Taste Kildare, a great day out.

Me at the Feelgood Organic Hampers Stand

Beatrice & Jamie Choc O'Neill

Yuki at Moyleabbey Organic Farm

Thanks to everyone who dropped by my stall at Taste Kildare last weekend. Even the sun made a good appearance on the day. 

There was lots of amazing food on offer and a good amount of organic stalls. By the time things quietened down enough to let me have a wander the Organic Pies on sale from Morrin O'Rourke Farm Foods had sold out. I'm not surprised I saw them setting up in the morning and they looked fantastic. Their range of pies includes Chicken and Bacon, Beef and Cider and Vegetable for vegetarians like myself. For a full list of where you can buy their pies check out their website.

The Moyleabbey Organic Farm stall pictured above looked fantastic all day with beautiful bunches of carrots and beetroot and other seasonal organic vegetables on sale.

The Organic Blending Company, the Irish wing of which is based in Naas were tasting their sausages and marinated meats all day. As well as their marinades they offer gravy, stuffing and spices. They gave me some samples and I can't wait to give them a try... watch this space!

At the end of the day I finally got to sample some of the deserts on offer from the restaurants. This was definitely the best part of the day for me.

The event will be going ahead again next year so if you didn't get a chance to drop by last weekend don't miss the next one. Keep an eye on the website: www.tastekildare.ie.

Prince Charles and GM Food

Prince Charles has always been an unlikely royal. Time after time he has failed to keep his mouth shut about the things he believes in and this is a quality that endears him to me.

We are all by now aware of his opinions on architecture. The inside-out Lloyds building in London, which I have always quite liked, provoked his most famous rant.

In recent years he has become better known for his passion for organic food. The Duchy Original brand which started life with one product, a tasty oat based biscuit now boasts over 300 organic products. He also has his own organic farm in Gloustershire. I have visions of him out in the fields, fork in hand, harvesting perfect organic vegetables from the ground but I am aware that he probably has little to do with the day to day running of the farm. Recently he has taken residence in his Grandmothers castle in Caithness (North Scotland) and has pledged an initiative to help Scotland's farmers and fishermen.

Knowing this it came as little surprise to me that this week he launched a scathing attack on GM Foods. The outburst came in the middle of an interview with a Telegraph Journalist.

His main concerns seem to be the globalisation of the food industry, he goes on to suggest that the corporations behind GM strains are putting us on course for the "biggest disaster environmentally for all time" You can listen to his full outburst here.

His strong opinions seem to have caused a bit of a stir in the UK. Some people believe that the Royal family should be prim and proper and not meddle in politics. Others just claim he is wrong. Some such as Freinds Of the Earth and the Soil Association are patting him on the back.

For me I find it incredible that a few sentences uttered by Prince Charles are capable of re-opening the GM debate in the UK, especially so soon after it was revealed that Gordon Brown was hoping to allow more GM tests to be carried out on British Soil. Ireland is still a GM crop free zone and I hope that we will be able to find and Irish voice as influential as Prince Charles to keep it that way.

Well done Prince Charles!

Come and Meet Us at Taste Kildare

I'm so excited about Taste Kildare that I wish I didn't have to work there myself and I could go and enjoy it in full. 

The event, which is being held in the Victorian walled gardens at the K Club in Straffan on Sunday 17th August 2008 is going to be a fantastic day out. 

Kildare's top restaurants will be offering taster plates and Kildare based artisan producers including What's Cooking?, Soul Bakery and Buns will be giving out samples as well as offering their wares for sale on the day.

At the Feelgood Organic Hampers stall I will be giving out tasters of some of our best products as well as having a wide range of organic food on sale. Do drop by and have a chat.

With a mix of entertainment for both adults and children including  face painting, crazy golf duck racing, archery and tours of the wine cellar this really will be a fun day out for everyone.

Best of all it's completely free. Just pre-register online at www.tastekildare.ie  to avail of the free car parking.

