Organic Week - What to do today 19th September 2009

National Organic Week draws to a close this weekend, it's been one of the busiest and best that I can remember with a wide variety of events happening all over the country. If you attended one of the events let us know, we'd love to hear about your experience.

Today is the busiest day yet:

Carlow Farmers Market is having a spit roast barbecue, if it's anything like the one at the Slow Food stand at the Electric Picnic it should be worth visiting (being a vegetarian I didn't get to try it myself but all reports were good).

At the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare there is the Clare and South Galway Organic Producers event.

The Dublin Food Co-op hosts a cookery demo with Chef Marc Moissard and Organic Wine and local cheese tasting from Moon shine dairy farm.

The Shanakill/Rahoonane Community Organic Garden in Tralee, Co. Kerry has it's annual Harvest Fair.

At Moyleabbey Organic Farm, Ballitore, Co. Kildare there is a Healthy Eating Workshop.

Also in Kildare at Castlefarm, Athy there is an organic Farm Walk and vegetable harvesting as well as an organic cooking demonstration.

Sligo Farmers market has a Cookery Demonstration and tasting featuring recipes from 'The Seaweed Kitchen'.

James Whelan Butchers in The Oakville Shopping Centre, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary are hosting an organic barbecue.

Another barbecue in Clonmel, this time provided by Omega Beef at Clonmel Farmers Market.

For a full listing of events check out the Bord Bia website.

Organic Week - What to do today 18th September 2009

Only 3 days left to celebrate national organic week. Here's a run down of some of today's events:

At 2pm today the Wexford Organic Centre are having a farm walk so get your wellies on!

Blastra Wholefoods in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford continue their organic food tastings as does New Vistas Healthcare in the Crescent Shopping Centre, Limerick, The Organic Supermarket in Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ecologic in Windy Arbour, Dundrum and Cavistons in Sandycove.

In 'The Kitchen', Hynds Square, Portlaoise they will have organic produce on the menu and cookery demonstrations.

It's also your final day to grab a free organic yogurt from Glenisk at your local Dart station if your in Dublin or at your local supplier countrywide.

For a full list of events near you check out the Bord Bia website.

Organic Week - What to do today 17th September 2009

It's another busy day with plenty to do to celebrate National Organic Week.

If you haven't tried the fabulous Inagh Farmhouse Cheese and you happen to be in or passing through Co. Clare, drop in for their Farm Open Day and Organic Cheese Tasting.

In Clonakilty, Co. Cork. Scally's SuperValu is having an organic lunch sampling of Dee's Organic Omega Burger with organic pitta, organic mixed leaves and organic relish.

The Dublin Food Co-op will have it's regular organic food market between 12noon and 8pm. If you've not been before organic week is a great excuse to make your visit.

In Ballinasloe, Co. Galway there's a farm walk at Beechlawn Organic Farm.

The Organic Centre in Leitrim has another big event with their Annual Harvest Celebration.

In Louth at Grounswell on the Coolery Peninsula there is an introductory workshop on growing and using herbs.

The Mayo Organic Group are hosting an evening with guest speaker Lynda Huxley including organic food tastings and food sale.

Sligo's 'Grow Your Own' market will have a Community Garden Open day.

And the Eyre Square Centre launches it's outdoor food market.

We'll be back tomorrow with our pick of things to do to celebrate.

For a full list of events check out the Bord Bia website.

Organic Week - What to do today 16th September 2009

There's plenty to do across the country today to celebrate National Organic Week:

Burren Smoke House & Roadside Tavern in Lisdonvarna, Co. Clare are having a tasting of Smoked Organic Irish Salmon.

The Nano Nagle Centre, Balgriffin, Mallow, Co. Cork are having an organic farm open day including cookery demo from Clodagh McKenna and a Farmers market.

In the Shannon Key West Hotel, Rooskey, Co. Leitrim there will be an organic information evening which invites you to 'Meet your local Organic Producers'.

Also in Leitrim, at The Organic Centre, Rossinver it's womens day hosted by 'Women in Organic Horticultural Training' (WOHT). The day includes talks, workshops, displays and information.

In Limerick, The Organic College, Dromcollogher has an Open Afternoon and Information on Organic courses & practices for Autumn growers.

We'll be back tomorrow with more events.

For a full list of what's going on this National Organic Week check out the Bord Bia website.

Organic Week - What to do today 15th September 2009

To celebrate organic week Organic Yum-Yum is going to keep you up to date with things to do around the country.

Tonight at the Hudson Bay Hotel, Athlone there is an organic information evening, inviting you to 'Meet your local organic producers'. Call the hotel on 090 6442000 for more information.

If your in or near Bandon, Co. Cork pop into An Tobairin/ Finnuise on South Main Street who have a number of events planned including an 'Organic Veggie Hunt' and a 'Veggie Art Exhibition' which is to be judged by a local celebrity.

you can find a full list of Organic Week events on the Bord Bia Website.

We'll be back to give you our picks again tomorrow.

Organic Week and The Harvest Festival

Organic week is almost upon us again and it's going to be a good one. Bord Bia are going full pelt with the marketing and this year they've embraced social media with pages both on Facebook and Twitter.

