What is the most valuable item you will ever purchase?

by Kenneth Keavey

My feeling when it comes to pesticide residues in our food is that the only safe limit is a zero limit. If I were to tell you that 50% of the food you eat contains pesticide residues, how would you feel?

My Grandad farmed on this piece of land that we now farm organically. He had a mixed family farm and grew much of his own food as did many in the locality back then. This food was more nutritious, it tasted better, it was fresher than food today, it was free from chemicals, and it was local and seasonal.

Today our food system is a complex web of producers, processors and logistics.  When we walk into a supermarket, we don’t have time to think too much about where our food comes from our how it was produced, the shiny plastic packs of produce give us the impression that our food system is limitless, vibrant and fair. Indeed, this very supermarket system and the global food corporations that supply it have disconnected us from our food and have been complicit in devaluing our most valuable commodity:  food.

Since my grandad’s time in the early 1950’s agriculture and food have changed unrecognisably. It has undergone a green revolution. Ironically this “green revolution” has left our current food system broken. GMOs, giant monocultures, pesticides, herbicides, artificial fertilisers and factory farms dominate our global food supply system, all hidden behind those shiny plastic packs on the supermarket shelves.

The term “green revolution” was always something that struck me as a bit odd, especially when you consider what green means today, this was a revolution that switched our agricultural system from a natural approach to a chemistry centred approach.

I am an organic farmer, but I wasn’t always. In fact, and again ironically, I was an organic chemist, I have a Ph. D in chemistry from Cambridge University. I spent nearly 15 years working with chemicals, pharmaceuticals and in the biotech industry, so I know a thing or two about chemicals.

Today chemicals are used to force nature to behave in the way they want, they have tried to impose factory type controls onto the natural environment that we rely on for our food.  But nature is not a factory, and the same rules do not apply, you cannot indiscriminately apply chemicals to our food and not expect a fall out. 

A report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that nearly half the food they tested from almost 81,000 food samples had pesticides in them. Strawberries and lettuce are the most likely to exceed safe limits, the agency found. They are especially sensitive to fungus and bugs and so undergo considerable spraying with pesticides.

More than one in four (27.3%) of the food samples contained traces of more than one pesticide. 

The food we put into our bodies is one of the most valuable investments we can ever make. The simple fact is you can taste value, and if you have ever tasted a freshly harvested tomato, warm from the vine, free from chemicals, full of life and nutrition, then you will know what I am talking about here, that is real value. I think my grandad instinctively knew that, but then again that was all there was back then.

Here is to the best value food in the world.

As always thank you for your support.

Kenneth

Link to report below.

A new report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has found that more than 97% of foods contain pesticide residue levels that fall within legal limits. Strawberries are the most likely to exceed safe limits, the agency found.

About 55% of the samples evaluated by EFSA were free of detectable traces of these chemicals, the agency said.

This means nearly half of food products in Europe contain residues of pesticides.

The highest rate of exceeding safety limits was for strawberries (2.5% of the sample), followed by lettuce (2.3%). They are especially sensitive to fungus and bugs and so undergo considerable spraying with pesticides.

‘Cocktail’ effects

More than one in four (27.3%) of the food samples contained traces of more than one pesticide. 

Crispy Garlic Mushrooms

by Nessa Robins

The late spring, early summer season brings with it the return of many Irish-grown vegetables. Irish mushrooms are a constant as they thrive in darkened conditions allowing them to grow year-round, but luscious salad leaves and herbs are always encouraged by the better weather. I’d happily serve a plain green salad alongside any meal, but when a little light balance is required on a plateful of indulgent bites Irish salad leaves, simply dressed with some lemon and olive oil, are always well placed. 

These crispy garlic mushrooms make for a gorgeous starter or light supper. They can be prepared early in the day, and stored in the fridge, until ready to bake. I like to use the flatter, portobello mushrooms, but chestnut mushrooms can be used either in their place. To serve, I’ve mixed together some mayonnaise with a crushed garlic clove, a little lemon juice, black pepper and freshly chopped chives, as a flavoursome accompaniment. 

