A Plea, can you help?

by Kenneth Keavey

We have had the best spring and start to summer that I remember in our 20 years of growing organic vegetables, it has been exceptional and I think we are in for a bumper harvest. I certainly feel we were due a break after the two dismal and depressing years just gone.

It is with some depression then that we face into mid July with the all too familiar vista of loads of produce and so few orders. We rely completely on individual orders each week and when our orders drop dramatically as they have done in the last couple of weeks it leaves us struggling.   

It is completely understandable, the weather has been good and we all deserve a break from our routines, couple that with many people taking a well deserved holiday and we have the perfect storm.

We have all the same costs week in week out, from packing to harvest -and the crops simply must be harvested when they are ready. We also have commitments to other Irish organic growers and when we don’t have orders this leaves us with difficult decisions.

The worst case is that our crops simply are left in the field to rot and this can be a very sad and real reality. This year we took a different approach to avoid this, in the hope that it might stimulate orders, we have given away over one thousand free freshly harvested farm harvested items over the last three week but it seems it has done very little, and the sad fact is we cannot afford to continue doing this.

There is the double depressing fact that we have spent the last six months working so hard to produce this amazing local Irish organic food that now we can’t sell it.

The farm this year so far is operating at a loss, the first six months of the year we incur most of the costs, and the latter six months are when you need to recoup the costs to keep the farm rolling. Last year we never recovered the costs, it was the worst year we have had, one bad year you can just about take, but two, that’s too much of a stretch.   

So this year, is the year to steady the ship to make enough to reinvest back in the farm to keep it running, and maybe if we are very lucky cover some of the losses from last year, it really is as simple as that.

With only 60 commercial vegetable farmers left in Ireland and against the continued loss leading of fresh produce by supermarkets you start to question whether after all the hard work it is worth it?

From my perspective this has always been a resounding yes because I believe in local food and growing food without chemicals and protecting biodiversity and paying people fairly, so it is a double depression to be facing this struggle of having the produce but not having the orders. Year by year it erodes my sense of commitment that earlier on was buffered by the endless energy of youth. I am tired.

We have I believe a decent business that promotes a positive and vital link to our food and our land.  I would ask you now if you can at all to support us and crucially over the next few weeks of the summer holidays as our pivotal harvest rolls in from our fields and the fields of other farmers to place an order and maybe avoid that odd supermarket purchase in favour of buying from us.

If you can I thank you. If you cannot I thank you for reading, engaging and spreading the word to others that may be able to support and help us, and I thank you for your good wishes and words and energy of encouragement which keeps us going through the tough and lean times.

Thank you.

Kenneth

Woes and Wonders…

by Kenneth Keavey

Do you ever feel like you are wading through thick treacle? And it seems like everywhere you look there is a problem waiting to be discovered? Welcome to this week on the farm, up and down we go with the waves of life, this week has been one giant wave, and I am wondering if we have reached the crest yet, I think we may have.

By all accounts we should be delighted, and to an extent I know that delight is there, I just can’t seem to access it right at the moment of writing this (we all know the blue sky is always there but mostly at least in this country we can’t see it!), as all those newly discovered problems seem to be overshadowing the good stuff and there actually is plenty of good stuff.

But before that the challenges. So let me start by saying I consistently make the mistake of reading comments by different people that organic farmers use chemicals, I think if I hear that “misinformation” again I will go out of my mind.

Of course we use chemicals. We use soil and water and air, all of which are made up of atoms and molecules that constitute chemicals, and there are natural elements in the soil, my Ph.D. in chemistry seems to be coming in useful at last. I think the insinuation is though we also use synthetic pesticides and insecticides and fungicides.

So how can I be any clearer, we don’t use synthetic man-made toxic chemicals, we simply don’t. Copper Sulphate may be used at times as a preventative for potato blight, but even if this was used, it is not systemic it is not absorbed into the plant, it is not on the potato.

Whereas Roundup is systemic, it gets absorbed into the plants when it is sprayed on them, like it is on cereals in certain countries, it stays in them, and it is toxic. Brand new research has shown that even at levels previously deemed safe it has been shown to cause cancer in animals. (link here https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-025-01187-2)

Then there have been the practical challenges, with system malfunctions, and breakdowns of cold-rooms, and poor plants that we can’t transplant, and having fewer orders due to holidays and loads of harvest and not being able to sell it to support the farm, and general this and that issues.  When all these challenges come all together, they can on some days be too much.

