One Pot Broccoli, Lemon & Garlic Pasta

by Liz Child

One pot pasta dishes are our favourites! Not just because of less washing up, but also because when you create a sauce in the pasta’s starchy cooking water, it is so luscious, silky and rich.

We have loads of amazing broccoli here on the farm now, we love it so much that we use half a head per person in this recipe (based on the traditional Italian broccoli orecchiette). The broccoli is deliberately cooked for longer than we would usually cook it, until it collapses into the sauce. We use a big dollop of miso (in place of anchovies) for complex depth of flavour and loads of gorgeous garlic and lemon to make this simple dish sing. Give this recipe a try for your next pasta night.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling on the bowls)
  • 6 fat garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped
  • 2 heads of broccoli, finely chopped – stalks included
  • 1 tbsp miso paste
  • the zest and 1/2 the juice of a lemon
  • 400g pasta (any small shape you prefer)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chilli flakes and grated cheese to serve

Method

  1. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté the garlic and finely chopped broccoli stalks in the oil until very fragrant and starting to soften – about 5 minutes or so.
  2. Season with salt, pepper, miso and lemon zest and then add the dried pasta and broccoli florets.
  3. Just cover with water, give the pasta a stir and put the lid on the pot to help the water come quickly to a boil.
  4. Once boiling, remove the lid and stir to ensure no pasta is sticking to the bottom. Cook until the pasta is soft. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with more salt and pepper and the lemon juice.
  5. Let the pasta sit off the heat and rest a few minutes before serving. This will allow the sauce to thicken into the perfect texture. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of cheese and chilli flakes. Enjoy!

Salmorejo with Spiced Chickpeas

by Liz Child

If you like gazpacho, you’ll love this simpler version of chilled tomato soup. It is so quick and easy to make and perfectly balanced with a creamy texture and refreshing sweet and tangy tomato flavour. Traditionally it is served topped with chopped boiled egg and jamón slices but we love it with cumin and smoked paprika chickpeas. This soup is only as good as the quality of the ingredients, so use ripe tomatoes, really good olive oil and for the best flavour, sourdough bread.

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the soup:

  • 500g tomatoes (any fresh, ripe tomatoes)
  • 1 tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 slices of stale sourdough bread
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the chickpeas:

  • 1/2 a tin of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • salt & pepper to taste

Method

  1. Put the soup ingredients into a strong blender and blend until smooth.
  2. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed with more salt, pepper or vinegar.
  3. Pour into a jar or jug and chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
  4. Meanwhile fry the chickpeas in a hot frying pan with the oil and spices until they start to pop. Tumble into a bowl and keep in the fridge to serve with the soup later.
  5. Divide into 4 bowls and top with the spiced chickpeas. The soup will keep fresh in the fridge for 3 days.

Cherry Tomato & Bean Salad w/ Green Cashew Dressing – Serves 4 as a side

by Lou Robbie

Simple summer salads dressed in a punchy dressing tick all the boxes! These Galway grown sweet cherry tomatoes are just delicious and bursting with flavour. The kale is coarse and crunchy and the dressing is fresh, punchy (from the garlic), vibrant and invigorating! #feelthegoodnesss

This is a gorgeous salad to eat solo or add a warm savoury pastry or some sourdough bread and cheese to make it a main meal.

Enjoy!

Lou 🙂

For the dressing

  • 15g fresh kale leaves – finely chopped
  • 12g fresh basil leaves – finely chopped 
  • 80g raw cashews
  • ½ lemon – juice
  • 130ml water
  • 1.5 tablespoons light oil (vegetable or olive)
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (less if you wish)
  • Pinch salt and pepper 