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Crispy Garlic Mushrooms

Ingredients

Topping

  • 50g butter
  • 75g breadcrumbs
  • 1tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

To serve

  • Fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • Salad leaves
  • Garlic mayonnaise

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/gas mark 6.
  2. Place the prepared mushrooms into a high-sided baking tray.
  3. In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, garlic, parsley, and a few grinds of black pepper. Top each mushroom with a spoonful of the mixture.
  4. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir through the breadcrumbs and parsley and divide between the cream cheese topped mushrooms.
  5. Place in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. 
  6. Once the cheese is beginning to ooze and the top is nicely toasted, serve with a side of salad leaves and a few dollops of garlic mayonnaise. 

Carrot Cake with a Yogurt Frosting

by Nessa Robins

Carrot cake is such a classic dessert, making it an instant crowd-pleaser at any get-together. Even though this carrot cake looks incredibly indulgent it’s rather light. Due to the wet ingredients in the batter, it’s also deliciously moist. I’m using a good-quality Irish yogurt, combined with icing sugar and vanilla extract as the creamy topping, before adding a good sprinkling of chopped pecans for that extra crunch. I’m using a 28 x 18cm brownie tin for the timings below. If using smaller or larger tins, adjust the baking time accordingly.

Wishing you a very Happy Easter.

Nessa x

Carrot Cake with a Yogurt Frosting

For the cake

  • 250g wholemeal fine ground flour
  • 250g light muscovado sugar
  • 2tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 250g grated carrot
  • 3 medium-sized free-range eggs
  • 200ml sunflower oil
  • 50g natural yogurt

For Icing

Topping

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C/gas mark 6. Line a 28 x 18cm tin with greaseproof paper.
  2. Sieve the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder into a large bowl.
  3. Add the carrots and stir well with a wooden spoon, until thoroughly combined with the dry ingredients.
  4. Add the eggs with the oil, and yogurt. Stir well until all the ingredients are well combined.
  5. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a spoon.
  6. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until it is risen and golden. To test if the cake is cooked insert a metal skewer into the cake, and if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
  7. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire tray.
  8. While the cake is baking, or cooling make the topping by combining the yogurt with the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Place in the fridge to firm up slightly, or until needed.  
  9. When the cake has completely cooled, place on a serving plate and cover with the icing and sprinkle over the chopped pecans. 
  10. Store in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. Take it out of the fridge and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. 

where have all the insects gone?

by Kenneth Keavey

The next time you drive down the motorway, check your windscreen, it will be devoid of insect splatter, only 20-30 short years ago that used to be a completely different story. Here is something different to think about when we think about the disappearing insects, of course the insecticides are destroying whole ecosystems, but what about herbicides?

The dandelions are up in force. But consider this, next time you see a field of grass that is generally being grown to be fed to dairy cows, see how many dandelions you see, or in fact see how much of anything other than grass you see. I think you will find that there is very little. Grassland is produced to be a giant monoculture, and it is considered best practice to remove all diversity from these fields, to feed Ireland’s massive dairy industry.

But it didn’t always used to be like this, dairy cows in a not-too-distant past fed on mixed pasture. The irony of course is that a diverse array of plants access different levels of the soil and so bring up different nutrients and give a more balanced diet to the animals, providing a virtual plant salad bar for animals and supported a whole ecosystem, one a ryegrass-dominated monoculture never will.

The diversity today is removed by spraying herbicides, a typical spraying regime for grassland will involve an array of different chemicals. One that is actively used right here in Ireland goes by the tradename “Thurst” and it contains: 2,4-D + Dicamba. You may have heard of herbicides like 2,4-D before, it is one of the most common chemical weedkillers used in conventional farming. It’s designed to kill broadleaf weeds like dandelions without harming the grass. While it works effectively, it comes with a history and environmental impact that we’re not comfortable with.

👉 Did you know? 2,4-D was one of the ingredients in Agent Orange, the defoliant used in the Vietnam War. While modern formulations don’t contain the toxic contaminants that caused so much harm back then, 2,4-D is still a synthetic chemical. It can linger in soil and waterways, and it’s been classified as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by the World Health Organization.

This is just one of a handful of chemicals that are used to keep grasslands, green, full of grass, and absent of biodiversity. Giant monocultures whether they be GM soya crops grown in the US or giant fields of grass grown in Ireland are food deserts for insects, there is nothing for them there, no weeds, no flowers, no food. The chemicals themselves that act on the plants are removing a crucial piece of our ecosystem that has a knock-on effect all the way up the food chain. We hear a lot about bees, and bee populations have been devastated over the last 20 years, but the bees are a bell weather for the insect population as a whole. If insects and bees go, well then the omen is not too good for us humans.