The biggest event of the week is once again going to be 'The Harvest Feast' in Leitrim. Running from the 11th to the 13th of September 2009 it's packed with events, talks and demonstrations.

Reading about the feast sparked memories of the Harvest Festivals we celebrated when I was a child. The longer I've been away from Essex the more I've realised how rural it was, country walks were a standard part of a family weekend, the smell of rape seed, the sound of the wind blowing through corn and wheat fields which in later years used to provide good hiding places. I suppose it was natural that the harvest festival would be a big part of our year. Like everything when you are young, living in a small suburban town in Essex harvest festival was heavily linked into the church and school. We were asked to bring something into school for the feast, ironically, most of us seemed to bring tinned food, I guess this was a symbol of the 80's, this food would be distributed to the needy. Church, which I was forced to attend sporadically always looked really pretty, the isle and alter adorned with piles of fresh produce, and corn dollies hung from the pews. My friends Mother was an expert in making plaited bread and harvest loaves that hung tantalisingly from their walls, these are a tradition of the festival, baked from the first grains from the harvest. It's lucky that I never had a sleepover there, it was everything I could do when I visited to stop myself from chomping into the loaves... I mean why would you hang them on a wall?

As with so many Christian celebrations the Harvest Festival was originally a pagan festival.. Lammas the festival of the first fruits of the harvest was celebrated on the 1st or 2nd of August, the bread baking was part of the tradition and it seems by eating this bread you were eating the bread of the gods. It's easy to see how this translated into the Christian faith so well.

In Ireland the festival was called Lughnasad after the sun-king god Lugh and was also celebrated on the 1st of August. Lugh had a feast to morn the death of his Mother Tailtiu who is said to have cleared the land for agriculture. Lughnasad translates as 'marriage of Lugh' as Lugh was believed to be married to the land.

It may be a bit late in the year to celebrate Lughnasad but the Harvest Feast in Leitrim is a great substitute. Leitrum has, in my mind at least, long been the home of organics in Ireland. With food, cookery demos, country walks and even a blackberry jam competition it is definitely the place to be this organic week.

More about Organic Week Ireland soon...

More on Lammas and Lughnasad:

School Of The Seasons

Lestout

Organic Week

Celebrate Organic Week

Organic Week is on it's way. This year Bord Bia have decided to run the event earlier and it will fall between the 15th and 21st of September. This means that it will co-inside with Organic Fortnight in the UK, it also means that there will be far more opportunity for you to enjoy farm walks and seasonal produce.

For a full list of the events scheduled throughout the week log onto the Bord Bia website.

At Feelgood Organic Hampers we are running our own event in collaboration with Healthy Living Health Food Store and Wellness Centre, Vendemia Organic Wines and Moyleabbey Organic Kitchen.

Have you ever wanted to know more about organic wine?
Have you ever been unsure of what to cook for a guest who is Vegan or has allergies?
Do you want to taste some of the foods that Feelgood Organic Hampers has to offer?

Then join us at Healthy Living, 54 Leinster Street, Athy, Co. Kildare on Friday 19th of September at 7pm.

The evening will combine organic wine tasting, organic antipasti, organic, macrobiotic, vegan, wheat free and sugar free cookery demonstrations, a three course meal, entertainment and a chance to win a Feelgood Organic Hamper.

Tickets priced at €25 are available by
- Calling me at Feelgood Organic Hampers on 059 863 8999
or from
- Healthy Living, 54 Leinster Street, Athy, Co. Kildare,
- The Moyleabbey Organic Farm Stall at the Athy Farmers Market
- Café del Vino, The Butterslip, Kilkenny
- The Feelgood Organic Hampers Stall at the Naas Farmers Market

Tickets to this event are very limited so please make sure you book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Recipe of The Month

It's Organic Week in Ireland this week and Feelgood Organic Hampers is launching it's "Organic Recipe Of The Month" to celebrate it.

If you would like me to send an easy to make recipe, which will help you make the best of seasonal ingredients, once a month to your inbox drop me an email at recipe@feelgoodhampers.com. 

If you have a recipe to contribute I'm giving away goodies to anyone who sends me one that I use.

For more details of what is going on for organic week check out Ollies Blog.

Dublin Food Co-op Official Launch

As part of the celebrations for organic week the Dublin Food Co-0p will be officially launching at it's new premises.

For those of you not familiar with the co-op, it is the original organic food market. It has long been one of the best places in Dublin to shop for organic produce both fresh and dried. I was a member there for many years but have let it lapse since I have moved away from the city. Not only was it a great place to shop, I also enjoyed spending my Friday mornings volunteering with them.

A lot of the work in the co-op is carried out by members who receive a discount on their dried goods for the effort. The full or part time staff that run the coop are some of the nicest people you could met and it was always great to talk to them about recent developments in the organic and green movement. So it is with great pleasure that I see they have finally attained their goal of moving to a bigger and better location.

For those of you able to attend, the new co-op is being officially opened by John Gormley, this Saturday (20th October 2007) at 11am. It is based at 12 Newmarket, Cork Street, Dublin 8. They have a map on their website  for those of you not familiar with the area.

Sadly I won't be able to make it myself, as always I will be manning my stall at the Naas Farmers Market.