Greek Potato Bake

by Liz Child

There are so many ways to cook potatoes – boiled, chips, mash, roasties, soups, stews, gratin, jacket potatoes… but this Mediterranean-style way is one of my favourites. The rich tomato sauce and fragrant herbs make the humble, comforting potato into a summery dish which sings with flavour. I usually top it with some of my vegan tofu-feta or just some salty olives and bake it with the lid off for a little extra colour and flavour. Serve with a simple greek salad and a glass of wine – that’s dinner sorted.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 tins chopped tomatoes
  • optional extra Med-veg eg courgette, peppers, carrots, aubergine
  • 10 medium potatoes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tbsp each oregano, thyme, rosemary
  • olives/feta/capers
  • salad to serve

Method

  1. Start by making a rich tomato sauce. This can be however you like it but I usually sauté the diced onion in 2 tbsp olive oil until soft and starting to colour, then add crushed garlic and if I want to bulk it out, some chopped veg like an aubergine, pepper or courgette, maybe a carrot or two? Add the tinned tomatoes and swirl out any juices left in the tins into the pot with a bit of water. Season well with salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano and simmer until the sauce is rich – around 15-20 minutes. Blend with a stick blender, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt or pepper.
  2. Put the oven on to 200C and find an oven proof dish with a lid. Wash and thinly slice your potatoes into 3mm or so rounds.
  3. Place 1/2 the tomato sauce into the dish then arrange the potato slices on top. Then season the potato layer with salt, pepper and the herbs. Drizzle over the remaining olive oil and then spoon over the remaining tomato sauce.
  4. Put the lid on and bake until the potatoes are soft. This usually takes at least an hour but check on it as ovens and potatoes vary.
  5. Once the potatoes are cooked through, remove the lid and scatter over your topping of choice. Feta, olives, capers… Return the dish to the oven with the lid off to caramelise and get a little colour – just 5-10 minutes, keep an eye on it.
  6. Enjoy with salads or as a side to your choice of protein and greens.

The Freedom to be Still

by Kenneth Keavey

Every summer during my teenage years and most Saturdays I worked on a farm. We were always outside doing something. I loved bringing in the hay and the memories of the sun and the sunburn, the white bread sandwiches eaten outside, and the cups of tea are still vivid. I remember the great hunger you would have for those sandwiches after a day in the bog, nothing to this day compared to the taste of those sandwiches. 

There were many lessons to be learned and many were not at all welcome for a young teenage lad. Tying plastic bags around our knees with bailing twine whilst spending hour after monotonous hour thinning mangles in grey cold drizzly west of Ireland summer was high on the list of something I never ever wanted to do again. 

Then there was the absolute dedication to stop and take a moment at 12pm and frequently at 6pm too when the local bells tolled. In my mind now the idea of stopping and appreciating the present moment and our surroundings is a true blessing. These days in our frantic lives, there is so little time simply to be and to notice all that is wonderful with the world. 

How will we notice when the first swallows arrive on our shores, or the humble bee going about his trade, or the little flowers in the grass or the deep deep blue of the sky? All can go by, and we can be oblivious.   

We miss the inter-connectivity of all things and their sheer beauty and energy. Will we notice the touch of the wind on our skin or the first raindrops on our face? Mostly and I speak for myself, we don’t, and who could blame us, there is no external reason to stop and stand still, we have to fight for that freedom to be still, away from our phones and the endless stream of social media and all the noise. 

This week for us on the farm we have been trying very hard to get a tonne of work done and taking the time to appreciate the beauty of nature around us has been challenging.

The bees have been breath-taking and we feel truly honoured to have hives managed by beekeeper Gerry on our farm. We leave the kale flowers, we grow wildflowers, and crucially we use no chemicals, all these things mean their population is healthy and growing, and at least on our little farm they are safe. 