For the salad

  1. To make the dressing measure the cashews into a bowl and cover with boiling water, set aside to soften for 15 minutes. 
  2. To a blender add the finely chopped kale, basil, chopped garlic, lemon juice, water, oil, salt, pepper. 
  3. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender too. 
  4. Blend until you have a vivid green dressing. 
  5. Taste the dressing, it will be punchy and zingy from the garlic. Add more salt, pepper or lemon juice if it needs it. 
  6. When you’re happy with it, add it to a bowl or jug. 
  7. To make the salad begin by rehydrating the raisins. Add them to a small bowl and cover with boiling water, set aside to soften.
  8. Next, chop the kale into small pieces and add to a mixing bowl. Drizzle over a small amount of oil, add salt and pepper and massage (give it a good squeeze) to soften the leaves, this makes it easier to eat. 
  9. Quarter the tomatoes and add them to a bowl, drizzle a small bit of oil over them, add a small pinch of salt and pepper and toss to coat. 
  10. Drain the can of cannellini beans and the raisins. 
  11. To assemble, add the kale to a large serving plate, scatter over the tomatoes, beans, raisins and dollop the dressing on top. 

2 Homemade Ice Lollies

by Liz Child

Phew it’s been hot! Anyone else overdosing on ice cream? We have started making our own, healthier ice lollies as we are getting through so many and we are trying to avoid the packaging and intense sugar levels of shop bought ones. Here are our two currant favourite flavours. We would love you to share your favourite flavours in the comments please. Always looking for inspiration. Apart from simply freezing our favourite smoothies, we are thinking of doing some more ’grown up’ ones too involving coffee… and maybe a gin, tonic, cucumber & mint one?

We invested in a silicon ice lolly mould this year, but in the past have used saved yoghurt tubs and water cups. You can buy lolly sticks in craft shops or use wooden takeaway cutlery. Any other ice lolly hacks are very welcome! Don’t forget to stock up on our wide range of organic fruits, they’re the perfect healthy sweet and refreshing treat.

Liz x

Watermelon Ice Lollies

  • watermelon
  • kiwi

Method:

  1. Slice a mini watermelon and remove the pips and rind. Blend then pour into ice lolly moulds leaving a couple of cm space. Freeze for 30 minutes then insert a stick.
  2. Halve kiwis and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Blend then carefully top the watermelon moulds to imitate the green part of the watermelon and freeze until solid (at least 4 hours).
  3. Remove the lollies from their moulds and store in the freezer in a large plastic box. For best flavour, eat within a couple of weeks.

Yoghurt, Maple & Blueberry Ice Lollies

  • natural yoghurt, any one you like
  • maple syrup to taste
  • blueberries – fresh or frozen

Method:

  1. Mix maple syrup into yoghurt to sweeten to your taste. Then pour into ice lolly moulds halfway up.
  2. Add a tbsp or so of blueberries then top up with more sweetened yoghurt.
  3. Insert the lolly sticks and freeze until solid. Enjoy!

Barbecued Veg Cous Cous

by Liz Child

This is our new favourite way to serve barbecued vegetables right now. It’s quick and simple but so so delicious! Serve as a meal in it’s own right or as a side to your usual barbecued things and salads.

Did you know that we stock organic cous cous (and many more dry goods) in clever compostable bags? When you empty your cous cous into a storage jar, pop the bag into your home compost or your council compost bin and it will break down in 12 weeks. We have loads more than just fruit and vegetables on our website for you, and we deliver to every address in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Don’t forget to stay hydrated and find shade over this heatwave lovely people!

Liz x

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the cous cous:

  • 1 mug of cous cous
  • 1 tin chickpeas, drained
  • 1 tsp each: salt, pepper, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic granules (or season to your own taste)
  • the juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 & 1/4 mugs boiling water

For the barbecued vegetables:

  • 1 courgette
  • 2 red peppers
  • 2 onions
  • 1 fresh chilli
  • 10 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Light the barbecue and prepare the vegetables for grilling. Cut the courgette into large chunks and the peppers in half and remove stems and seeds. Cut the onions in half and remove the skin. Keep the tomatoes and chilli whole. Place the vegetables in a bowl, drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Keep aside in the bowl until the barbecue coals are ready.
  2. Meanwhile prepare the cous cous. Measure the cous cous into a large, heat proof salad bowl. Add the chickpeas, seasoning, lemon juice and olive oil. Add the just-boiled water and stir to combine then place a large plate over the bowl and let the cous cous absorb the water for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove the plate and fluff up the cous cous with a fork. The barbecue coals should be ready to get grilling now.
  4. Cook the vegetables on the barbecue until they are beautifully blackened and soft. As they become ready, use tongs and place them back into the bowl. When they are all cooked through, smokey and delicious, tip onto a large chopping board and chop into bite sized pieces. Scrape the barbecued vegetables, along with all their juices into the bowl of cous cous and stir.
  5. Serve with salad and sauces or with your other usual barbecue items. Enjoy!