But there is hope, farmers more and more are incorporating clover into their grass swards and there is increasing demand for organic food which protects not only our health but biodiversity too. Our food choices matter, keeping chemicals out of our food matters, and they make a huge difference, they send a powerful message and can effect real change.

As always thank you for supporting our farm and business.

Kenneth

p.s We would ask you to support us over Easter week if you can. Thank you to everybody who did this week it made a real difference. And we hope if you ordered bread that you enjoyed the amazing Carraig Rua breads that we will have every week from now on!

Easter Banoffee Pie

by Nessa Robins

A crispy biscuit base, topped with caramel, sliced banana, softly whipped cream, plus a few little chocolate eggs, makes this Banoffee Pie a deliciously indulgent dessert to serve this Easter. 

To aid with the setting of the biscuit base, I like to bake it for just a few minutes. The dairy-free caramel is thick and creamy, and few ingredients are needed, but it is essential to blitz well for a few minutes to achieve that smooth consistency. While the topping of white billows of softly whipped cream looks so impressive, a light dusting of cocoa powder and a few Easter treats makes this the perfect pie to enjoy over the Easter holidays.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Easter Banoffee Pie

Ingredients

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the base

  • 250g digestives
  • 100g butter, dairy or plant-based

For the caramel

  • 200g pitted dates
  • 125ml coconut milk
  • 2tbsp recently boiled water
  • 2tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch sea salt

  • 2 bananas, peeled and sliced 
  • 250ml cream, softly whipped, dairy or plant-based

For the topping

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/ fan 170°C /Gas Mark 5.
  2. Using a food processor, blitz the digestives until fine. Stir through the melted butter until well combined. Tip into a well-greased 23cm loose bottomed tart tin, and cover the base and sides with an even layer, pressing into place with the back of a spoon. Place in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.
  3. While the base is in the oven, make the caramel by adding the caramel ingredients to a high-powered blender and blitz until completely smooth, which will take a few minutes.
  4. Once the base is taken from the oven, evenly spread the caramel over the base and leave to completely cold and set before moving on to the next step.
  5. To assemble, top the cooled caramel with the sliced banana, then evenly add dollops of the cream, before dusting with a little cocoa powder and adding a few little chocolate eggs. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. This pie is best eaten on the day it is made.

loving the fine weather, what an amazing start to the season

by Kenneth Keavey

The fine weather is a welcome blessing, and we are getting loads done of the farm, including, planting lettuce, spinach, rocket and beetroot. We have all our fields ready for planting now and have been working really hard to make the best use of the sunshine.

The downside of both the good weather and Easter is we will see a large drop off on orders, this affects us very much as nothing much changes for us from the cost side. So, if you can at all especially as we head into Easter, don’t forget about your sustainable food 😊 place an order if you can as it makes a massive difference to our small sustainable organic farm and business.

Monsanto spent millions on deceptive communications strategies to convince the public that the world’s most widely used herbicide, Roundup, is “as safe as table salt.” Yet its main ingredient, glyphosate, was flagged as having the potential to cause cancer as far back as 1984 by a scientist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

We deserve to know what is on our food. I don’t care that limits are set that are supposed to protect us, these are called MRLs (maximum residue limits). Bear in mind that these limits as with Glyphosate can change over time to allow for more of a chemical to be applied.

In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had established the maximum residue limit (MRL), or tolerance, for glyphosate residues in or on soybeans at 6 parts per million (ppm). During the late 1990s, Monsanto lobbied to raise permitted glyphosate levels in soybeans, successfully convincing both the U.S. and UK governments to increase the MRL to 20 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), equivalent to 20 ppm. So 6mg/kg was the safe limit we could not exceed in the early 90s, but as the application of the chemical increased the limit was increased nearly 4-fold, and this new level was now the “safe” limit. Of course, this increased limit meant more of the chemical could be sprayed on the crops.

Glyphosate has increased exponentially since the early 90s and it is toxic, does damage our microbiome, and facilitates the production of masses of ultra processed food. The incidence of which would also have rocketed from the 1990s onwards.

