Over €400 m worth of vegetables imported…

by Kenneth Keavey

Over €400 million worth of vegetables were imported into Ireland in 2023, that is an increase of 17% in value and 6% in volume since 2022.

Last week we reviewed our farm accounts, and the picture painted was not one that brought joy to the heart, it rarely is unfortunately. The fundamentals of growing vegetables means that the price paid does not cover the costs of production, so far this year we are carrying a significant loss on our farm.

Whilst we as a nation seem to be importing more and more fresh produce we are losing more and more of our growers. There is no escaping the fact that as the industry has been left vulnerable and right on the edge by the price paid by supermarket buyers. Smaller growers have exited the industry, and this has been compensated for by the larger grower here in Ireland.

However, this is no longer the case as we all have heard the familiar story at this stage as the cost of inputs has risen over the last number of years and the decline of people wanting to work in the industry is critical. A number of bigger growers have also closed their doors for good. It is not an unreasonable path to take as why would you stay in business when you are losing money, and you have very little control over your income as prices are set by external buyers. These import figures come at the same time as our minister for agriculture states “it is important to consider agrifood imports in the context of corresponding exports.

Ireland recorded a total agri-food trade surplus of more than €5 billion in 2023”. This means we exported lots and lots of meat and dairy and imported lots of vegetables and fruit, but interestingly we also imported lots of cereal based animal feed to generate this trade surplus.

But our high reliance on imports when it come to our vegetable supply means that when there are shortages as a result of drought or other climate shocks which are getting more and more likely due to climate change then we will not be at the top of the priority list when it comes to supply. Right now, we are starting our farm planning for next year. We will also be talking to other Irish growers that supply us with produce and agreeing volumes and prices, for next year, prices that are always fair.

Since 2006 when we sold our first locally grown organic vegetable the planning of our farm has always been something that has been very close to my heart, but after 19 years of growing vegetables with only a handful of those years break even, it does leave you scratching your head when you just can’t make the numbers add up. We have always persevered and will continue to do so, but we can only ever do this and support the nearly 40 people that currently work in our farm and business with your support.

So as always thank you.

We all get sick sometimes

by Kenneth Keavey

We all get sick sometimes, but when something serious comes along how we define what is important to us can change significantly. There is little doubt that without our health we have very little. All it takes is to be laid up in bed with a serious dose of the flu to know that being sick can be serious. The prevalence of chronic disease in our current age is frightening, it is unfortunately a reflection on how we as a society have evolved. Our eating habits, working habits, exercising habits, have steadily changed and not for the better over the last 50 years.


But what has happened to our food is very concerning. Obviously, the ultra-processed
rubbish that is designed to be irresistible is very unhealthy, and we would in all seriousness
be better off eating cardboard. But it is often said that it is not what we do occasionally that
is the problem it is what we do every day that causes the benefit or the damage. Those
things we eat everyday are one of the keys to our health.
Our bodies are amazing machines and when we are young, we can cope at least for a
while with just about anything, but as we grow older things start to take a greater tole on our
health. So it is with our food, at least in my opinion the chemicals on conventional food must
over time do damage, they hurt us on the inside and they do it gradually over years. I
remember years ago my biology teacher telling me if you irritate something for long enough
you will cause cancer.
I know I am fortunate and can afford to consume organic food as I have it all around me, I
don’t take that for granted. Ironically, for health reasons I have a restricted diet and one of
the things I can eat are blueberries. Over the last couple of weeks, we haven’t been able to
source organic blueberries as we do not buy airfreighted produce. So, I bought some
conventional blueberries in a shop. I think they tasted a little odd, I ate them anyway. But I
decided to investigate this a little and here is what I found:
In 2024 Pesticides were found on 90 percent of conventional blueberry samples, compared
to 81 percent in 2014.  80 percent of samples had two or more pesticides, versus 70
percent in 2014. A single sample of blueberries could have up to 17 different pesticide
residues, compared to 13 in 2014. Reference here.

This information is relevant to the US, but many of the blueberries on Irish supermarket
shelves come from all over the world and could have the same residues. The most
troubling pesticides found on blueberries were phosmet and malathion, chemicals known as
organophosphate insecticides. They kill many types of insects and are toxic to the human
nervous system.  

