Supporting our local farmers and growers Now, more than ever, we need to start showing support to our local growers and farmers. The unprecedented onslaught of Coronavirus, covid19, has upset the equilibrium of normal life, the world over. Forced to distance ourselves from others and to avoid large gatherings, shopping trips prove tricky and somewhat…
Regenerative & Cooperative Approaches to Food Last weekend, I travelled to Cloughjordan Ecovillage to partake in the Feeding Ourselves conference. The annual gathering, now in its eighth year, centers around exploring solutions to support sustainable local food systems. Themes scheduled for this years meet-up included collaborative distribution, policy matters and food sovereignty. Facilitated by Davie…
Spring Equinox takes place on March 20th : the tipping point toward longer days and shorter nights. The growing season is now well and truly upon us. Check out all the vegetable growers on our directory to see who is growing what in your area. We only list growers that comply with the Simple Food…
From veg growing workshops to a new food hall, find out what some of our members are up to The Veg Patch – now offering one day courses on how to grow your own vegetables Meet veteran veg growers Merv and Michelle “We’ve been growing our own vegetables for over forty years. More recently we…
Well that’s January done and dusted. Slowly the new year is unfurling. Mornings are brighter, birds are chirpier. There’s a positive stir in the air. Despite the lack of growth in the last few weeks there are still local vegetables to be had this month. Below is a list of what you might expect to…
Kohlwha? I know. ‘Tis far from fancypants veggies like these we were reared. Not very popular, this much neglected veg is more at home in Germanic kitchens. Physically resembling the unplanned love child of a small turnip and a beetroot, Kohlrabi has a mild cabbagy taste with a fresh crunchy texture not unlike a radish. So despite…
Give the gift of local food this Christmas 2019 We all push the boat out this time of year. We want to treat our families to a sumptuous, no holds barred Christmas dinner. When stocking up on goodies for your festive feast, spare a thought for local food producers. The best way to evoke the…
With daylight is at its most scanty this month the impending festive season helps to raise our spirits. Folk are increasingly aware of the senseless waste and plastic contamination that we create on a daily basis, so hopefully this Christmas time will see a more modest rein on proceedings. After all, we don’t really need…
Time to reach for the woolly hat and gloves as temperatures begin to plunge. That icy crispness tells us that winter is on the horizon. Despite dropping temperatures and shorter daylight hours there is a surprising variety of local produce to be had when stocking up on seasonal fruit and vegetables. Here is a selection…
There are a lot of fabulous foodie activities going down this October. We have rounded up a few events happening all around the country in the next few weeks. Whether it be a spooky Halloween fest for the kids, a day spent foraging for seaweed or a gourmet night out, you are sure to find…
Equinox has been and gone. As we tumble towards winter a definite chill has crept into the evenings. The threat of Storm Lorenzo lies ahead of us this week. Let’s hope the gales are not too damaging when he rampages across Ireland in a few days time. One thing is for sure, very few apples…
Why we need to save our Irish seeds The Irish Seed Savers Association was founded in 1991 by Anita Hayes to preserve the seeds of rare heritage agricultural plants. In 2014 when the Department of Agriculture drastically reduced funding, their vital work was left hanging by a thread. With the help of a crowd funding…
So many apples. A mountain of tomatoes and a daily collection of raspberries. Despite not planting too many vegetables this year the garden is treating us to a bountiful harvest. There’s a lot to be said for perennial food plants. If you miss your sowing and planting slots in spring then the opportunity for a…
Whether it’s an informative seminar, a growing workshop, a foraging event or a food tour there is a bounty of fabulous foodie events on offer this September. We have gathered a small selection here, starting with a few of the food festivals taking place in the next 4 weeks. Browse through our list to find…
This is peak food production time and some producers may have more produce than they anticipated. So if your local producer offers you a larger than normal share of courgettes, tomatoes, blackcurrants, etc.. don’t hold back! Preserve what you can for the leaner months ahead. Ferment, freeze, dehydrate, jam or pickle. Whatever method takes your…
On May 24th we featured on The Kitchen Show, a Friday afternoon CRKC radio show hosted by seasoned presenter Francis Nesbitt. A computer scientist & web developer by training, Francis is a smallholder, gardener, cook, brewer and beekeeper by passion.Listen to the show podcast here – YLFN is the first guest on, but do listen to…
Strawberries are in full swing! It’s mid way through the year and there is so much to choose from when shopping for local, fresh fruit and veggies. See our helpful, but by no means definitive, list below. We do hope you will find it useful. There’s no missing the roadside vendors of new potatoes and…
Festivals to look out for during June : Bloom 30 May to 3 June 2019 / The Phoenix Park, Dublin / www.bloominthepark.com The last days of May see the return of the hugely popular Bloom in the park. Bloom was launched by Bord Bia in 2007 to promote horticulture and all things garden related. The event has since…
Celebrating local Irish food : West Waterford Festival of Food takes place at the end of April and kicks off the start of the food festival extravaganza in Ireland. The growing season is well underway, the days are long and pleasant – it’s the perfect time to mingle with friends and neighbours to celebrate local,…
Recipe by Fiona Staunton : Fiona Staunton is a Ballymaloe-trained chef and Home Economics teacher. Her aim is to get the nation cooking from scratch and to ditch processed foods. Here she kindly shares with us, her radical radish recipe! I love eating local food in season. One food in season in April in Ireland is radishes. They…
The smallholder community : The smallholder community is a small one but an active one on social media. Similarly the farming one is as well. Both farming and smallholding can be quite solitary occupations and often you could spend a day without saying a word to another person. Chatting to pigs, although soul enhancing; doesn’t…
