What a week

by Kenneth Keavey

There has been loads happening on the farm this week. For one I don’t think I could have eaten finer food at a Michelin star restaurant. We have had Tom Hunt, Guardian recipe writer and eco warrior chef here for three days and wow did he cook some amazing food right out in the middle of our fields. Rustic and amazing on a wood fire, we can’t wait to share these amazing, seasonal, eco-recipes with you. They blew my taste buds away, all vegetarian, some vegan, and all 100% taste explosions. Keep an eye on our weekly recipes and on Instagram for more.

On top of that we had a national organic farm walk here on Tuesday afternoon and had an amazing group of people come along to talk and share information. You couldn’t write it though, on the button of 2.15pm as we were about to kick off the first drops of rain started to fall, (cue a little rain dance by all farmers in attendance) it then rained straight for the next 4 hours. You could tell that this was a seasoned crowd as the rain made no difference, in fact considering all the drought conditions it was more than welcome.

We had some of the farmers who supply us present as well as all the professional bodies, Bord Bia, Dept of Ag, Teagasc, IOA, and OGI. Thanks to everybody who came along it was I hope an informative and open discussion, in particular thanks to William Deacey of Teagasc for organising it.

Not to mention pallets of produce being harvested by Emmanuel and his farm team, from kale to the first carrots and parsnips, beetroot, spinach, salad, lettuce, tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, in fact today he told me 23 different crops were harvested this week, amazing.

We have also been very busy getting ready for our 20-year celebration festival.  A celebration of sustainable food and it promises to be an amazing day, there are still some tickets left, so if you haven’t gotten yours yet, please click here to reserve now, all the info can be found on that page.

It is a strange time though as if you are like us, we haven’t fully gotten back into routine yet, in fact as a family we are all over the place, between some bits of school started, some not just yet, having one girl going off to college, one starting in 5th year and our youngest just starting in secondary it is all change. Not sure I know whether we are coming or going. We have seen this reflected in our orders also, completely understandable. I think next week is when we will have to settle down and I am hoping it’s the same with many of you, our customers.

So, it really feels like autumn is beginning in earnest, like any change there is a little element of loss and sadness at its passing, loss of the long summer days and bright sunshine, but the swallows are still here, and if anything September can and has been in years gone by a beautiful month, fingers crossed that we have a good one.

As always thank you so much for your support, it keeps us growing, now really is the time of Irish seasonal plenty.

Kenneth

Super Seedy Crackers

by Liz Child

My super seedy crackers are easy to make and packed full of toasty, nutty flavour and incredible nutrients. They contain all these amazing ingredients which can be added to your next veg order. Did you know that our nuts and seeds come in compostable bags?

  • pumpkin seeds (protein, fibre, healthy fats, magnesium, zinc)
  • sunflower seeds (protein, healthy fats, selenium, vitamin E)
  • linseeds (fibre, healthy fats including omegas, protein)
  • chia seeds (fibre, protein, omega fatty acids, minerals and antioxidants)
  • oats (fibre, protein, manganese)
  • flour (you can use any flour you like, plain wheat flour or try our buckwheat or spelt flour)
  • salt (minerals)
  • olive oil (antioxidants and healthy fats).

So you can see why I love including these crackers in my diet and in my kids lunchboxes. They make a brilliant afternoon snack too! Scoop up hummus with them (find the recipe here), pop on a slice of cheese (we stock an amazing range or organic dairy and vegan cheeses here), or eat with soups.

Liz x

Ingredients (makes around 32 crackers)

  • 50g sunflower seeds
  • 50g pumpkin seeds
  • 50g porridge oats
  • 50g flour
  • 25g chia seeds
  • 25g linseeds
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 250ml water

Method

  1. Turn your oven on to 150C and find your largest baking sheet. You may need to use two depending on the size of your oven. I used one sheet approximately 38x46cm as a guide. You’ll also need to line your tray with a sheet of baking parchment and have another sheet of parchment ready. Find a mixing bowl and wooden spoon or spatular.
  2. Measure the seeds, oats, flour and salt into your mixing bowl. Stir well to evenly disperse the ingredients.
  3. Then add the olive oil and water and mix well until there are no dry clumps. Leave the bowl to stand for about 20 minutes to allow the chia seeds and linseeds to absorb the liquid.
  4. After 20 minutes your mixture should be thickened and spreadable. Scrape it out onto the lined baking tray and use the spoon/spatular to spread it as evenly as you can. A good tip is to avoid the edges, don’t worry about getting it perfect yet, the next step will ensure your crackers are thin and even.
  5. Place the second piece of baking parchment over the sticky cracker dough. Use your hands to spread the dough out into a thin, even layer. Make sure there are no thicker bits anywhere as these will take longer to cook. The layer should be about 3mm thick all over.
  6. Then carefully peel off the top layer of parchment and use a knife to score the cracker dough to the size and shape you prefer.
  7. Put the tray in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until toasty and dried out. Allow the crackers to cool completely before snapping them apart from each other and storing them in an airtight container. They should stay fresh at room temperature for 2 weeks, in the fridge for 1 month or frozen for 3 months.
Kale crisps, hummus, crackers and raw veggie sticks – a colourful and nutritious snack box.

Hummus

by Liz Child

A lunchbox essential! Spread into a wrap or a sandwich, or packed in a little tub with some sweet, crunchy carrot sticks, everyone loves hummus! Hummus is not only delicious but incredibly nutritious too! Who knew this humble spread contains all of the following:

👉Chickpeas provide fibre, protein and essential, energy-giving carbohydrates.
👉Tahini is rich in healthy fats and minerals including copper, selenium, calcium, iron, zinc and phosphorus.
👉Raw garlic retains more beneficial compounds (like allicin) than cooked garlic.
👉Olive oil is a healthy fat and contains vitamins E and K and is rich in antioxidants.
👉Lemon is a great source of vitamin C.

It’s so easy to make your own hummus from scratch. Especially using our organic tins of cooked chickpeas. We also sell organic tahini, garlic, lemons and olive oil! Add some of our organic pantry essentials to your next veg order here.

Liz x

Ingredients

  • 1 tin of chickpeas
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled
  • the juice from 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • optional extras like more olive oil, smoked paprika and sesame seeds to top the hummus

Method

  1. Drain your tin of chickpeas over a bowl to reserve the aquafaba. (You can use some of it in this recipe and the rest to make vegan meringues, mayonnaise or cakes. Use the search bar above to find our aquafaba recipes.)
  2. Put the drained chickpeas into a food processor with the S blade attachment. Add the garlic, salt, tahini, lemon juice and olive oil then pulse into a thick, rough paste.
  3. Taste the paste and decide if you’d like to adjust the seasoning. Perhaps more lemon juice or salt?
  4. Then loosen the paste into a creamy hummus by blending again with a couple of spoons of the reserved aquafaba or a couple of ice cubes. Ice cubes make a really fluffy, creamy hummus.
  5. Spoon into a jar, tub or bowl and either enjoy immediately or refrigerate and eat later. Homemade hummus should be eaten within 3 days.