On the other hand, we have in fact got amazing crops this year, the best cucumbers I have ever seen on our farm, and so much more besides. So much so that we are giving away 500 free portions of something next week, a surprise to 500 people chosen at random, so keep an eye out it will say “free from our farm”.

We get to work on the land doing something that is truly worthwhile, producing and selling good quality healthy organic food that is improving our planet and hopefully helping humankind be just a little bit better.  We cannot do that without you, your support keeps us in business, keeps the tractors rolling and the bees buzzing, so as always, a heartfelt thank you.

I hope this pouring forth of my woes for the week was not too much.

As always thank you for your ongoing help and support.

Kenneth

PS Every week you order with us over the summer makes a big difference as many people are taking a well-deserved holiday and this makes keeping all the plates spinning that bit harder here.

Maple-Glazed Crispy Sweet Potatoes

by Nessa Robins

These maple-glazed crispy sweet potatoes are a dairy-free twist on the viral crispy parmesan potatoes. This recipe went viral for a reason as cooking potatoes this way makes them so deliciously crispy and flavoursome. Sweet potatoes work perfectly in place of white potatoes and add a nice nutrient boost to the dish. Sweet potatoes are packed with goodness, and one potato counts towards one of your five-a-day. They are an excellent source of fibre, even more so when baking them with their skins in place. I’ve paired these crispy potatoes with a simple sauce consisting of dairy-free mayonnaise, garlic, and chives, but any dip of choice can be used in its place.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Maple-Glazed Crispy Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 3 small, sweet potatoes
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 2tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 4-5tbsp nutritional yeast
  • To serve
  • 4 tbsp dairy-free mayonnaise
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped chives

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C /Gas Mark 6. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. 
  2. Wash, dry, and cut the sweet potatoes in half. In a bowl combine the olive oil, maple syrup, and smoked paprika together with some sea salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Add the potatoes and coat well.
  3. Cover the parchment paper lined tray with an even layer of the nutritional yeast. 
  4. Place the sweet potatoes, cut side down on the tray. Carefully drizzle over the remaining oil mixture from the bowl over each potato.
  5. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes. 
  6. While the potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the garlic and chives. Refrigerate until needed. 
  7. Once the potatoes are cooked, serve straight away, with an extra scattering of chopped chives and the garlicy dip on the side. Enjoy!

priest or farmer, can you help us?

by Kenneth Keavey

Most farmers whether they be conventional or organic do what they do out of love for the land, because it requires a vocation to continue on the land, we as farmers simply must have a strong desire to produce food, because without it we would quit.

The rules governing food production are tough, prices and specifications and contracts are set by contract supermarket buyers. The supermarket supply chain is mesmerising and staggering and fast, and we can be thankful in one sense for the illusion of a never ending food supply (emphasis on illusion here), but it doesn’t tie in well with the rhythm of nature. The weather is unpredictable and with climate breakdown there is no doubt it is getting more erratic and difficult to plan for. Intensification has taken over, from vegetable production to dairy production it is the first step in our disconnection from the land. If even the farmer is being disconnected from the food, they produce what chance do we as consumers have?

Yet there couldn’t be a more important time for food production and supply to be done ethically and with transparency, without the green washing and false misleading narrative of large multinational retailers, that they in some way care for you and I and the environment, they don’t. But here is the kernel of hope, they change, and they can change rapidly, because of consumer sentiment, this is an amazing thing, and it is your doing, do not underestimate the power you have,. and be reassured change is everywhere.

Yesterday I had an invigorating discussion with a man who is responsible for creating a product right here in Ireland that is helping both us organic horticulture farmers control weeds and conventional farmers use less chemicals. Matt Shine runs Samco, and he with his brother and dad, have developed a compostable biofilm manufactured from corn or potato starch that fully biodegrades in the soil.