But if nothing else, spraying a chemical that kills everything in its path, destroys biodiversity, damages our microbiome, and facilitates large corporations to make billions, whilst contributing to disease in the world, surely that must stop?

As always thanks for your support.

Kenneth

Is there a link between gluten intolerance and glyphosate?

by Kenneth Keavey

It has been a bright few days and we are thankful for that.  We have ploughed the land and done our first pass tilling. We have our tunnels ready and, in a week, or so we will be filling them with the first amazing crops of spring, the season is in full flow now.

I saw my first bumble bee, or bee of any kind today, and this morning the buzzards that live in the local forest were being chased away from our fresh ploughing by some agitated seagulls.

The first buds on the hawthorn are opening up and are soon to be bursting into life. The first dandelions and daisies have miraculously appeared, and it is hard to know from one day to the next where they came from, they just suddenly appear.

This is nature, and it has its own ebb and flow and intelligence.

Then we come along with our harsh chemicals and try to exert control and power over these natural processes. Chemistry has its place but in the fields with our food and biodiversity is certainly not the place.

I certainly could not fill a tractor sprayer and go out into the fields and unleash these harsh chemicals. Roundup or glyphosate is still the first step for clearing fields, the extension of it’s licence in 2023 by the EU for a further 10 years was a lost opportunity, the reality is if that licence had been rescinded, by now farmers would have adapted to this new landscape and found alternative methods.

In the UK they have seen the first weed resistant to glyphosate and it is only a matter of time before nature adjusts and changes as it always does to render this chemical useless.

It may be a little more than a coincidence, but there have been some correlations drawn between the increased Glyphosate application: it has gone up by 1400% since the early 1990s, and last year alone $10.5 billion was sold and sprayed on our planet and the incidence of chronic disease.   

The above graph shows the correlation between increased glyphosate application and increased incidence of coeliac disease. I am sure there is other factors at play here too, but at the same time this patented antibiotic is in our food and does disrupt our intestinal microbiome, so for sure it certainly is not doing us any good and should be avoided if possible.

The best way to avoid this probably carcinogen chemical, is to choose organic where possible.

There certainly will never be synthetic chemicals like this used on our farm or on any of the organic food we grow or supply. It’s back to the fields now, and the ploughing, tilling and planting!

as always thank you for your support.

Kenneth

1 of 60 growers

by Kenneth Keavey

As organic vegetable growers we are lucky in some respects, after 19 years we are still growing. So many stop or have no choice but to get out of the industry. I was advised once that you can’t make any money from growing vegetables commercially, and it is certainly challenging and has been more so over the last ten years than ever before.

But this seems wrong to me. We never started for the money, nut any business needs to be profitable to survive, to reinvest in the business in the people in the land and more Over the last number of years, we find ourselves subsidising our farm from our business. We are lucky we sell directly to you our customers that allows us some reprieve and a bit of flexibility. Something you would never get with supermarkets.

But there may be change afoot. And two amazing things struck me this week.

1. Finally, I think, supermarkets are starting to realise at least in a small way that they need growers. You would have thought that this realisation would not be a new Eureka moment! When was it ever otherwise? Where do you think the food will comes from when/if we all stop growing? After 3 decades of playing one grower against another and effectively dismantling any resilience in the vegetable growing sector in Ireland, the penny is starting to drop that the situation is perilous.

But all of the talk in the world is pointless without supporting the talk with clear action and fair prices. Farmers don’t want to have to rely on grant aid to survive, who wants that? Imagine a food system where farmers don’t have to rely on grant aid, where fresh food is celebrated for the amazing nutrition it supplies, and as a fulcrum for protecting and enhancing biodiversity. Isn’t that the way it should be? What could be more important that having a vibrant resilient food system? Or to put it another way, what happens when our food system collapses, and we have empty supermarket shelves? What then?

Cheap imports that are becoming less cheap and scarcer, are reliant on a labour system that is not transparent and is less than fair. Exploitation of vulnerable workers is rife and underpins much of the cheap produce on supermarket shelves. That and a reliance on pesticide applications which damage our health and biodiversity.

