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.
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.
Add 50g of cashew nuts to a hot pan and toast for a couple of minutes. Remove and roughly chop.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C /Gas Mark 6. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.
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.
Cover the parchment paper lined tray with an even layer of the nutritional yeast.
Place the sweet potatoes, cut side down on the tray. Carefully drizzle over the remaining oil mixture from the bowl over each potato.
Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise with the garlic and chives. Refrigerate until needed.
Once the potatoes are cooked, serve straight away, with an extra scattering of chopped chives and the garlicy dip on the side. Enjoy!
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.
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.
Take the puff pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before using. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.
Add the mushrooms, red onion, and garlic to a processor and blitz until fine.
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.
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.
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.
Fold over the pastry to cover the mixture and press down the sides using a fork. Repeat for the other two strips of pastry.
Using a sharp knife, cut each strip into five and place on a greaseproof paper-lined baking tray.
Whisk the egg gently and brush over the top of the rolls before sprinkling over the sesame seeds.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cook for 8-10 minutes, until almost set, then place under the grill for a couple of minutes until bubbling.
Garnish with some chopped chives and chive flowers, if you have them to hand, and serve with a green salad.
When you have good quality, fresh ingredients to hand, a recipe never needs to be overly complicated. A simple toastie with a plain green salad is instantly elevated by the quality of ingredients used. To start with, real bread, fresh and thickly cut. A good-quality Irish cheese, and while we wait for Irish tomatoes to return into season, some flavoursome sun-dried tomatoes can be used in their place. Plus a drizzle of a nice extra virgin olive oil is all that is needed for this sandwich to taste delicious. Irish, organic lettuce benefits from the quality of soil it is grown in, and this shines through in its flavour. A simple dressing with the addition of some nuts for extra flavour and a little crunch serves perfectly alongside the toastie.
When preparing a green salad in advance after washing the lettuce leaves it’s important to fully dry them. The best way to do this is with a salad spinner. Then add the dried leaves to a large salad bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or kitchen paper, and refrigerate until ready to use. To avoid the salad becoming soggy, only add a small amount of the dressing and toss through the leaves just before serving.
Wash the salad leaves and dry well using a salad spinner. If the leaves are large, tear into smaller pieces. Add the dried leaves to a large bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or kitchen paper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
In a small bowl, combine the dressing ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Drizzle one side of each slice of bread with a little olive oil. Take one slice, olive oil side down, and layer on the cheese and tomato, and top with the other slice of bread, olive oil side up.
Place the pan over a medium heat on a hob and add the toastie. Press down gently using a clean saucepan lid. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side. Once the toastie is golden and crisp, and the cheese has melted, take from the pan, and cut in half.
Enjoy straight away alongside the green salad, drizzled with the nutty dressing.
Fibre-rich plants foods, such as fresh fruit and vegetables, seeds, nuts, beans, peas, and lentils are all packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. Eating sufficient portions of these as part of our everyday diet will encourage a healthier digestive system. These nut clusters make for a tasty treat while still providing us with essential nutrients.
I’ve used a bag of mixed nuts, but any combination of plain, raw nuts can be used, and any chocolate of choice too; dark, milk, white, or plant based. They keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days; perfect to make today and enjoy as an afternoon pick-me-up for the week.
Preheat the oven to 190°C / fan 170°C / Gas Mark 5. Place the nuts on a baking tray and into the oven for about 7 minutes.
Take from the oven and once cool enough to touch, roughly chop the nuts and place in a bowl. Add the honey and sea salt. Stir well to combine.
Divide the mixture between a 12-case silicone bun case, or into a regular 12-case bun tray lined with bun cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Allow to cool and set fully before removing from the tray.
Once the clusters are cold, remove from the tray and dunk in the melted chocolate. Sprinkle over a little sea salt and leave to set before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
Summer salads have been catapulted back to the dinner table and I for one am glad they are here to stay, especially as the stunning sunshine we have been enjoying is set to remain in Ireland for the foreseeable. This salad is high in fibre and rich in protein. It’s packed with vibrant vegetables, and the creamy, zesty dressing brings everything together so perfectly. Serve it alongside any barbecue dishes, or simply with a nice bread, crackers, or tortilla chips. It’s best eaten on the day it is made but will store well for up to three days in a sealed container in the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C /Gas Mark 7, or if using an airfryer set to 200°C.
Add the chickpeas to a bowl with the olive oil, maple, paprika and a little salt and pepper. Combine well and place on a baking tray and into the preheated oven for 20-22minutes, giving the tray a shake every so often. Leave to cool fully before adding to the other salad ingredients.
Add the finely prepared vegetables to a large bowl with the cold chickpeas.
Make the creamy dressing by adding the dressing ingredients to a mini chopper and blitzing gently for a few seconds to combine.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and chickpeas. Stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Enjoy!