Potato Hash w/ Roast Romanesco & Crispy Fried Eggs (serves 4)

by Lou Robbie

A brunch dish bursting with goodness and flavour! Roasting veg is very satisfying. A potato hash with added veg made this way is very simple and uncomplicated, any left over veg can be use for dinner the next day #zerofoodwaste. Roasting veg brings out the natural flavour of the vegetable adding sweet and charred notes, made with gorgeous organic Irish grown veg…..well there is nothing better.

This dish was inspired by the Irish Farm Box. Its packed full of seasonal locally grown veg! You can make a version of this all through the seasons adding squash, broccoli, kale, courgettes, beets, carrots or parsnips too……just keep your hot sauce handy!

Lou 🙂

  1. Preheat your oven 180℃.
  2. Prepare 2 large roasting tins with parchment paper or silicone liners. 
  3. Wash the potatoes, give them a scrub until they are clean. 
  4. Chop into cubes roughly the same size, add to a mixing bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and a good glug of oil, toss to coat. 
  5. Pour onto a large roasting tin and put into the oven to roast for about 1 hour, check and toss the cubes every 20 minutes. 
  6. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the veg, you can add the veg to the same mixing bowl. 
  7. Chop the romanesco into bite sized florets and chop the mushrooms into quarters. 
  8. Chop the onions into quarters but break up the layers, bash the garlic cloves with the back of a knife and add to the bowl. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper and coat with a tablespoon or two of oil. Toss to coat and add to the second roasting tin. 
  9. Put it in the oven to roast for about 30 – 40 minutes. Check halfway and give it a toss. 
  10. Finley slice the scallions and keep in a serving bowl. 
  11. Wash the spinach and roughly chop. Keep in a container with damp kitchen paper on top until later. 
  12. The cubed potatoes are ready when they pierce easily with a sharp knife and they look golden brown. The veg will be soft and slightly charred in places. Squeeze out the garlic cloves and serve or discard if you find the flavour too strong, they will have done their job to flavour the veg. 
  13. Fry the eggs to your liking (2 per person) on a frying pan, cook on a medium to high heat for crispy fried eggs. 
  14. Reheat the potatoes on a frying pan along with the veg and at the last minute toss through the chopped spinach. (You could reheat in the oven also and stir through the spinach)
  15. To serve, add the potatoes and veg to a plate or wide bowl, top with 2 fried eggs, sprinkle on the chopped scallions and add your favourite hot sauce. 

This is a delicious dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner! 

This is a Plea

by Kenneth Keavey

It is always with a great sense of irony that we head into July. It is the official end of the hungry gap.  We are catapulted from a frenzy of farming activity and a dearth of harvest in early June to a level of activity bordering on the insane and an overflowing harvest basket. 

July is the time when we have a plentiful harvest, and it is the very same time that many of you our customers break your routine with cooking.  Especially this year it seems that many people are going away on holidays and are taking a well-earned break. 

It is hard to assess our harvest need a year in advance and the last two years we have seen so much volatility, we are not sure what way is up anymore. But plans were made back in November and now we are harvesting the fruits of our labour. 

This summer is proving to be a big challenge; We have so much of our own freshly harvested food right now and we have developed relationships with other local organic farms and now when the time of Irish plenty arrives we find that you our customers are taking a break for all the usual reasons, holidays, not cooking, routines out the window and we understand completely. 

The downturn this summer for us is leaving us with much surplus harvest with nowhere to go but back into the ground. 

This time of every year we also see a large increase in labour costs on the farm. It is a double downturn for us, as our costs go up and our sales go down. Anybody will tell you this is not a good way to run a business.