If you go and stand in the middle of our kale and be still with the bees flying all around you can feel truly connected. But even on a farm and being outside, feeling the pressure of the weather (that it might break at any minute) and the endless list of equally high priority tasks, it is difficult to find the discipline to stop and be still, there is a craving to keep moving and doing.

Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if the bells started to ring again at 12pm every day as a reminder to stop, I think I for one would appreciate it.

Kenneth

Spinach & Tofu Curry

by Liz Child

This plant based take on a saag paneer is so quick and easy, not to mention delicious and nutritious! Serve with rice and chutney for a midweek curry in a hurry or as a side with other curries. You can switch the spinach for our rainbow chard, just remove the stems, finely chop them and cook them along with the onion paste.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4 – or 8 as a side)

  • 2 blocks extra firm tofu (400g)
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp salt (+ more if needed)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil (heaped)
  • 1 onion
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • 1 thumb ginger
  • 2 tsp garam masala (or your favourite curry powder)
  • 200g spinach
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • fresh chilli to taste

Method

  1. Cut your tofu into cubes and season it with the salt, pepper & ground turmeric. Then fry it in 1 tbsp coconut oil until golden. Remove from the pan and keep to one side.
  2. Blend the garlic, onion and ginger into a paste, then fry until browned in the other tbsp of coconut oil. Add an extra pinch of salt during frying. Then add the garam masala (or whichever curry spice blend you prefer) and stir to toast and wake up the spices.
  3. Pour just-boiled water over the spinach in a colander to wilt it. Cool it with cold water then squeeze into a ball. Chop the wilted spinach and add it to the pan with a splash of water. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the flavourful spices and fried onion/garlic/ginger into the sauce.
  4. Return the tofu to the pan and warm through with the lemon juice. Perhaps add another splash of water if the pan is drying out too much. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt or pepper.
  5. Serve with fresh chilli slices as a side to other curries or as a meal in it’s own right with just rice and chutney.

The First Swallows

by Kenneth Keavey

The first swallows arrived today on our farm, I don’t know if everybody feels it, but it lifted my spirits. These little creatures traverse half that world, arrive here on our shores against all the odds for the summer, to nest and reproduce. They symbolise hope, they are beautiful and graceful, and we are honoured to have them. 

That moment yesterday was a great one, the week I have to say has not been filled with swallows! But yesterday for at least a moment everything felt just right, it was fleeting but that’s life I suppose. 

I was out in the tractor tilling and preparing the land for the first plants. The hedgerows were bursting with life, the trees were unfurling their leaves, the birds were singing, and the kale and the wild flowers were blooming and swaying the in the warm wind, the bees were everywhere. For a moment all was right, it seemed to me that the universe was reminding me that we are on the right track.

All around on our farm was an abundance of happy healthy life, sustained on this patch of land, free from chemicals and covered in trees and flowers, and in this little area surrounded by all this life we grow your food. 

The moment was fleeting and life as it does closed in again. How to hang on to these moments of clarity has been the study of ages, and I guess I have quite a bit to learn yet. Nevertheless, it shows that unity is close and sometimes unexpectedly it enters and fills our souls with joy. If life on the land has taught me anything, it is to expect the unexpected and this moment was truly unexpected and thoroughly appreciated. 

These last two years have been that too. The business of growing food is challenging but very rewarding, it is the selling of the food that can provide the greatest challenges. It is in this arena that you have to go out and interact and compete in the real world and that can be tough. 

We certainly have learned our fair share of lessons over the years and continue to learn. Nothing it seems stands still. Life and business are very similar in that regard, they require continuously evolution and change to grow and survive, but maybe we need to aim a little higher than just surviving, have we not had this opportunity to thrive and do the rights things in the right way.

So, it begins, the start of the season is upon us once again, and philosophical musing aside, it is our 17th growing season, and this fills me with hope. We have the first tomato plants planted in the tunnels, we have the ground ready to plant the first broccoli and Romanesco. The first outdoor lettuce, salad, spinach, and beetroot will be sown very soon. 