Not only are conventional blueberries on the list of items to source organically if you can,
but green beans, peppers, and kale were also singled out. We have sourced organic
blueberries again, the first new European harvest from Spain. I write this piece to once
again highlight the difference between conventional food production and organic. Don’t we
deserve to known about these unseen extras?
So anyway, I am looking forward to getting the first new season organic non airfreighted
blueberries next week. They won’t be as good as the Irish ones we had a few weeks ago,
but they will be pretty good.


As always thank you for your support


Kenneth

Spicy Peanut Noodles – Vegan

by Nessa Robins

These spicy peanut noodles are so delicious and packed full of nutritious ingredients. I’ve used udon noodles in the recipe, but any noodles of choice can be used. This dish only takes minutes to assemble, and even though it is best enjoyed on the day it is made, it will keep well in the fridge for up to two days. 

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Spicy Peanut Noodles

Ingredients

  • 300g udon noodles
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • ½ courgette, grated
  • Handful of kale, finely chopped
  • Handful coriander leaves
  • 2tbsp peanuts, roughly chopped
  • 2tbsp sesame seeds

For the sauce

To serve

  • 2 scallions, finely sliced
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced

Method

  1. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack. Once cooked, add to a colander and rinse well under cold running water. 
  2. Roughly grate the carrot and courgette into a bowl. Using a paper towel, press down on the grated vegetables to soak up any excess water. 
  3. Add the grated carrot and courgette to a large bowl along with the cooled noodles, kale, coriander leaves, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
  4. To make the sauce, add the peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, sriracha, and a dash of boiling water to a bowl. Whisk together using a fork. Pour over the noodles and vegetables and stir well to combine. 
  5. To serve, top with the sliced scallion and chilli. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. 

Roasted & Loaded Sweet Potato and Broccoli – Vegan

by Nessa Robins

This roasted sweet potato and broccoli bake is so tasty and only takes minutes to prepare. The sweet potatoes are coating in cornflour and seasoning which makes them deliciously crispy, while our broccoli needs little encouragement to shine as it is already so flavoursome and packed full of freshness. The toppings are another opportunity to add more goodness to the dish along with an added layer of tastiness. 

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Roasted & Loaded Sweet Potato and Broccoli

Ingredients

  • 2-3 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g sweet potatoes, well-scrubbed
  • 1tbsp cornflour
  • 1tsp smoked paprika
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 200g broccoli florets, cut in half

For the sauce

To serve

  • 1 lime
  • 1 ripe avocado, cut into chunks
  • 1 scallion, sliced
  • 1 red chilli, finely sliced
  • Fresh coriander leaves
  • Hot sauce

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Cut the sweet potatoes into slices and place in a large bowl. Drizzle over two tablespoons of olive oil plus the cornflour, smoked paprika and season with a little salt and pepper. Stir well to combine and transfer to a large baking tray, placing the slices evenly on the tray. Drizzle over any remaining oil in the bowl. Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
  2. Take the tray from the oven. Add the florets of broccoli. Drizzle with a little olive oil and place back in the oven 15-20 minutes, stirring once during this cooking time. 
  3. While the vegetables are baking, make the sauce by stirring together the yogurt, lime, nutritional yeast, garlic and a little salt and pepper, in a small bowl. 
  4. Once the sweet potato and broccoli are cooked, transfer to a platter. Squeeze over the juice of half a lime and serve the other half on the side. Top with dollops of the sauce, chunks of avocado, a scattering of scallion, red chilli and coriander, plus a drizzle of hot sauce. Enjoy straight away. 

Plant-Based Blueberry & Courgette Loaf – Vegan

by Nessa Robins

This loaf is packed with flavour, bursting with nutrients, and it’s plant-based too. We’ve lots of courgettes ready for picking on the farm and they make for such a versatile vegetable. Apart from their savoury uses, they add a delicious moistness when incorporated into cakes and bakes. The courgettes pairs nicely with the blueberries in this loaf. These blueberries are perfectly plump and are organically grown by Banner Berries in Co. Clare. 

This loaf can be enjoyed as it is, by the slice, or served with a dollop of your favourite plant-based yogurt, a dusting of icing sugar and a few extra blueberries on the side.

Enjoy!