Travels in New York Part 2: The Union Square Green Market

Stepping out of Union Square subway station and finding your self in the middle of the Green Market is like stepping into a little piece of paradise. I have visited many farmers markets but never one quite like this one. It's scale alone like almost everything in America is huge. Imagine every farmers market that you have ever been to in Ireland stuck together and you will get some idea of the size . The choice of stalls was huge, it made me wonder how you could possibly choose which stall to buy from but it soon became apparent that most stalls had a speciality. Some were organic, some had mountains of radishes the size of my fist , some were specialists in garlic, salad leaves, milk, cherries etc. I even found stalls that offered free range eggs which I had been lead to believe were almost impossible to source in the US. In fact the variety of produce was so amazing I started to wonder how the 'Wholefoods Market' on Union square was able to survive. With this amount of locally produced and seasonal produce available why would you want to shop in a supermarket?

There were information stalls scattered around which offered recipes for seasonal produce, and all important maps. One information stall was even cooking up seasonal treats. There were also blackboards and stalls displaying lists of seasonal produce.

Sadly it was my last day in New York so although I walked through the stalls agape and thoroughly excited about what was offer I was unable to purchase anything. I was sad that it would be some time before I would return to New York and be able to shop here.

The Green Market on Union Square is open on Monday's Wednesday's Friday's and Saturdays between 8am and 6pm. I was there on a Saturday. For more information on the other locations of Green Markets in New York look here. 

Travels in New York Part 1: Gusto Organic Restaurant

If I was to open an organic restaurant I would like it to be like Gusto on 6th avenue and 14th. I had been nagging my traveling companion for virtually the whole week to go to this place and it wasn't until the last day that he finally agreed to set foot inside. Part of the reason my companion had been unexcited at the prospect of joining me for a meal here was that I was under the impression that it was a salad bar.

As we were guided to our reclaimed wood table that sadly wobbled quite severely until we stuffed a napkin under one of the legs, it became apparent to our delight that there was more than salad on the menu. We were handed both the brunch and lunch menus and found that alongside the healthy salads there were steak and eggs, grilled pizza, sandwiches, soup and omlettes. I went for the grilled vegetable piadinas mostly because I hadn't got a clue what an pianina was and I like surprises, the description did mention flour tortilla which led me to imagine it would be reasonably healthy.

My companion ordered the steak and eggs. As we waited for our food and made our way through the still warm freshly baked bread that had landed on our table, I studied our recycled paper place mats that listed the restaurants green credentials including it's two organic Certifications: USDA and NOFA and it's green Green Restaurants Association certification.
One of the things I really love about the restaurants in New York was that in the very humid 35 degree heat a tall glass of iced water would arrive at your table as soon as you sat down. Strangely this didn't happen at Gusto and I found myself having to order it along with my other drink of choice lemonade. The lemonade was great, really refreshing but I soon regretted my choice when my companions 'Suave', a peach based blended fruit juice, arrived. I stole a sip when he wasn't looking and it was so divine I ordered one for myself immediately.

When the food arrived I discovered that a Piadina was what a flat kind of toasted tortilla filled with vegetables and cheese. It tasted really good but there was a little too much cheese and not enough veg for my personal taste, the salad was fantastic, a tasty mix of leaves drizzled in a balsmic dressing. My companions steak and eggs looked great. The eggs were the first orange yoked eggs I had seen for my entire trip. You soon get very used to seeing the pale yellow eggs served with every breakfast on offer here. These eggs were the real deal and I was assured by my usually critical companion that both the eggs and steak were as good as they looked. Not only were they really well cooked and full of flavour but the meat itself was melt in the mouth tender.

The most refreshing thing was that the portion sizes were not overwhelming, for the first time since we had arrived in NYC I still had enough room for desert. I was tempted by the handmade Dulce de Leche ice cream. Sadly when I ordered I discovered that they had temporarily sold out. The new batch would be ready in two hours but as my flight out was pending I had to opt for the vanilla ice cream instead. Although I was dissapointed there was something reassuring about knowing that the ice cream was freezing away on premesis as I ate. The vanilla ice cream was sensational, really creamy, really vanillaly (if there is such a word) and really rich.

All in all I really enjoyed Gusto and if I had been staying in New York any longer I'm sure I would become a frequent customer. It seems that they are planning to expand and open in other cities across the states so watch out for a Gusto the next time you take a trip across the pond.

I'm on holiday

I'm writing this post just before I'm due to go on my holiday. I'm feeling pretty guilty because my break is not an eco-holiday at all. As you read this I will be living it up in NYC.