We do the right things in the right way here, we definitely don’t always get it right, and we certainly have plenty to learn, but maybe little by little bit by bit, and with your support and help we can improve and grow and maybe the little swallows will continue year in year out to grace us with their presence.

Thank you, little swallows, for the moments of joy. 

Kenneth 

Order a box of organic fruit, vegetables and groceries to be delivered to your door, anywhere in Ireland.

3 Ways to Save the Bees (& other pollinators)

by Liz Child

There are so many reasons to choose organic – the clean, agri-chemical free, tasty food, the sustainable farming methods which prevent water and air pollution…but perhaps the most important reason is to protect bees and other pollinators. Without pollinators, we would have much smaller fruit and vegetable harvests, and seeds wouldn’t set which would mean even smaller harvests the following year. While some of our crops are pollinated by wind, if we lost bees and other pollinators the diversity and health of our diet would drastically change for the worse and have a huge knock-on effect on our entire ecosystem.

Bees and other pollinators are essential for life as we know it. Unfortunately habitat loss, pesticides, mono-cropping, pest/disease, air pollution, drought and climate change are all leading to a massive decline in pollinators. So how can we help? Here are our 3 top tips for helping out our buzzing buddies.

1. Choose Organic

Organic agriculture avoids the use of pesticides, most of which not only knock out unwanted critters but the good guys like bees and other pollinators too. Organic farming methods work with nature to prevent pests naturally. Providing wildlife habitats (like hedgerows, wildflower corridors, ponds and native tree areas), rotating crops and planting a diverse mix of crops in fields provides a natural balance so pests can be taken care of by their natural predators. The lack of nasty chemicals in organic farms means nearby water sources and air are not polluted. Bees and other pollinators are very sensitive to pollution so organic is the way to go. Make it easy for yourself by ordering online, we deliver nationwide – check out what we can do here.

2. Plant Native Trees and Wildflowers

Many pollinators have evolved to survive off very specific, native plants. Planting native wildflowers, trees and bushes in hedgerows provide lots of food for all the important pollinators, not just honey bees. Find out which plants are the most wildlife friendly in your area and consider planting them in your garden or window box. If you have no space to plant, consider donating to a local tree planting charity instead.

3. Take part in ‘No Mow May’

No Mow May is exactly what it sounds like. Are you up for the challenge? Many of the earliest food sources for pollinators can be found in your lawn. So let it go wild for the month of May, after that there’ll be loads of other flowers around. You could even do a compromise by just mowing a path and seating area in your lawn and leaving the rest to the bees. We would love to see your wild patches – please share photos in the comments. You may be pleasantly surprised at how beautiful ‘weeds’ can be. Worried about what the neighbours will say? Pop a sign in your garden to explain your mission to save the bees.

Corporate Rewards

by Kenneth Keavey

Reward your Staff, Customers & Clients

Start a corporate rewards program with us – a simple way to show clients, customers, and employees your appreciation while supporting sustainable, organic, Irish vegetable farmers.

Give the Gift of Health & Sustainability

Are you part of an organisation who rewards their employees regularly? Would you like a healthy and sustainable option? We can help. We can provide vouchers and coupon codes specific to your organisation. Contact us to see how we can deliver organic, plastic free fruit, vegetables and groceries to your employees and clients all over Ireland. Email info@greenearthorganics.ie to discuss what we can do for you.

We can also organise tours of our farm as part of the package. Kenneth gives a two hour walking tour of the farm here in Galway with an interactive talk on food, sustainability, our health and the health of the planet. Get in touch to see how we can enhance your green credentials and your employee happiness.

Who We Are

We are an organic vegetable farm in Galway with a nationwide delivery scheme. What we don’t grow ourselves, we source firstly from other organic, Irish farms, then fill the gaps with organic produce from as close to home as possible. We never use airfreight. Sustainability is at the heart of our business, here are our 5 pledges for the planet:

1. Always Organic

We promise to only grow and supply organic, sustainable ingredients and products. This means we will produce food in a way that works with the environment and wildlife, not against it.