Nessa x

Plant-Based Blueberry & Courgette Loaf

Ingredients

  • 125ml soy milk + 1tsp cider vinegar
  • 2tbsp chia seeds + 4tbsp water
  • 150g caster sugar
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 250g self raising flour
  • 50g oats
  • 125g courgette, roughly grated
  • 100g blueberries
  • 75ml sunflower oil
  • 2tsp vanilla extract

Method

  1. Start by making the soy ‘buttermilk’ and the chia ‘eggs’. Place the soy milk in a mug and add the cider vinegar. Stir to combine and leave to sit for 15 minutes. Place the chia seeds in a small bowl. Add the water and let sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken and become gel-like. In another bowl, combine the caster sugar with the lemon zest. Rub together. Take 1 tablespoon of the lemon sugar and place in a small bowl, reserving it for the topping.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C /Gas Mark 6.
  3. Place the flour, oats and all of the lemon sugar apart from the tablespoon for the topping, into a large bowl. Add the courgette and blueberries. Stir well to combine, before adding the soymilk mixture, soaked chia seeds, sunflower oil and vanilla extract. 
  4. Stir well to combine and transfer to a greased and lined 2lb loaf tin. Evenly, sprinkle over the lemon sugar. Place in the preheated oven for 65-70 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
  5. Take from the tin and allow to fully cool before removing the greaseproof paper and cutting. Enjoy!

Plant Powered Pasta – One Pot – Vegan

by Lou Robbie

When the veg box is brimming with beautiful colourful veg it’s so great to roast up a pot or tray with diced (veg) plants for a delicious nutritious summer pasta supper.

Our family schedule is jam packed this summer with work and holidays, summer camps and playdates. One pot meals are fantastic. Adding lots of organic vegetables to your meals gives everyone a healthy boost that’s needed to get through the busy day.

Make the most of the plants in your veg box this week.

Lou x

Ps The roast bulb of garlic can be added to the pasta or used to mix into butter for your bread.

Ingredients: serves 4

  • olive oil
  • 12 x cherry tomatoes (250g), quartered
  • ½ courgette, diced 1cm
  • ½ red pepper, diced 1cm
  • 2 small sweet potato, diced 1cm
  • 1 red onion, diced 1cm
  • 1 bulb garlic, top cut off exposing the cloves
  • 300g dried spaghetti or any pasta
  • 750ml hot veg stock
  • 2 tablespoons tomato puree
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • To serve:
  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened (50g)
  • seedy bread toasted
  • basil leaves

Method:

Step 1: Preheat the oven 200ºC. Chop and prepare all the veg. Using a wide pot or deep tray add the diced onions, cherry tomatoes, red pepper, sweet potato, courgette and bulb of garlic. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and put it in the oven to roast for 30 minutes. Checking half way through, add more oil to the garlic if needed.

Step 2: Make the hot veg stock in a jug and stir in the tomato puree. When the veg is roasted put the roast garlic to one side. Make a space in the middle of the pot for the pasta then pour over the hot tomato stock. Put a lid on the pot if you have one, or cover with foil and either return the pot to the oven for 30-40 minutes or cook on the hob on a medium heat until the pasta is cooked.

Step 3: Make the roast garlic butter. Wait until the garlic is cool enough to handle then squeeze out the cloves of garlic and mash into the butter.

Step 4: Toast the seedy bread and spread it with the roast garlic butter, serve with a bowl of plant powered pasta and some fresh basil leaves.

Air Fryer Courgettes w/ Garlicky Cashew Cream -Vegan

by Lou Robbie

In the summer months the tunnels are brimming with courgettes. They grow so well and are delicious in so many recipes, and we’ve shared lots. These courgettes can be air fried or oven baked. I like to keep the temperature low so they cook slowly, soften in the middle and turn golden on top.

This easy garlicky cashew cream is full of flavour and deliciously morish topped with nutty breadcrumbs you’ll be coming back for more.