For that reason this will be a short post but I couldn't resist letting you know what a bunch of American's were up to in New York during the build up to the launch of the iPhone 3G.

Waiting for Apples are a group intent on promoting organic farming. They also want to persuade the new president, whomever that may be, to turn the lawn of the Whitehouse into an organic farm. How are they tying this into the launch of the iPhone 3G? It's hard to make the connection but were attempting to break the record for the longest time waiting in line to buy something. Find out more here, and here.

Sadly I'll be missing them by a couple of days.

Free Organic Chocolate!

This week IrishBusinessWomen.com (IBW) celebrates it's second 'Promote Yourself Unashamedly Week'. The week when all IBW website members can advertise their services for free. The members whose posts draw most attention will win a prize at the end of the week.

To help the celebration and to do as much as possible to win the coveted prize, Feelgood Organic Hampers has offered all IBW members free Booja Booja organic Champagne truffles with every purchase until the end of the week.

Irish Business Women is a forum style website which was the brainchild of Frank Fullard at Mayo County Enterprise Board. In spite of the name, the forum is open to members of any sex and is a great resourse to both those in the early stages of business set up and to more experienced business people.

Quite a few eco businesses have joined the fun have a look at these: 

Eco Creations offers Irish designed organic cotton fabrics, read their post here.

Mark Shirley is qualified to energy rate your home.

Baby Slings and Outdoor Things have eco friendly and organic baby clothes, read their post here.

Earth Balance Interiors are offering 40% discount to IBW members. More here.

And if you have a second or two, help me catch the leaders and click through to my shameless promotion! There's still time to get your hands on some free chocolate.

Organic Taste Test - Organic v Conventional Strawberries

I was delighted to discover that the Castleruddery Organic Farm stall at the Naas Farmers Market this week was stocking organic strawberries grown locally in Narraghmore, Co. Kildare.

I immediately purchased a punnet and decided to compare them to the non-organic ones I had bought earlier in the day. Surprisingly there was only 50c difference in the price. The organic ones were packed in a bio degradable tray made from the same material as egg boxes  which gained it some early points.

The conventional strawberries were' Elsanta' strawberries, the most common variety that you will find growing in Ireland.  I have yet to discover what variety the organic ones were but they definitely weren't Elsanta, when I find out I will let you know. Colour wise, the organic ones were deep red with darkish seeds. The conventional berries were shinier and the seeds were golden.

I did a blind taste on a couple of the other stallholders and most of them agreed that the Organic ones were superior in flavour. The conventionally grown ones tasted watery and the amount of flavour decreased as the fruits got larger. The organic ones had a pure and intense strawberry flavour which only got better the bigger the berry. They reminded me of how strawberries tasted when I was a child and it didn't take me long to polish off the whole punnet. I had to go back for two more before the end of the day.

If you would like to taste the difference yourself these exceptional strawberries are available both at the Naas and Athy Farmers Markets. 

Organic Product Review - Mileeven Strawberry Preserve

Mileeven are an Irish company based in county Kilkenny. I already stock some of their jams in my hampers but hadn't tried the Strawberry one before. When I found it on the shelf of my local supermarket I couldn't resist giving it a go.

It is quite a smooth jam, lacking the big chunks of strawberry that you may find in some products. I was slightly disappointed when I discovered this as I always love getting that surprise giant strawberry in the middle of my toast. It does spread quite easily though and this is a definite advantage to a smooth jam.

The flavor is great, it contains 45% fruit so although it is sweet, it's not too sweet which leaves the strawberry to do the talking. 

This was supposed to be my last post in celebration of the Strawberry but I have just received another product to review and tasted some great organic strawberries at the weekend so I can't resist extending my celebration.

Other Irish Blogs on Strawberries

Organic Yum-Yum doesn't have the last word on strawberries, two other great blogs have featured them recently.

To find out the best way to grow your own at home have a look at Sally Garden.

And for a great taste test of the organic strawberries found in Ireland Oliver Moore gives you the low down.

Recipe - Strawberry Smoothie Lollipops

It's almost the end of June so this is my penultimate post in celebration of the Strawberry for 2008.

I have started almost every day this month with a Strawberry smoothie and on the Sunny evenings I have been treating myself to these ice pops. Lets hope that the sun shows it's face again soon so that I can continue to enjoy this summer treat.