2. Plastic Free

Wherever possible, we promise to use plastic free packaging. We pack produce loose or use paper, card or compostable bags. We also have a growing plastic free grocery section.

3. Locally Sourced

We promise to bring you Irish produce wherever possible. To keep your kitchens well stocked we will also source organic produce from as close to home as possible. We promise to never use air-freight.

4. Speak Up

We promise to never stay silent about important environmental issues because the damage we are doing to our only home is real. We will create helpful, informative content to discuss what we can all do to change and we promise to pull no punches when it comes to saying it how it really is.

5. Carbon Neutral

We promise to use renewable energy on the farm and in other areas of our business wherever possible. We have solar electricity on our packing shed and have planted over 7000 trees on our farm to offset other energy uses. 

Instant Vegan Cheese Sauce Powder

by Liz Child

For mac’n’cheese, cauliflower/broccoli cheese, layers in lasagnes or moussakas, cheesy mushroom and leek pies and more… This instant powder is so useful to store in your pantry to whip up a quick mid-week meal. Just add oat milk and a little olive oil or melted vegan butter.

Liz x

Ingredients

Method

  1. Measure all the ingredients into a jar and give it a good shake to evenly mix into a powder. If you don’t have mustard powder then leave it out and add dijon mustard or whatever mustard you like in the wet stage described in the next step.
  2. In a measuring jug, pour 100ml of oat milk per person. Then whisk in 1 tbsp of the powder and 1 tbsp of good olive oil (or melted vegan butter) per person. If you mix doesn’t have mustard powder, add a tsp of Dijon mustard per person too.
  3. Pour the mixture into a pot over a medium/low heat and whisk continuously until it is cooked through. It should be creamy, silky smooth and nice and thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you need to, then use the sauce however you like. Fold through cooked pasta, layer up in a lasagne or moussaka, pour over cooked mushrooms, leeks and butterbeans then top with pastry and bake… I always use this sauce for a cauliflower and broccoli cheese as part of our Sunday roast.

Spinach Pici Pasta

by Liz Child

This is our new favourite way to eat spinach. Spinach is coming thick and fast out of our polytunnels now and we can’t get enough of this spring leafy green. Make your own easy pasta dough and marvel at the verdant green wriggly worms. It’s a fun recipe to make with kids over the Easter holidays too and if you have a fussy eater on your hands, this is a great way to get some greens into them. Serve with any pasta sauce you like – we love this with a simple buttery black pepper sauce, details below.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

for the sauce:

Method

  1. Put the flour, salt and spinach in a food processor with the S blade attachment. Blend into a green powder. Once it is evenly blended, keep the machine running and drizzle in the olive oil then a small splash of water. After a minute of blending the dough should form into a ball, if it is too dry and doesn’t ball up, add another small splash of water and keep blending.
  2. Tip the ball of bright, green dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a few minutes. If your dough is accidentally too wet, add another sprinkle of flour and keep kneading until you have a smooth, soft green dough.
  3. Cut the dough in half and roll out to around 4mm or so thick. Cut the dough into thin strips then roll each strip into wriggly worms. You can cut them to whatever size you prefer. As you go, place them on a floured plate or tray and lightly dust with more flour to prevent them from clumping.
  4. Get a large pot of salted water on to boil then drop into the pici pasta and boil for just 4 minutes or so until tender. Drain through a colander then make the sauce in the pot.
  5. Place the butter, oil, cheese, lemon juice and black pepper in the pot and allow it to melt over a medium heat. Then give it a quick stir and tip the pasta back into the pot. Stir to coat the pasta in the sauce and serve with extra black pepper and whatever sides you like eg protein, salads etc.

Where Would the World be Without Bees?

by Kenneth Keavey

We love our bees here on the farm, to the extent that we grow wildflowers for them and we leave nearly an acre of kale to go to flower just to feed them and we have beehives on our farm too, oh and of course we don’t use any chemicals on the food we produce.