Let us know if you’d like to try it,

Lou x

Ingredients: serves 1 as a starter or 2 as a side

  • 1 or 2 courgettes (use 2 if you can fit them in your air fryer basket)
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • For the cashew cream
  • 1 cup of cashews soaked in boiling water for 1 hour
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • small pinch of salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • The roasted bulb of garlic – prepared in step 2
  • Around 60-80ml of water for blending consistency

Nutty breadcrumbs

  • 1 slice of bread
  • 1 handful of whole almonds
    To serve:
  • Fresh basil leaves
    Lemon zest

METHOD
Step 1: Preheat the air fryer or oven to 160ºC fan.

Step 2: Prepare the garlic bulb, cut the top off the bulb exposting the cloves, place on a square of tin foil and drizzle with oil. Close up the tin foil to make a parcel.

Step 3: Slice the courgettes in half lengthways then lightly score the white flesh in a criss cross shape, sprinkle with salt and place upside down on kitchen paper to let some of the moisture drain out. After 10 minutes, cut in half to fit in the basket, drizzle in olive oil and place in a preheated air fryer or oven add the garlic bulb parcel to the basket too. Slow cook for about 20 – 25 minutes, checking half way through.

Step 4: To make the garlicky cashew cream. Discard the water off the cashews, then blend with all the other ingredients as well as the roasted garlic, just squeeze out the soft cloves. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Step 5: To make the nutty breadcrumbs, whizzed up the bread and almonds in a blender. Pour onto a frying pan drizzle in olive oil, salt and pepper then toast until crispy. Let it rest on a plate lined with kitchen roll until ready to use.

Step 6: To serve, spread the cashew cream on a plate top with the golden courgettes, sprinkle with the nutty breadcrumbs, lemon zest and fresh basil.

Enjoy

“Roast and Serve” Butter Bean, Courgette & Feta Salad

by Lou Robbie

Roasting vegetables for salads really intensifies the flavours. Sweet and bitter notes added with salty feta and sour lemon juice make this a really tasty salad.

Summer is all about gathering friends and family and sharing good food. This salad is perfect for a BBQ, a gathering or a picnic. Not to mention a healthy its also a healthy plate of food with organic vegetables, gut friendly beans and protein packed nuts and cheese.

We really hope you try it this summer.

Lou x

Ingredients:

  • 1 courgette- sliced into 2 cm cubes
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced into cubes
  • 1 red onion, sliced into wedges
  • 1 tin butter beans, drained 240g
  • 1.5 tablespoon cajun spice (or a teaspoon each of paprika, chilli, cumin, coriander mixed)
  • 100g feta cheese
  • a handful of leaves, spinach, rocket or similar
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Step 1: Preheat the oven 200ºC fan. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Put the courgette, red peppers, red onion, butter beans on the tray. Generously cover in the cajun spice. Drizzle with salt, pepper and oil, shake or rub to coat everything. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, checking half way through.
  • Step 2: Put the pecans on a separate tray and toast in the oven, along with the veg, for about 5- 10 minutes, check half way through- they may need more or less time.
  • Step 3: Let the veg cool for 20 minutes then crumble over the feta and top with the green leaves, sprinkle with pecans, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, gently mix everything. Lift the parchment paper and tip into a serving dish.
  • Enjoy!

A story told sitting on a box in the middle of a field…………

by Kenneth Keavey

I found myself the other day sitting in one of our fields on a box, as you do, contemplating what to say in this weekly update.

To watch this post from a box in a field click here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8L39NDs9qi/?igsh=MmZxZ3lkdHAyejRn!

A couple of days earlier I had been attaching a slightly modified version of my grandad’s old stone roller to our tractor. He used this roller 2 generations ago to roll the land, pulled behind two fine workhorses he used to own, one of which I remember was called Snowball, because he had a white snout that looked like a “snowball”! I was rolling the land because we had just sown two and a half acres of wild-flowers, a mix of organic clover varieties, phacelia and flowers for the bees and for our soil. All that seed was certified organic which means even in raising the plants to produce the seed the land was treated organically.

So, As I was sitting there on my box, I was thinking about all your support over the last couple of weeks and I just wanted to say a huge ‘thank you’. I also thought that maybe it might be nice to explain the impact or the reality of what that support actually means. So that 2.5 acres of wildflowers, which are doing so much for local biodiversity would not have been sown without your orders. Just behind the box I was sitting on, I had just sown a bed of wildflowers to allow a proper bee corridor to run the length of our farm.