The initial start of this growing season on our organic farm, seeds, plants, fertiliser (organic), compost, contractors and labour are very high, before you harvest even one bean. All of this is necessary to make the food in the fields happen.

Growing food at the best of times is not a money-making enterprise, far from it, we only ever expect the farm to break even and most years this is a stretch to achieve. We grow the food, because we love to do it, because sustainable agriculture is something we strongly believe in, and it is the right thing to do. 

We have PV cells generating our electricity, we have invested in our first zero emission electric van, we collect our rainwater, we plant trees, and hedgerows, we use only plastic free packaging.   We educate people on how important biodiversity is, and to get everybody involved in thinking about the planet and the environment, where our food comes and how it is produced is our critical philosophy.

All of this takes time and energy, it all costs money and at the end of the day although everybody wants to enjoy their job and although nearly everybody that works with us believes in our values and our mission, they still need to get paid.

So, this is a plea, a plea to ask you to order next week, to find a way (if you can at all) to continue supporting us over the summer, to tell your friends and family to order from us, or let us deliver to you if you are on holidays in Ireland, (we have just reduced our courier charge).

The boxes next week are loaded with the most amazing fresh local Irish organic produce, including, spinach, salad, lettuce, Romanesco, cucumbers, kale, scallions, tomatoes and new IRISH organic potatoes.  (The value of the boxes has also increased to give you more for your money!)

So please if you can at all do order.

Your support as always is very much appreciated.

Thanks

Kenneth

If You Stumble, Let it Become Part of the Dance

by Kenneth Keavey

I remember my grandad in his garden growing sweet peas, and carrots and apples.  I remember my dad growing potatoes and onions and my mum growing raspberries and gooseberries. I remember a red jumper on a scarecrow, and I also remember our food. We ate many potatoes, but I feel as I look back now that I knew where my food came from. Growing food was a celebration of life, it was a connection to another energy force, it was a basic and primal link to the earth.

I was at my daughter’s graduation from her primary school during the week. The first event in the school since 2019 and it was a celebration of people and little lives embarking on a new beginning. Terry the principal had a wonderful quote that I loved:

“If you stumble let it become part of the dance” 

What a wonderful analogy for life, and indeed it has a place here on our farm and business too.

We all ride the waves life throws at us and sometimes we can get stuck in a rut and not even be aware that we are. We all stumble.

We started our business to celebrate our lives and our food, to produce and supply food that is life enhancing for you our customers whom we serve, and the people who work here and also to the planet and the land that gives us so much. 

Over the past two year we have lost our way at times, and at other times we have been stuck in a rut, more like a maelstrom of constant change that has been difficult to endure.  We have been in a constant state of stumbling and not even been aware. The waves have been big. 

But the essence of what we have been about right from the beginning never changed, and I guess when you stumble it pays to know who you are. Many times, you won’t get it right, you will make mistakes, stumble, and even fall. But getting up again, brushing the dust off your shoulder and marching on is inevitable when there is something else driving you, a purpose greater than yourself.

You may forget what that driving force is, but it is still there like a bright flame inside, and so here we are after so much change, and we are beginning to find ourselves again, to remember why it is we are doing what we do.

As the cucumbers blossom and produce their fruits, and as the first tomatoes turn red on their vines, as we harvest the gorgeous heads of lettuce and the different leaves for the salad mix, as we see the fox ramble by as we are harvesting the kale, it is not difficult to be thankful. 

We are celebrating life through food, through delivering sustenance that enlivens you and our land. 

We are celebrating the diversity of nature and the beauty and the vitality that can be found on our planet and in the food we grow.

Thank you for continuing to join us on this journey.

Kenneth

People are the Essence of all Activity

by Kenneth Keavey

On our farm and in our business without the people there would be nothing, just quiet empty buildings, offices, and fields. Community is a gathering of people, and it is only when people come together that things happen for good or for ill. My favourite quote of all time involves people:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has” Margaret Mead. 

Last week we had the opening of our farm shop and the first public farm tour in well over two years, and we had people, many people. Thank you to all who came. 