This material is not petroleum based, it is not plastic, it is plant based. It means our 500 courgette plants can thrive in the Irish west of Ireland climate where they need all the help they can get. Right now, the first courgettes are nearly ready for harvest, the biofilm coupled with the best spring I can remember on record has helped this but we already have amazing yellow courgettes from Joe Kelly in Mayo.

And that brings me to another story, I had a long conversation with Joe during the week, and he is a grower that has been supplying us for many years, he is an individual with a passion for what he does and is driven by energy and positivity and love for a better food system, he is a true believer in the ethical production of organic food. He is a vocational small scale organic farmer, and he walks the walk, there is no green washing here.

And finally, I also had a chat with Hannah Quinn-Mulligan of Tory Hill house Farm, who is doing something truly revolutionary, bucking the trend and going against the usual dairy intensification, she loves her cows and you can see that, and is producing with the help of her mum and sister organic raw milk, yogurt and kefir.

The thing that struck me about all three people I had a pleasure of talking to this week, is that even though business is hard, and farming is hard, and even though there is all the challenges and the hard conversations, and hard decisions and work hidden from view, they love what they do and they are driven by the desire to make this world a better place though their work.

And you know what they are making a difference, and they are succeeding, and I for now am grateful through your support to have the opportunity to support them.

Thank you.

Kenneth

PS As many of you go off on holidays, we see our orders drop off. It makes it difficult to know how to manage, so if you can at all please support us next week and the weeks ahead. For those of you who received your free amazing lettuce this week I hope you enjoyed it.

Veggie Satay Skewers

by Nessa Robins

These veggie satay skewers are so scrumptious, as the flavour of any finished dish will always be enhanced by the inclusion of seasonal vegetables. Mushrooms, courgette, and peppers work well in this recipe as they’re soft enough to thread onto a skewer, but they also retain the flavour so perfectly from the garlicy marinade. The peanut sauce is quick to make and pairs nicely with the cooked vegetables. To serve, a scattering of chopped scallion, chilli, coriander, and peanuts add a delicious finishing touch. Metal or wooden skewers can be used, but if using wooden skewers soak them in cold water for a couple of hours before threading on the vegetables, to avoid the sticks from burning.

Enjoy!

Nessa x 

Veggie Satay Skewers

For the skewers

  • 150g mushrooms
  • 1 red pepper
  • 1 green pepper
  • 1 courgette
  • 1tbsp soy sauce
  • 1tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1tsp olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the dressing

  • 100g peanut butter
  • 50ml water, recently boiled
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1tbsp olive oil
  • 1tbsp maple syrup
  • 1tsp sesame oil

To serve

  • 1 scallion, finely chopped
  • 1 red chilli, finely chopped
  • Handful of peanuts, roughly chopped

Method

  1. Prepare the vegetables by cutting them into bitesize chunks. In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, olive oil and garlic, along with a little salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, before adding the vegetables. Stir well, cover and place in the fridge for about an hour.
  2. Make the peanut dressing by adding the dressing ingredients to a mini chopper and blitzing gently for a few seconds to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
  3. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6.
  4. Take the marinaded vegetables from the fridge and thread onto skewers. Cook in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. 
  5. Once the skewers are cooked, serve with a generous drizzle of the peanut sauce, and a scattering of scallion, red chilli and peanuts. 

Cherry Crumble

by Nessa Robins

Normally associated as an autumnal dessert, when the typical fruit of choice, the apple, is in peak season, a crumble is one pudding I find well placed year-round as any seasonal fruit makes for a delicious pairing to the crumbly top. 

I received some gorgeous plump Irish organic cherries in my veg box this week, which spurred me on to produce this delicious dessert. Cherries make for the perfect base in this recipe, but are very much interchangeable with whatever soft fruit you may have to hand. 

Cherries are packed with nutrients and antioxidants, and even though cooking any fruit can impact their nutrient content, the cherries still retain a lot of their goodness. Spelt flour, oats, and almonds also add an extra nutrient boost to this dessert, while creating a delicious crunch to the finished dish. 