Emmanuel and his team were out the other day, and they planted several thousand brassica and celeriac plants, all of this was done without the use of artificial fertilisers, which are highly water soluble and when it rains they end up in our waterways and lakes, leading to eutrophication and pollution. Of course, everything here is planted without the use of herbicides and pesticides, these chemicals cause cumulative damage to our biodiversity and our health. Your support means these chemicals do not touch our soil and do not interfere with all the biodiversity on our land.

The trees that we have planted over the years, and there are thousands of them would not have been planted, the hedgerows that house a myriad of life would not be thriving, the two pigs Florence and George would not have been rescued, without your support. The 8 polytunnels would not have been constructed, the 700-800 tomato plants would not have been sown, fresh Irish organic tomatoes (if we ever get any proper heat this year) are only 5-6 weeks away, none of these things would have happened without your support.

All of these things are happening because you are buying from us and placing an order each week. Whilst you are supporting a new system of food production, you are also getting the best, freshest and chemical free produce in Ireland.

Your patience with our new IT system is so much appreciated and I can only again apologise if your experience has been less than positive. We are nearly there on this journey, and we hope in the next couple of weeks to have ironed out many of the issues and glitches and we hope then we can finally look to really introduce you to all the amazing features this new website provides. This is our portal to connect our produce and the produce of other Irish organic growers and so many amazing sustainable groceries direct to you, our customers.

As always thank you so much for your support and now I feel it is time to pack up my box, my seeds and go home.

Kenneth.

PS We have amazing Irish organic produce now, just use the little filter on each page to see what is Irish.

Thank you so much and an inconvenient truth……….

by Kenneth Keavey

Thank you so much to everybody who ordered from us last week, we were blown away by the level of support, it made a massive difference. When you buy with us, we notice, supermarkets don’t, but we do. So, thank you so much from everybody here.

We had three little remarkable surprises this week (not counting all your amazing orders), we received Irish organic cherries (Can you believe that!) from Darragh Donnelly in Dublin. Emmanuel our farm manager found a small robin’s nest in our farm shed and finally after 18 years of picking stones we found a solution to our stone problem! The cherries are amazing, and I guarantee that you will not find their like in any supermarket shelf, so thank you Darragh.

As to the robin, he or she, I certainly can’t tell, (can you tell?) chose a very inconvenient location to build (I will go with a she) her nest: right in the middle of where we are coming and going all the time. But we are going to be careful and the three little eggs that are in the nest will not be disturbed.

The stones have been, and I have to go a little further here than calling them an inconvenience, they have been a devastation for so, so long. But completely by chance this week I got the number of a contractor that has a stone crushing machine for farms, yes there is such a thing, and it is quite remarkable. So, in the space of 12 hours, this very nice fella and his tractor crushed all our stones, releasing vital nutrients back into the soil.

Afterwards we tried making some vegetable beds, this usually can be quite a fraught process, shaking the machine, destroying tines, and frequently lifting the whole machine out of the ground when you hit a big stone leaving the bed in less than an ideal shape. But the bed forming in our “new, stoneless” farm was quiet and smooth, and just nothing short of amazing.

Watch a little video from our fields here.

So, stones and robins making nests in odd places, two inconveniences, can we live with them? The robin yes, but the stones, they just had to go! This is the issue with our approach to agriculture these days, we aim to eliminate anything that is inconvenient, and there is a long list of these inconveniences. Weeds, eliminate them with a quick spray of roundup, aphids reach for the next can of spray and so on and so forth, it doesn’t stop; hedgerows, take them out if they are taking up valuable space, trees cut them down make way for production. What is this madness? The shortsightedness, the relentless focus on extracting the last cent from the land to the detriment of all the other aspects of our living world that we need. WE NEED BIODIVERSITY it is not and optional extra!

Maybe there is no other way, while the cost of produce continues to be so devalued, maybe that is the true price that must be paid. The price you or I pay at the till for the plastic clad supermarket produce absolutely does not reflect these sacrifices the natural world makes for our convenience.

So, the question is: can we afford these inconvenient truths? Is it worth it to get the very cheapest price possible? Well, I will leave you to decide, and judging by your support for us last week and hopefully in the week and weeks ahead again you have already made your decision.

As always thank you for your support

Kenneth