It was truly amazing to see so many interested in sustainability and local food. The sun shone and there was music and laughter. There was interesting questions and conversations, there were young children and those somewhat older in years.

There was a question from a young child about snails, there were questions about vertical farming, and soil pH and fertility and trees and biodiversity and the climate crisis and so much more. 

We had an amazing talk from Gerry the beekeeper (whose passion for bees was unmistakable), the bees on our farm are native Irish black bees and they can fly at just over 9C which makes them a hardier Irish bee. It seems as I listened that I knew very little about bees.  They have a harsh life, the poor drone bee has his wings eaten off and he is thrown out of the hive to die at the end of the season!   

But through it all there was a common thread, an idea that united everybody there: that there is a better way to produce our food, a way that helps our planet instead of destroying it, a way that enhances the land instead of laying it to waste. A way that gives nature a fair chance.

We all have the ability three times a day to vote for the future we want.  Ultimately the food we choose to eat and how it is grown contribute greatly to how our planet will fare. 

If you are reading this on a screen or at home after receiving your order, know that you are making a difference. Your purchase and support of our farm does make a difference to the planet and the environment and what you put into your body will impact your health for years to come. 

If you visited the farm, then you would have seen our first kale crop. That kale was transplanted by Emmanuel and his team 6 weeks ago, it will be harvested by hand by the same farm team this week.  It will then be packed into compostable bags by Barry and the packing team. Every part of its journey right up to its delivery onto your doorstep wherever you maybe, we have overseen.

Right beside that kale crop is a 120metre strip of wildflowers. Last night our resident fox sauntered by that kale, the pigeons in the forest at the bottom of the field eye that kale hungrily (they will be getting very little!).

That kale is the essence of vitality it is harvested for you and could only be fresher if you picked it yourself from your own garden.

But that kale and our packing team and our farm team would not be here if it were not for you. So, thank you. Thank you for your support.

Kenneth

Farm Shop Re-Opening!

by Kenneth Keavey

We closed our farm shop just over two years ago. 

We always meant to reopen it, but there never seemed to be enough time or energy, we never quite got back into anything that resembled routine, and so it remained closed, that is until this coming Saturday at 10am.

On many occasion over the past two years we came close to being ready to reopen then another lock down or another wave would raise its head and bang off we went again tumbling and rolling with all that was thrown at us.

The first lockdown for us was not too unlike being hit by a bus and over and over again, up and down it went for the last two years. 

It is funny though that now life seems normal again. I can never quite grasp how everything moves on. You think at the time you will be in the middle of the pain forever and then just like that, it is gone, over and we move on. Life is funny.

Anyway, philosophical ramblings aside we are finally reopening our farm shop and this time it is going to be so much different, better, brighter and on a Saturday which is what you all asked for! 

We have two amazing people that will be serving you Thiago and Anna, both lovely bubbly and helpful individuals. 

We have opened up our whole packing shed with all the hundreds of grocery, plastic free, sustainable and 100% organic products, plus of course the very best range of fresh organic produce in the country and nearly all plastic free. 

We will have a modern till system, and accept all cards for payment, in fact that would be our preference and going forward the shop will be cashless.

It all kicks off this Saturday at 10am and we have some amazing things happening. The line-up will go something like this.

Parking on site

10am shop open

12pm-2pm farm tour. (I’ll bring you on a tour of the farm, show you the polytunnels, and the fields walk down to one of our forestry areas see the bee hives and hopefully meet and feed Florence and George (our two rescue pigs). All the time you will be learning about sustainability, growing and biodiversity. )

1-2pm see the tractors and some machine demonstrations (get up on one if you are feeling brave!)

2-4pm live music, including classical flute music!

3-4pm kids natural art workshops run by Jenny.

There will be a pizza truck and a smoothie/juice stall and coffee too!  There will be even some home baked fresh cakes.

The event is FREE, so come along bring your friends and family and please let others know. The current weather forecast for Saturday looks amazing and hopefully it stays that way!

Thanks for all your support and looking forward to finally meeting people here again on our farm.

Kenneth

PS – our eircode is H91F9C5