Ingredients

7 large strawberries

250ml freshly squeezed orange juice

1 banana

2tbsp Water

1tbsp sugar

Stir the sugar into the water and heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to create a syrup, this helps the ice pop to retain it's flavor when sucked.

Place all of the ingredients, including the syrup into a blender and blitz until smooth.

Pour the liquid into ice pop moulds and freeze for 8 hours.

For more organic and seasonal recipes join our mailing list on the top right of this blog.

Why Organic Strawberries?

I've really been enjoying this seasons strawberries, every week they seem to be getting sweeter and more full of flavour.

If you are living near to Enniscorthy don't miss out on the chance to visit the Wexford Strawberry Festival next weekend. It kicks off on Wednesday the 25th with a Strawberry Ball and goes on until the 29th of June. It would be worth going just on the chance of being able to sample the Organic Strawberries produced locally at the Wexford Organic Centre. 

So why should we choose organic strawberries? 

Thankfully one of the most devastating chemicals used in Strawberry production, Methyl Bromide was phased out in 2005. According to the Environmental Protection Agency the chemical was used as a pesticide both to sterilise the land before planting and after harvesting. Apart from the obvious concerns of chemical residue on the fruit itself it was found that Methyl Bromide was having a devastating effect on the ozone layer. It is also sited in the Environmental Protection Agencies Draft Guidance Note for Ozone Depleting Substances as being responsible for the deaths of some pesticide appliers. 

Unfortunately Methyl Bromide was only one of 50 chemicals that is listed by the Pesticides Action Network as being routinely used on Strawberry crops. I picked two at random from their list: Methomyl which when taken orally, inhaled or absorbed through the skin can cause symptoms which:

may include weakness, blurred vision, headache, nausea, abdominal cramps, chest discomfort, constriction of pupils, sweating, muscle tremors, and decreased pulse. If there is severe poisoning, symptoms of twitching, giddiness, confusion, muscle incoordination, slurred speech, low blood pressure, heart irregularities, and loss of reflexes may also be experienced - source extoxnet

And Thiophanate-methyl which although not anywhere near as toxic as Methomyl does cause skin and eye irritation.

So if you aren't lucky enough to be able to source organic strawberries on your doorstep try to buy from a small local supplier who is less likely to have used the full spectrum of chemicals and will be able to tell you exactly how they are grown.

Better still, why not try and grow your own next year!

Recipe - French toast with strawberries, maple syrup and mascarpone

French toast always seems a bit of a posh name for what I have always known as 'eggie bread'. Using Brioche for the toast part really does make it extra fluffy and yummy. If you can't find brioche locally a good quality bread will be an adequate substitute.

I had mascarpone as an alternative to cream in a London restaurant recently and find it goes really well with the strawberries. If it's not your thing you could use natural yogurt or cream in its place.

Ingredients

2 x Free Range Eggs

100ml Cream

2 slices of bread (preferably brioche)

25g Butter

5 or 6 Large strawberries

2tbsp Mascarpone

Maple Syrup to garnish.

Slice the strawberries.

Whisk the cream and eggs together in a bowl. 

Dip the brioche into the mixture coating thoroughly

Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the soaked brioche for a few minutes on each side until golden. Turn out onto a serving plate. 

Scatter the strawberries over the bread and add two large dollops of mascarpone. Garnish with maple syrup and eat whist still hot.

Organic Product Review - Luscombe Strawberry Lemonade

I found this lemonade 3 years ago at a trade fair and knew from the first taste that It would go into my hampers. 

Luscombe Farm's Strawberry lemonade comes in a glass bottle and reassuringly needs a bit of a shake before you drink it as, being completely natural and organic, some of the pulp settles when it is left on the shelf.

Although labeled as lemonade the overwhelming flavor is a lovely smooth strawberry juice. The lemon adds a bite of refreshment. Although this is a sparkling drink, the sparkle is minimal so doesn't affect the taste but tingles on your tongue.

It is available in two sizes 32cl for personal use and 74cl for sharing. 

Luscombe have a great website with lots of cool cocktail recipes including one featuring the Strawberry Lemonade. It's also great just added to a drop of  vodka and ice for a cool summer drink.