Asparagus time – Woohoo! : It’s not too easy to find Irish grown Asparagus, that may be down to the fact that it takes three years to mature. So if you can find a bunch of lovely fresh spears from a producer near you- snap them up! Check out all the vegetable growers on our directory…
Ballymaloe Cookery School and Organic Farm Last month Brigid and myself took a trip to Ballymaloe Cookery School and Organic Farm in Shanagarry, Co. Cork. Established in 1983 by Darina Allen with her brother Rory O’Connell, the school has since garnered international aclaim as a leading light in the world of culinary education. Darina is…
Prepping for Spring : Spring is well and truly here when the days begin to become equal in length to nights, and you begin to really notice how nature responds. All my blackcurrant bushes are almost coming into leaf. Mind you the poor things still have to find their final home but hope springs eternal.…
Pocáns & Piglets : It’s around this time of year when the days start to lengthen and the weather starts to get a bit milder that the blood of the smallholder starts stirrin’. A small niggling itch begins with you looking wistfully at the remains of where your tunnel was last year. The itch builds…
Foraging – get to know your wild alliums : I have the feeling spring is sprung. The birds are certainly in agreement. This morning, the air was electric with frenetic chirping and twittering as a gaggle of rooks waddled over our grass collecting nest-shaped twigs. So I wasn’t at all surprised to find tender shoots of…
Poultry – the gateway to smallholding : Most smallholders start off with poultry. I attribute my becoming a smallholder to my son who, when he was in primary school, nagged me to get some hens. There was a craze in the school with all the kids keeping and trading them. I was working full time…
Food for the Birds : It can be a tough time of year for birds when the flush of autumn berries has long gone and the cold can be biting. A well stocked bird feeder in the garden will be gratefully received. It’s important to look after our feathered friends. Not only do their singing and…
I’m a die-hard fan of the Social Fabric podcasts series having listened to several conversations with Irish illustrators and food activists. When the chance to be interviewed arose I was mega chuffed! I was invited to talk about setting up Your Local food Network. To explain what inspired me to do so and how I first became…
Life as a Smallholder What possesses anyone to become a smallholder and what is a smallholder? Why do you want to grow/rear/make your own food? How much land do you need? Is it difficult to look after pigs, poultry, goats, etc. What do you feed them? A few short years ago I couldn’t have answered…
Support local food this year : As the holiday season come to a close and we turn our attentions to the year ahead we want to take a moment to thank you — for following, liking, engaging with and supporting Your Local Food Network throughout 2018. It’s been an adventure – 2018. The weather threw…
Toasted Hazelnut & Cranberry Roulade : a Festive Recipe : Chef and Simple Food Pledge supporter Helen Costelloe uses only plant-used ingredients. Her restaurant the Cutting Vedge is the go-to spot in Kilkenny city for the best of vegan fare. With Christmas and the New Year only days away, Helen kindly shares with us a recipe with a…
In season : Swede, Turnip, Rutabaga : “Turnip Fluff” it read. An intruiging and somewhat unlikely pairing of words. On the prowl for a turnip inspired dish I stumbled this retro delight. When I say turnip I mean the large, yellow-fleshed root also known as Rutabaga. Commonly known as Swede here in Ireland where it…
Turkey Farming in Co. Wexford : For the season that’s in it, we turned the spotlight on our Simple food Pledge holder Michael Walsh from Broadfield farm. Following a degree in Land Management Michael now works on the family farm in Ferns, Co. Wexford. Having spotted the flaws of commercial farming early on, Michael has adopted…
World Soil Day – get the dirt! December 5th is World Soil Day. A day to promote talking, thinking and taking action towards improving the health of our soils. Let’s face it – soil is not a popular topic. It’s neither glamorous nor particularly pleasing to look at. It’s just dirt, right? But there is…
Official Launch : Tonight in T.Morris, Wexford, Your Local Food Network was officially launched. There were bubbles, banter, music and camaraderie, perfect ingredients for a great social gathering! In spite of the horrific weather a lively crowd turned out. The evening opened to the ambient sounds of talented local musicians Laura Hyland, Mike Rafferty and…
DIY Scrappy Apple Cider Vinegar : Apple cider vinegar is full of beneficial properties. Most significantly if it’s raw, organic, unpasteurised and unfiltered. Unfiltered means it is bottled with the “mother”- a cloudy residue that sits at the bottom of the bottle. Apple cider vinegar, or ACV as it’s commonly referred to, comes packed with…
Homemade rosehip and elderberry cold-bustin’ syrup : Daylight hours are diminishing fast and the garden is giving up the last of its bounty. As an Autumn head cold takes grip, the glossy elderberries and wild rose hips in the boundary hedge and plump, shiny rosa rugosa hips in the garden catch my attention. The time…
Organic Food Rebel, Rita Wild : Rita Wild stresses that she is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a capitalist. Shaped by several decades working in the community sector, Rita has long been an advocate for social change. Recognising economic viability, however, as a major key to sustainability has led Rita down a more…
Cloughjordan Ecovillage Visit Several years ago I took a trip to Cloughjordan. Sunday morning – a bus full of keen gardeners and GIYers trundled our way to Co Tipperary. Why, you might ask, (as we all know it’s such a long way to Tipperary…..) Well, because that’s where you will find Ireland’s first Ecovillage. Set…
Food Matters… Have you ever stared at a plastic-wrapped chicken in your local supermarket wondering what exactly “farm-fresh” means? Two words, selected to conjure up images of a healthy, outdoor environment. They may even be accompanied by a charming illustration of rural idyll. Together they imply traditional farming methods and salt-of-the-earth values of a farmer…