It was many moons ago in a life that was never quite meant to be that I finally realised what it was we needed to do with my grandad’s farm.

You see 20 years ago I was very comfortable working away for the biotech industry in the UK, working in a laboratory researching different chemicals for this and that.

I am a research chemical scientist turned organic farmer and I have a very healthy respect for science. But there is one thing I do not agree with, it just does not make any sense to me, and that is the whole scale blanket application of chemicals on our food.

Chemicals that are meant for a laboratory should stay there, and if they are toxic to some life then generally speaking, they will be toxic to other life, it isn’t even that chemicals are ‘bad’ it is the prevalence and ubiquity of them in our food chain and our environment that is harmful.

They are in our food, and they are not good for us, but they are not good for life in the countryside either, they really aren’t. Take a family of chemicals called the neonicotinoids deemed safe for years but then it was found that they do irreparable damage to bees and other insects. How on any level can using a chemical like that as a blanket spray across our countryside be justified? 

Many of these chemicals too do not just sit on the outside of the plant they are systemic by nature. That simply means they are absorbed into the plant and do their damage from the inside out, washing veg and fruit doesn’t remove them.

Some produce are more heavily sprayed that others and two that regularly feature in the ‘dirty dozen’ are kale and spinach which is ironic as both grow very well in organic systems. Eating organic of course is one of the easiest and best ways to avoid this unhealthy exposure.

You see it is possible to grow great food without the use of chemicals, it is a little harder, it takes a little more attention and planning, it requires more labour but isn’t it worth it in the end?

Surely the production of food in a way that contributes to our health and the health of the planet, a way that enhances and protects biodiversity, a way that encourages working with nature rather than against it, a way that gives the bees on our planet a lifeline, surely this must be the best, no scratch that, the only, way to grow food? 

So maybe it is time to take good hard look at how we produce our food and embrace a better more positive way, because in the end we are what we eat.

Kenneth

Earth Day 2022

by Liz Child

The theme for Earth Day this year is ‘Invest in our Planet’ and we couldn’t be more on board with this. Money talks (unfortunately) so the incentive to make the changes necessary to combat climate change must be shown to be a good investment. It is, of course, mind-boggling to think that big corporations and governments will only take action if it benefits the bottom line, but here we are.

Luckily for all of us and for future generations, it is clear that a green future is a prosperous future. More and more investors are seeing the wisdom of investing in green business/technology. Although we live in an era of conspiracy theories and see so much misinformation being shared online, hopefully we can get people on board by showing them that a better world can be made even if they don’t ‘believe in’ climate change. This brilliant cartoon by Joel Pitt has been burned into my brain since the first time I saw it.

How are we Investing in the Planet?

We are in an incredibly fortunate situation where we can take out a bank loan and invest in more solar panels on the roof of our packing shed. We are keen to only use renewable energy and be a carbon neutral business. This investment in the future of our little green business will definitely pay off in the long term.

Another simple but effective way to invest in our planet is to plant trees. We have planted over 7000 so far on our farm and now that we have run out of space we will be donating a portion of our sales to a local tree planting charity. More to come on this once it has been organised. These are investments we are happy to make for the future health of our planet and all its inhabitants. Other ways we invest in our planet are by using compostable packaging, electric delivery vans and of course by farming organically.

How can you Invest in the Planet?

You are investing in our planet every time you choose to buy plastic free, organic fruit and veg and sustainably sourced groceries from us so thank you! Times are tough financially for everyone right now, so choosing to put your hard earned cash towards a greener choice is massively appreciated. We should all be working together towards a greener future – businesses, governments and citizens – so please write to your local authority or TD and ask for positive, environmental change in your area. Write to your favourite brands and businesses and ask for positive change. Could they use more sustainable packaging? Could they source products or ingredients from closer to home? Get together with your community to do litter picks, beach cleans, walk to school schemes, car shares etc. Tell us your ideas for investing in the planet in the comments below or over on our community facebook group. We would love to hear them.