Luscombe Organic Strawberry Lemonade is certified organic by the Soil Association.

Recipe - Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

The first time that I encountered chocolate dipped strawberries was in New York about 5 years ago. NYC might be called 'The Big Apple' but having seen the size of the strawberries there I think it should be renamed!

It was the winter there at the time so I'm guessing that the giant berries that I gazed at through the window of chocolate shops were neither seasonal or organic. In spite of this my passion for chocolate strawberries was sealed. This recipe is so simple I'm sure you could have come up with it yourself. Last week at the Irish Business Women conference I had some that were double dipped in both white and dark chocolate. If I get a chance I will give these a go at the weekend and update this post with the results.

Ingredients

100g Good quality organic chocolate (dark or milk)

1 punnet Strawberries

Chop the chocolate into chunks, place into a pyrex bowl that is just the right size to sit over a pan of boiling water without making contact with the water.

Melt the chocolate over the water.

Taking the strawberries one at a time by the stalk dip three quarters of the way in chocolate. 

Place on a plate to cool.

In Celebration of the Strawberry.

My birthday falls right at the beginning of strawberry season. I have very fond memories of the first punnets arriving, my Granny and Mum carefully preparing them and then stuffing myself silly with them for the whole day. Strawberries meant Summer to me and the fact that they coincided with my birthday made them even more special.

We also used to go strawberry picking quite regularly at one of the many pick your own farms close to our home. I always ate more than I picked but we would still return home laden with fruit.

Because of all the fond memories that strawberries bring, and because, to this day they are still one of my favorite foods, I am going to dedicate this blog for the month of June to the celebration of the strawberry.

So watch this space for recipes, product reviews and anything else interesting that I can find about my favorite berry.

More about the Organic Action Plan

I found a link to the full text of the 60 point Organic Action Plan for Ireland, thanks to Conor Little from Trevor Sargent's office.

It's an impressive plan and an easy read. The target however still seems high, it is hoping to achieve an over 500% increase in Utilisable Agricultural Area (UAA) devoted to organic farming in the space of just 4 years. The reason for such a short timeline is due in part to the developing market. The plan outlines the key markets for organic product, which aside from fulfilling our own needs, relies heavily on export markets and particularly the UK. The worry is that if we don't fulfill these markets quickly someone else will. 

Because of a current gap in the market, and in part due to the large amount of land that can be converted in a relatively short amount of time, Organic Beef has been singled out as one of the biggest growth markets here. Although this does fill a niche I would agree with Ollie's comment on my previous post that it is disappointing that a larger focus is not being placed on horticulture.

The good news is that even with the slow down in the economy in the UK, the Soil Association still expect a 10% growth in the organic market this year, meaning that there should be no shortage of demand for our product in the overseas market.

If we are to increase our production so dramatically we will also need to make sure we market it properly. The Organic Action Plan allows provision for a new marketing strategy. The current strategy will not suffice as it was only designed for 1% UAA. The marketing both at home and abroad is going to be crucial to attaining our target. The plan acknowledges that 'there still seems to be an image problem with organic farming among the framing sector' and suggests ways in which this can be overcome. 

If I haven't bored you to death on this subject yet and you would like to read more keep an eye on The Examiner,  Oliver Moore is going to be writing about it over the next few weeks. 

Read the plan in full

Bamboo Clothing - The Pro's and Con's

Fashion has taken a seriously green turn this year, with London Fashion Week kicking off the trend back in February and in April we in Ireland hosted our first ever Ethical Fashion Week. 

Bamboo clothing is being heralded as the newest eco-fabric and at a recent trade show I was excited to finally see and feel this new cloth. It is beautiful, I was struck by how shiny it was, it's appearance and feel is closer to that of satin than it's eco-competitor organic cotton. It was also really light, a cloth nappy seemed to loose all it's bulkiness when made from bamboo.  The lady at the stand told me that because of it's natural deodorising properties you could wear the socks for a week without washing them... although I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to test that yet!