2. The other amazing thing that is happening is young people are really fired up about growing food and in particular growing vegetables sustainably. These are the next generation of growers who want to protect biodiversity and stop using chemicals and grow food locally. Isn’t that amazing and wonderful and don’t people who want to do this deserve to get paid fairly for their efforts? They only can if the price of food increase.Just recently we have had several applications for the amazing OGI internship on our farm we hope to decide on a candidate next week.

So maybe there is a chance to reverse erosion of our vegetable growing industry and the fact that there are only 60 commercial vegetable growers left in the country, and we are one of them.

All of this has left me feeling hopeful for this season ahead, more than I have been in a while. So now we need to get muck on our boots and get on with the growing season and that we will do with your support, as always, thank you.

Kenneth

Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad

by Nessa Robins

There are so many studies confirming the positive effect eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables can have for our health. Whether we’re concerned with issues regarding our gut or even if we’re trying to ward off illnesses, how we fuel our bodies will always be something important we need to consider. 

This Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad is a delicious way to serve a variety of plants in one serving. I prefer to eat this dish warm, but it also serves well cold, making it a nutritious lunch to make-ahead of time. 

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Butternut Squash & Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and diced into bitesize pieces
  • 1 tin chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
  • 2tbsp olive oil
  • 1tsp smoked paprika
  • 1tsp ground cumin
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 100g quinoa
  • 300ml vegetable stock
  • 200g broccoli, cut into florets
  • 100g rocket and/or spinach

For the dressing

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

To serve

  • 1tbsp sesame seeds
  • Coriander leaves

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C /Gas Mark 6.

2. Place the butternut squash and chickpeas into a large roasting tray. Drizzle over the olive oil, and add the smoked paprika, cumin and a little salt and pepper. Cook in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, stirring regularly as they cook. 

3. Prepare the quinoa according to the pack’s instructions, by adding the hot stock and quinoa to a small saucepan, cover with a lid and place on a low heat for about 20 minutes. 

4. In the meantime, lightly steam the broccoli for 2- 3 minutes, and set to one side.

5. Make the dressing by adding the dressing ingredients to a mini chopper and blitzing gently for a few seconds to combine.

6. To serve, place a layer of rocket and spinach on a large platter, or divide between four bowls, top with the cooked quinoa, the roasted squash and chickpeas, and the steamed broccoli. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and some coriander leaves. Drizzle over the peanut dressing and enjoy!

Christmas Trifle

by Nessa Robins

A big bowlful of trifle has always been synonymise with Christmas. It looks so impressive, yet isn’t time-consuming to make. The spiced berry chia jam is filled with festive flavours, and can be prepared with fresh or frozen berries – if you happen to have a stash saved in the freezer. The base and custard layer of this trifle can be prepared and assembled the day before it’s needed, so on the big day it will only take minutes to add the cream and a few toppings. If you haven’t a large trifle bowl to hand, the mixture can easily be divided into individual serving bowls, or even glasses.

Enjoy!

Happy Christmas. 

Nessa x

Christmas Trifle

Ingredients

Serves 8

Spiced Berry Chia Jam

  • 500g raspberries & strawberries, fresh or frozen
  • 2tbsp water
  • 2tbsp honey
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of nutmeg
  • 2tbsp chia seeds
  • Zest of 1 orange 

Trifle Layers

  • 350g Madeira cake, homemade or shop-bought, thinly sliced
  • 250g fresh raspberries & strawberries, sliced or cut in half
  • 500ml good quality vanilla custard
  • 500ml cream, lightly whipped

Toppings

  • 50g hazelnuts, chopped
  • Zest of ½ orange 

Method

  1. To prepare the chia jam, place the berries, water, honey, cinnamon and nutmeg into a medium-sized saucepan, and place over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, mashing the fruit intermittently. Remove from the heat and stir through the chia seeds and orange zest. Allow to cool fully before making the trifle.
  2. To assemble the trifle, place a layer of the cooled chia jam on the base of the trifle bowl. Top with the thin slices of Madeira cake. Add some more of the jam and continue layering the cake and berries until all have been used up. 
  3. Top with a layer of fresh berries, before adding an even layer of custard, if not serving immediately the trifle can now be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
  4. Before serving, add the layer of whipped cream and sprinkle the hazelnuts and orange zest around the edges. Serve and enjoy!