After many weeks of planning, we are finally ready to start

by Kenneth Keavey

Rumi said, “As you start to walk on the way, the way appears” Clarity doesn’t come before action, it comes from action. After many weeks of planning, we are finally ready to start.

This business that we find ourselves in, seems to always be grinding away at one’s soul, it is hard.

Growing vegetables commercially is hard, growing vegetables without chemicals is harder, and selling produce as a small business might even be harder still. But at other times like the week just gone when the sun shines and the birds sing and the bees finally wake up from their winter slumber, it gives back.

Sometimes it is hard to get perspective especially when you are in the thick of things and we all make mistakes. Anyway, amidst the usual weekly turmoil something stuck me, you can’t do it on your own, life, business, relationships, you need help and support.

I am grateful for the team of individuals (and this includes you our customers) that have chosen to pitch in with us, without them it would be a very different affair, but because of them and their dedication we have an amazing, vibrant, sustainable business.

Collaboration is key, it has always been something we have stuck by, and I am not saying I or we are perfect, far from it, and there is plenty of times when stress or general goings on means we miss the boat, we say or do things which would have been better not said or not done. But fair collaboration is what in an ideal world we strive for, whether that be with our customers or suppliers or anybody who touches on our business, collaboration I’d go so far as to say it is the only way.

During the past number of months, I have had the fortunate experience to begin a conversation with Liam Gavin from Drumanilra farm, he also runs Carraig Rua bakery. The aim of our conversations was to get the best most amazing, sustainable, organic, slow fermented over 48 hours bread to you, our customers. There has been much back and forth and trials and finally we have arrived at a place where we are happy and are ready to start.

It is something I have wanted to do for years, but getting fresh bread to you our customers in our business is difficult, but we think we have cracked the art of getting bakery fresh bread delivered to your home. The bread is par-baked and 15 minutes in your oven will finish the bread and give you the most amazing experience of fresh bread right in your own home.

There are all the other amazing bits, it is baked by an expert baker Michael, in Carrick on Shannon, by Liam’s ethical organic business, and it uses only certified organic flour. It has, as bread should have only 4 ingredients and critically the wheat has obviously been grown without pesticides or herbicides and especially without glyphosate.

Our aim has always been to partner and support other small amazing Irish organic farms and businesses, and I think with Carraig Rua we have definitely done that.

As always thanks for your support and joining us in creating a new better sustainable food system.

Kenneth

Slow Cooker – 3 Bean Chilli

by Lou Robbie

This chilli is like a big hug…it’s warm and spicy and tingly, filling and comforting. Most of the ingredients came off the shelf of the Green Earth Organic store room. Tins of beans and tomatoes, spices and brown rice that comes in compostable packaging and some Galway grown squash and onions, to make it an organic bowl of tastiness! 

Using a slow cooker is very convenient for time-poor/busy people. Stick it on in the morning and head out the door and when you get home in the evening dinner is ready! 

Slow cooking brings out the best in some foods. It allows the flavours to mingle for hours and to permeate the ingredients, like the beans in this recipe. Any extra chilli can be used in a burrito the next day or frozen for dinner next week. 

Lovely for the cooler weather.

Lou 🙂

**If you don’t have a slow cooker you can of course make this in a casserole pot on the hob or on the oven, cooking time approximately an hour on a medium heat on the hob or 180C in the oven.

Ingredients: Serves 6

Method:

This recipe is suitable for a 3.5 litre slow cooker.

To get more flavour from the base flavours, I recommend cooking the onions, garlic and spices on the hob first. 