The advantages of bamboo seem endless, it's naturally antibacterial and anti-fungal, it's durable, it grows quickly without the use of pesticides and it is completely sustainable. It would seem to be a miracle fabric, but as with all things there is a disadvantage. I had noticed that although bamboo is grown organically that none of the garments seemed to be labeled organic. Looking into this further I discovered that hazardous chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide are used during the processing of the plant. These chemicals are extremely toxic and can cause severe health problems to the people working with them. For example carbon disulfide is known to:

 '...affect the normal functions of the brain, liver, and heart'  *

and sodium hydroxide when inhaled can cause:

 '...swelling or spasms of the upper airway leading to obstruction and loss of measurable pulse; inflammation of the lungs and accumulation of fluid in the lungs may also occur'*

Even with all these health effects bamboo is still more environmentally friendly than many other materials. For example non organic cotton uses approximately 150g of pesticide per pound of raw cotton - enough to produce just one T shirt.

The good news is that there is an eco-friendly and organic way of producing bamboo cloth which allows natural the natural enzymes in the plant to break down the pulp. Although it is eco-friendly it is very labour intensive and as a result costly. New technologies are also being developed to help make the mass processing methods greener.

 

* Source: The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Further Reading:  

Environmental News Network

Los Angeles Times Blog

Organic Clothing

Trev's Organic Action Plan

Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while will be aware of my occasional rants about the availability of Irish organic produce. Although, as I have discussed before, it is not always more eco-friendly to buy local produce, especially when it is out of season, it does seem a little crazy to me that in a blossoming market we are still importing approximately 70% of our organic produce. It would be great to know that manufacturers of certified organic prepared foods would be able to source a sufficient quantity and quality of raw ingredients in this country to satisfy their production needs.

The answer of course is to convert more land to organic agriculture. It seems that the Green Party are staying true to their election promise to work towards a greater proportion of organic land with Trevor Sargent last week announcing his Organic Action Plan for Ireland.

The Green Party's website makes reference to '60 actions' included in the plan which strives to achieve 5% of  land area devoted to organic agriculture by 2010.

There are incentives to Farmers who choose to go organic including annual payments during both the conversion period and through REPS (Rural Environmental Protection Scheme) when fully certified.

5% does seem to be a huge target to reach but it is encouraging to see that the Greens are aiming their sights high. At the very least it has already sparked debate on the organic issue. It is sad however to note that the organic sector seems to be getting a hard time from the Irish press at the moment with very few column inches devoted Mr. Sargent's new plan. I was a little disconcerted to hear Mr. Sargent interviewed on The Last Word on Today FM last week. Presenter Matt Cooper decided to pick apart the whole organic movement and gave Mr. Sargent very little time to elaborate on the new plan. One of Matt Coopers comments was that the Organic sector had been given a lot of favorable press, it left me wondering if he had been reading the same newspapers as me!

I haven't read the entire Organic Action Plan for Ireland yet as I haven't been able to source it on line. I have emailed the Green Party asking for a copy and if and when they respond I hope to report on in in more detail.

Further Reading: Green Party Statement

Tell Europe No to GM foods

I got a plea from Greenpeace this morning:

Dear friends,

An important vote on GMOs is due to take place on 7 May in Brussels. The agro-chemical industry wants to get EU permission to grow pesticide-producing maize plants and a GM potato that contains an antibiotic resistant gene. We want EU Commissioners to say NO when they discuss the applications on 7 May. Our petitions, postcards, emails, blog comments and actions have helped bring the EU to this historic moment. Now, this is it!
Can you join us in writing directly to all the European Commissioners this week?

The agro-chemical industry is already bombarding the Commission with lobbyists and messages. Greenpeace activists and campaigners are on the ground in Brussels, too. But with your voice, and your network of friends, we can deliver a louder, more direct message to Europe's top politicians.

We have contact details for all 27 European Commissioners, talking points you can use in your message to them, and links to further reading. The vast majority of EU citizens are opposed to GMOs, and emails direct from people who care ? in Europe, around the world ? can really work.

Please click here to take action.

Thank you for taking action before 7 May and for campaigning this far with us already.

We will keep you informed!

Everyone at Greenpeace International

In Ireland we are in a pretty unique situation. If GM is grown in continental Europe there is little chance of our crops getting infected. But the more GM that is grown in Europe the more likely it is to be grown here eventually. So please help Greenpeace with their campaign and help keep Ireland GM free.

May 8th 2008

Just an update to let you all know that we won. Thank you to all of you who participated.