeline pulls at the thick steel. “Nothing can get through that.” She says proudly. “It comes from Turkey and is expensive though at €50 a sheet, so it’s not very environmentally friendly.”

“I’ll take my chances with chicken wire.” I say. “Put them into the chicken house at night then.” Noeline advises.

 Noeline also has a surprise for Michael. After surrepitiously checking it out with Julie and myself she offers Michael two baby Guinea Pigs brothers (Bubbles and Squeak). He is delighted having been hankering after one for years. I am feeling worried.  I don’t have much luck with the lad’s pets.  My last attempt at fish pet care ended up with a big Who Dunnit.

Ronnie has some more facts for us ” In some areas of  Peru, Guinea Pigs run free around your kitchen.  They are pets until it’s dinner time.”…. 

He might be on to something there…

I’m staring at a line of bare seed trays in the shed, concentrating hard to make green shoots appear.

When I was young I thought I could move objects by psychic forces.  It was the days before TV remote controls and my imagination didn’t stretch much beyond changing the channel from Magpie to Blue Peter. It never happened, but I haven’t given up…..

A week ago, Julie and Michael planted tomato, sweetcorn, peas, beans, squash, pumpkins, sweet peas, lupins, nasturtiums and a few sunflower seeds into multi cell trays.  Nothing has appeared, but if I stare long enough….

The post woman finds me and opens the shed door. “What are you doing?”  She asks passing me a small packet and a bit of junk mail for the recycling bin.

“I’m manipulating time and space to speed up the germination progress.” I tell her.
“Mmm, very good,” she pauses. “It must be nice to have nothing better to do.” 
“It’s an art form.”  I tell her, moving my attention back to the bare soil in the cells.
“I find four things important when I plant seeds.” She tells me. These are:

•  Good quality seeds from reputable sources
•  Sterile seed trays and peat free compost
•  Gentle heat
•  Lots of patience

 “I’d love to be patient, but I haven’t got the time.” I quip to myself.  She has gone to sow more pearls of wisdom on her round.

I open up the packet that has just been delivered.  It is more seeds. My work here has just begun…..

Castlefarm organic farmers Jenny and Peter Young are holding a one-day
course on setting up allotments.  The course will equip private landowners and community groups with all the information and tools to enable them to set up their own allotments.

On Saturday 9th of May from 11am-2pm the couple will guide people through the process of setting up allotments.  This will include information about what prospective allotment holders want, the costs involved in setting up allotment sites, the legalities of land ownership and a tour of the Castlefarm allotments.

Since they launched the first organic allotments in the country Jenny and Peter have spent a lot of time researching this topic.  The cost per person will be €80 per person and numbers will be limited.  Places must be booked in advance.

Enquiries are welcome on 087-6785269 or jenny@castlefarmshop.ie.  Castlefarm organic farm is located in Narraghmore, near Athy in Co Kildare.

In our previous post, a general overview of meat and the environment in the Irish situation was presented. Here’s more details on what the options out there are.

The relative okness (if I can use that word) of Irish meat was suggested, but with caveats. Are there better options?

Yes there are. Irish organic beef and lamb is one. At a recent conference, Dan Clavan of Teagasc compared organic and conventional farming. He found that of the 15 environmental indicators he examined, organic scored better in all except three. And even for these three, the results were mixed rather than against organic.

In particular, by not using synthetic fertilizers, organic avoids copious use of fossil fuels, which are used in making and then transporting fertilizers around.
For committed carnivores, there is a perhaps unexpected place where Irish organic beef and lamb are affordable and eco – your local farmers’ market. While not all farmers’ market foods are cheap, Irish organic beef and lamb can be extremely good value in this setting.
For example, organic Irish mince at farmers’ markets tends to be about 11-12.50 per kilo. And if you are really trying to reach a point of enviro-purity, try Joe Condon’s beef or lamb (see picture) . You can order on line or drop down to Dungarvan farmers’ market. Joe’s Galloway cattle, which range over the Knockmealdowns, eat an almost exclusively grass fed diet. While doing this, they also improve the biodiversity levels of their grazing area due to sustainable stocking levels, suitable breed and organic practices.
Joe’s burgers are actually the most affordable item on the menu at the highly regarded Bridgestone guide listed Bodega restaurant in Waterford, while regularly receiving rave reviews about how they combine price and quality – true value.
There are many Joe-like characters at the 120 or so farmers’ markets all over Ireland. And if you have the space or friends with big freezers to order organic meat in bulk, try the Colchester’s Drumeen farm in Kilkenny (056 88 31411). Their mixed beef box is just 9e per kilo.
These sorts of prices even challenge the more obvious option of LIDI, which, amongst all the imports, does actually stock certified organic Irish organic minced beef at a great price.