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Cherry Crumble

Ingredients

Crumble

Base

  • 400g cherries, stones removed
  • 1tbsp cornflour
  • 1tsp vanilla extract

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6.
  2.  To prepare the crumble, place the flour in a bowl with the oats, almonds, and sugar. Add the butter and rub it into the mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. 
  3. Place the cherries in a large ovenproof dish. Add the cornflour and vanilla. Stir to combine.
  4. Sprinkle over the crumble mixture and place the dish on a baking tray. Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the crumble topping is golden brown. Serve with ice cream, softly whipped cream or custard.

Cheesy Veggie Pastry Rolls

by Nessa Robins

These cheesy veggie rolls are best enjoyed straight from the oven, when the cheese is oozing, and the pastry is deliciously crumbly and crisp. They are, however, also very tasty as a cold snack, and would be well placed at a picnic or outdoor get-together. When transporting these rolls for a picnic, ensure you pack them into a container alongside some icepacks to keep them properly cool while travelling.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Cheesy Veggie Pastry Rolls

Ingredients

Makes 15

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry
  • 300g mushrooms
  • 1 small red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 25g butter
  • 125g spinach
  • 1tbsp chives, finely chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 50g cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1 egg
  • 1tbsp sesame seeds

Method

  1. Take the puff pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before using. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6. 
  2. Add the mushrooms, red onion, and garlic to a processor and blitz until fine.
  3. Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add the butter. Once melted add the blitzed vegetable mixture and cook for about ten minutes, stirring regularly. 
  4. Stir through the spinach and chives. Season with a little salt and pepper. Once the spinach has wilted a little take from the heat and allow to cool. 
  5. Cut the pastry into three strips. Spoon a third of the vegetable mixture along the long edge of the pastry. Sprinkle over a light layer of the grated cheese.
  6. Fold over the pastry to cover the mixture and press down the sides using a fork. Repeat for the other two strips of pastry.
  7. Using a sharp knife, cut each strip into five and place on a greaseproof paper-lined baking tray.
  8. Whisk the egg gently and brush over the top of the rolls before sprinkling over the sesame seeds. 
  9. Place in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden in colour and cooked through. These rolls are best enjoyed on the day they are made or refrigerate in a sealed container to enjoy cold the next day. 

profit is all that matters, right?

by Kenneth Keavey

There must be more to business and farming than the bottom line? If we pursue profit above all else where will this lead us? I often feel a little discouraged and depressed with the state of the world, the cruelty and destruction we as human being are inflicting on our planet seems endless and unrelenting, it can at times feel overwhelming.

Factory farms, chemical destruction of biodiversity, plastic pollution, the unravelling of our food system and indeed our humanity, clearing the last of the earths forests to grow more food to feed yet more cows, all ultimately in the name of profit and chasing the cheapest product or ingredient. Is this all there is?

In one way there is no denying we all are complicit but how are we to act any differently? We operate within a loaded system supporting a model that is breaking us and our planet. The supermarkets and food companies and large retailers, chase the same goal: make money and keep investors or shareholders happy.

But as the native Americans used to say: “When all the trees have been cut down, the last fish caught, and the last stream poisoned, you will realise that you cannot eat money”

I’m not naïve enough though to think that profit is not important, having been on the hard edge of not being able to pay the bills over the years. We have struggled to reach profitability for many years and producing and selling food as a small retailer couples all the hard points of both industries and we are up against the fierce competition of the global retailer supermarket chains. But here is the thing: Our food choices matter a great deal! I wanted to take the time today to thank you for choosing to support us.

We know you can walk into a supermarket and generally buy produce cheaper than we can sell it at, in fact sometimes you can but this same produce cheaper than we can produce it at. It is funny though, what we consider is acceptable spending. Just today as a reward for completing her first junior cert exam, I bought my daughter her requested almond milk cappuccino, costing a shocking €5.40! Is this the norm now?

But carrots at less than a €1 are considered too expensive, it seems we may have mixed up our priorities here or have I missed something along the way? The convenient road of picking up a cheap plastic clad product from a supermarket is so easy and so habitual but YOU choose to take the more difficult road, the road less travelled even.

Spending a bit more and taking a delivery at a set time each week, we know this is a big commitment. I don’t know if you know, if you fully realise the difference you are making. You have given us the green light to buck the trend, to grow without chemicals, to invest in biodiversity, to focus on products and crops that mitigate climate change and produce and support other farmers than share common values are organic in practice and in spirit.