  1. Finely dice the onions and chop the garlic. 
  2. Put a frying pan on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of oil and add the onions. 
  3. Cook gently to soften for 5-10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, paprika, coriander, cumin, chilli, brown sugar, salt and pepper and cook out on low for another 5 minutes. Take them off the heat when they are soft and cooked.
  4. While the onions are cooking prepare the butternut squash. You can peel it if you wish, but you can also cook the diced squash skin and all, it makes it quicker to prepare and more nutritious, especially because it’s organic.  It’s also less wasteful.
  5. Wash it and chop it into two. Scoop out the seeds. (You can roast the seeds in the oven with salt and pepper later)
  6. Take one half of the squash and slice and dice it small. 
  7. Open all the tins, the black, kidney, cannellini beans add them all together to a colander to drain and rinse under cold water. 
  8. Set up your slow cooker, add the cooked onions, the squash, all the beans, then add the chopped tomatoes, fill the tomato tins with water and add both to the pot. 
  9. Toss in the bay leaves, add another pinch of salt and pepper and pop the lid on. 
  10. Cook it on low for 8 hours. 
  11. Serving suggestion: Cook up some brown rice and serve with sour cream and fresh coriander.

Beetroot and Carrot Fritters w/ Roasted Chickpeas and Tahini Dressing

by Lou Robbie

Beetroots grow very happily in Irish soil. They are earthy and sweet and juicy and full of flavour. You can boil, steam or roast them to eat as a wholesome side veg, to make into a puree or beautiful pink hummus. I love to grate them to use raw in a salad or they go perfectly in these tasty fritters accompanied by the grated carrot.

You can whip these fritters up in about 20 minutes. I recommend using the fine side of your box grater, they cook quicker that way. Eat them solo or add some crunchy chickpeas, local leaves and a tahini dressing to make it a meal.

By seasoning with salt and pepper you get the real taste of the vegetables. When you use quality ingredients the natural flavours shine through.

I’ve made a tahini yoghurt dressing or try Liz’s Vegan Garlic Mayo.

Lou 🙂

For the fritters: (Makes 8-10 approx – serves 4 as a starter)

  • 2 raw beetroot, peeled
  • 2 raw carrots, peeled
  • 4 scallions (green onions), cleaned
  • Pinch salt
  • Pinch pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons self raising flour, more if needed. (Rice or gram flour work here too, just add ½ tsp of baking powder) 
  • Oil to fry

For the roasted chickpeas: 

For the tahini dressing: 

  • 1 cup of yoghurt (use dairy or non dairy alternative)
  • 2 tablespoons light tahini
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
  • 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

To serve: 

  • Green leaves, washed
  • Cucumber ribbons (made using a vegetable peeler)

For the chickpeas:

  1. Preheat the oven 180℃.
  2. Open the can of chickpea and drain really well. Tip: You can reserve the aqua faba (chickpea juice) to make a sweet dessert like pavlova.
  3. Pour the chickpeas onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Using kitchen paper dry the chickpeas really well. 
  4. Make up the spice mix by adding the paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to a small bowl. Mix with a spoon. Then sprinkle over the chickpeas. You can add more salt later if needed. 
  5. Drizzle with oil and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Check and shake the tray every 10 minutes. 
  6. The chickpeas will be crunchy when you’ve roasted them. They are best eaten on the day they are roasted but if using the next day pop in the oven again for 10 minutes so they are warm and crunchy. Keep them in an air tight jar in your cupboard. 

For the fritters: 

  1. Begin by peeling and grating the beetroot and carrot, use the fine side of the box grater. Tip: Hold the raw beetroot with kitchen paper so your hands don’t turn pink. Add to a mixing bowl. 
  2. Finely chop the scallions and add this to the bowl. Crack in the egg, add salt and pepper, sprinkle in the flour. Fold all the ingredients together.
  3. Warm a non stick frying pan on a medium heat, lightly oil. Add a spoon of the beetroot mix and flatten with the back of the spoon, cook 3 fritters at a time. Fry for a couple of minutes and flip and cook for a few minutes more. Remove with a spatula onto a plate lined with kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the mix. 

For the tahini dressing: 

  1. Simply add the yoghurt, tahini, lemon zest and juice, maple syrup or honey, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well with a spoon. 

To serve: 

Add some washed green leaves to a serving bowl, add 2-3 fritters per portion. Scatter on the chickpeas, dollop over the tahini dressing, peel some cucumber ribbons and bundle on tip and add a swirl of olive oil.