we are out spraying again, but not what you think…

by Kenneth Keavey


Have you ever seen those lovely luscious green verges along the roadside, full of life and biodiversity and doing no harm to anyone? In fact, they are a link in the chain that keeps biodiversity alive, they also have the double function of hiding all the rubbish that people still throw out of their car windows.


Then you are happily driving, cycling, walking along and suddenly it all ends and is replaced by an area of devastation, yellow and dead. The good people of the world have been out spraying Roundup again.


So, I ask you this, why?


Why would you do that? It is public ground, it’s one thing if you wish to spray your own fields and your own garden with this probable carcinogen, but public property, surely not. That’s for all of us to decide, is it not?


The ‘Why’ I struggle with, because I just don’t understand it, even from an aesthetic point of view, surely it is better to be looking at a bright alive piece of ground rather than a dead piece of land, if nothing else, it is depressing.


Then there is the double negative, that in this case definitely do not make a positive. Once the vegetation is gone two things happen,

  1. The rubbish that has been dumped there is clear to see.
  2. The most noxious weeds make the first return and usually end up colonising the area.
    Then you must redo the whole thing again next year. Meanwhile Bayer are rubbing their greasy little hands together as they tot up another sale in their €10.3 billion dollar sales of Roundup business.
    So here we are today, out in the field with a tractor sprayer, why you may ask? I have to say I am always a little self-conscious when we bring this out, as it is associated with one thing, and one thing only and that is the application of pesticides and herbicides to food.
    The funny thing is, for us, it is an amazing tool that allows us to feed the crops with what essentially constitutes an herbal multivitamin feed. So, when we take our sprayer out it is to apply, seaweed, and magnesium, and boron, and herbal mixes that strengthen the plants and help them be so much more resilient. This reduces disease and the need to apply “Synthetic Chemicals”.
    Today though I found it thought provoking. When you actually see the spray hit the food and you imagine that this is not a tonic that is being applied but a toxic concoction of herbicides, or pesticides, or fungicides it really paints a different picture. You can actually visualise the chemical landing on your food.

So, in the end, I wonder which is worse then? The rubbish that is dumped on the side of the road or the spraying of this horrible chemical that kills everything in its wake?


What do you think?


As always thanks for your support.


Kenneth


PS We continue to struggle to keep the orders up so we can avoid wasting food we have spent 6 months growing, so if you can help us and place an order it makes a huge difference.

what a week!

by Kenneth Keavey

What a week, we went from having one of our lowest weeks in terms of customers to the highest ever, it was amazing, we couldn’t believe it, and to be completely honest it nearly broke us.

But the team that are working here pulled out all the stops, they were amazing, every single person.It is hard to know where to start to say thank you, for the kind wishes, and thoughts, the orders, the words and energy, every single one meant a great deal.

I can tell you honestly that unless you get big and specialise in one particular crop or two or are really small and it is just you (and neither of those scenarios when it comes to food production are easy either) then it is nigh impossible to make the farming of multiple crops on 20 acres work, and we are not new to this.

So, this year when all the stars aligned and the weather and the farm team and the fertility and the machines and everything worked as will happen every once in a rare while it is fantastic. But then to finally have the crops in the field and to not have a way to sell them it is demoralising. July and August are our toughest months to try and keep sales coming in to keep the farm and the business going.

Thank you for all the suggestions of what to do, we have tried most over the years and our experience with say supply to supermarkets has not been a positive one and I would prefer to close up shop that to go back to that. They do say “never say never” but for me it’s a no.

Ultimately if I have to blame somebody or something for why it is so difficult, it is the supermarkets (Now I know throwing blame around is never a very progressive or useful way to live, I also know we all need and use supermarkets), but our food has ultimately been devalued and fresh produce is classed as something that must be ultra cheap (and I get it that it is hard and the cost of living is real).

But here is the thing, we have the most amazing heads of broccoli grown organically and I am not 100% sure how much each head cost to grow but I do know with all our crops in fine fettle and with the farm in full flow, and with everything aligned and with us charging the prices we are, we find it very difficult to make the proverbial ends meet on the farm. But after the week we have just had and with the farm harvest at least for now looking so promising, I am cautiously hopefully that there is light at the end of the 20-year-old tunnel.

So if you can continue to help us, July and August are the months that we struggle for all the reasons I have said last week, they are the two key months for harvest and it is so important that we have homes for all the lovely veg we and the other Irish organic growers we buy from have in abundance at this time of the year.

So, thank you again, thank you from everybody here, you have made a massive difference, and as always, we would not be able to do what we do without your support.

Kenneth

Raspberry Chia Pudding

by Nessa Robins

This raspberry chia pudding feels like you’re having a dessert for breakfast, as it’s so deliciously creamy and luscious. However, this pudding is packed with nutrients. Raspberries are now in season and they’re a fantastic source of fibre and vitamin C, while being rich in antioxidants. Chia seeds are a powerful source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are especially beneficial for our heart health, making them a great addition to our daily diet. While yogurt and milk provide us with protein and bone-supporting calcium. For a little crunch, some granola or chopped nuts would also make for a delicious and nutritious topping.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Raspberry Chia Pudding

Ingredients

Serves 3

For the pudding layer

For the pink yogurt layer

  • 75g vanilla yogurt
  • 50g raspberries
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

To serve and to layer

  • 100g vanilla yogurt 
  • Handful raspberries 

Method

  1. To make the pudding, add the milk, raspberries, yogurt, and maple to a blender. Blitz until smooth and transfer to a large bowl. Stir though the chia seeds. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 hours.
  2. To make the pink yogurt layer, add the yogurt, raspberries, and maple to a blender and blitz until smooth.
  3. To assemble, layer the pudding with the pink yogurt, and some plain yogurt and raspberries, between three bowls or containers. Top with another spoonful of yogurt and raspberries. Enjoy straightaway or cover and refrigerate to enjoy within 3 days.

Summer pasta salad

by Nessa Robins

This summer pasta salad contains ten different plants, which are bursting with nutrients and flavours, and when served this way they mingle so deliciously together. Kale, carrots, onions, garlic, and cucumbers are now in season in Ireland, so it’s a great time to make this salad. The dressing coats everything so perfectly. It’s creamy but also plant based. I’ve topped the finished dish with sesame seeds, but a scattering of fresh herbs would also be delicious and would add even more plants to this scrumptious salad.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Summer pasta salad

Ingredients

  • 150g dried pasta
  • 50g cashew nuts
  • 100g kale, stalks removed and roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • ½ red onion, finely diced
  • ½ cucumber, finely diced
  • 25 g sesame seeds

Dressing

  • 100g cashew nuts
  • 50g grilled peppers, from a jar
  • 25ml recently boiled water
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lime
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1tsp maple syrup
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Drain, hold the colander under a running cold tap for a minute to cool the pasta quickly and stop it from clumping. Leave to drain fully. 
  2. Add 50g of cashew nuts to a hot pan and toast for a couple of minutes. Remove and roughly chop. 
  3. To make the dressing, add the 100g of cashew nuts into a heat-proof bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes. Drain and add to a food processor with the rest of the ingredients for the dressing, and season with salt and pepper. Blitz for a minute or two until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
  4. To a large bowl, add the cold pasta and cashews, kale, carrots, red pepper, onion, and cucumber.  Pour over the dressing and combine well. Top with sesame seeds, cover and refrigerate until needed. This salad will keep well for about three days in a sealed container in the fridge. 

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.

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.