This is surely the better path? A path that focuses on caring for nature, and ourselves, and not putting profit before all else? To me it seems that this change is all that is needed to fix the world, maybe that is naive? It will take work on your part, the path of least resistance is not always the best way, in fact it is usually only when we put in some effort that we receive the very best rewards.

So, thank you for your time, money, patience and determination to help create a food system that protects our beautiful land and is ultimately a long-term investment in our own future health.

Thank you

Kenneth

Rainbow Chard & Red Onion Frittata

by Nessa Robins

This frittata is bursting with flavour and rich in protein, vitamins, minerals, and fibre. Chard is such a versatile vegetable and can be used in place of spinach in many dishes. It’s packed with nutrients including vitamin A and C, while being an excellent source of vitamin K. When a calcium-rich food, such as cheese or milk, is paired with a vitamin D-rich food, such as eggs, the absorption of that calcium is made a little easier for the body. Vitamin D is well promoted as the vitamin to help with the absorption of calcium, but vitamin K plays a crucial role in optimising calcium use in the body, making chard a great addition to this tasty calcium-rich dish. This easy-to-make frittata is packed with nutrients to help boost ones bone health, and serves well for lunch with a big green salad.

Enjoy!

Nessa x  

Rainbow Chard & Red Onion Frittata

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 small red onions, finely sliced
  • Small bunch rainbow chard, roughly chopped
  • 75g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 6 eggs
  • 120ml milk
  • 75g cheddar cheese, grated

To serve

  • Chives, chopped

Method

  1. To a large frying pan, over a medium heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the red onion. Cook on low for about 10 minutes, until soft and slightly coloured. Add the chard and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly. 
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs with the milk. Season with a little salt and pepper. Pour into the pan, covering the vegetables. Add an even layer of the grated cheese.
  3. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until almost set, then place under the grill for a couple of minutes until bubbling. 
  4. Garnish with some chopped chives and chive flowers, if you have them to hand, and serve with a green salad. 

Rain at last, and we didn’t ask for it 

by Kenneth Keavey

Rain at last. We never asked for it, we have definitely learned our lesson there. But we couldn’t have asked for a better run of it. Between the amazing sunshine and rain just when we needed it, it has been a miraculous start to the season and for once we are absolutely delighted with progress on the farm. We are so busy at the moment, as the three main tasks are starting to coalesce. We are planting, harvesting and the big one, weeding has just started too.


Our first sowing of carrots and parsnips have just poked their little heads through the soil, which was earlier than expected, but they look good. You know what we will do between now and harvest? We will weed with machines and by hand and we will cover them with nets to exclude the carrot root fly, and that’s it.


In my view, it would make a remarkable difference to how we perceive the value of food if we knew how it was produced, what if the list of chemicals used on the produce were mentioned on the pack, how would that influence our decisions I wonder?
For conventional carrot production right here in Europe and in the UK, here are some of the lovely hidden extras you may be getting. Behind the bright orange crunch is a complex spraying programme involving herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides – some systemic, some not – all used to ensure a blemish-free, marketable crop.
Carrots are sprayed with herbicides, usually starting with Glyphosate prior to planting, then a couple of other stars Pendimethalin and Aclonifen. They can be sprayed 2-3 times per season.
Then it is over to insect control, expect possibly Cyantraniliprole (Benevia), which is systemic (goes into the plant) and Lambda-cyhalothrin (Karate Zeon) which is toxic to bees and aquatic organisms.


It wouldn’t be right to leave out a whole group of chemicals, so not be missed next it is the turn of the fungicides, the likes of Prothioconazole and Azoxystrobin + Difenoconazole (Amistar Top), both are systemic and the last one is an endocrine disruptor, not good for us.
In 2023 the UK found chemicals in 43% of carrots tested, so nearly half.


It is so hard these days to connect how our food has been produced, what has been sprayed on it, and how those in our food system, humans and pollinators alike, have been treated, it seems to me that supermarket led cheap food comes at great cost.
The best way to avoid chemicals and the damage they do to biodiversity is if possible, to choose organic.


Growing some of your own food is an amazing way to connect us with the miracle of nature and the true value of our food.


As always thank you for your support

Kenneth