Regaining the Freedom of Dublin on two wheels.

As anyone who knows me will know I have been slightly overexcited about the new Dublin bikes scheme. I moved from Dublin just over 3 years ago and really have missed cycling around the city so I signed up for the scheme at the first available opportunity. Last week I had several meetings scheduled across the city and was really looking forward to trying them out. It was the day after the Luas/Bus crash so my tram in from the Red Cow park and ride was only running as far as Smithfield. Luckily there is a bike station right next to the Luas station there.

So I picked up a bike and was able to complete my journey to Connolly Station on two wheels. The bikes themselves are quite bulky and heavy, there is a largish basket on the front which is handy, it also has some sort of security lock on it that you can thread through the handles of your bags so that no one can snatch it when you're stopped at the lights. The handlebars seemed strangely thin, in fact they surprised me with their thinness every time I got on one. I felt steadier on this bike than my own, possibly due to it's sturdiness and weight, this is not a bike you would want to cycle long distances on but is perfect for short city trips. There are only three gears and they are all pretty easy to pedal in. During my whole day I only felt a need to change down to second one time. This also means that you can't go that fast and you will need to get used to other cyclists overtaking you.

My second journey between Baggot Street and the IFSC was great, usually you would either need to get a bus into town and a Luas out to the IFSC or walk which takes quite a while. I was at the IFSC in about 15 minutes and had plenty of time for coffee before my meeting. It was dark for my return journey, the bikes have built in lights which come on automatically as soon as you pick them up but I did feel that as I was wearing dark clothes my visibility wasn't the best. Next time I'll be sure to remember my fluorescent vest. I was quite chuffed to hear some pedestrians making comment on the bike as I cycled past, apparently they are 'quite cool' I like to think that I looked pretty cool cycling it as well!

My last journey of the day was back to the Luas. The Internet told me that trams were still only running from Smithfield so I cycled up there only to find the bike station full. I checked their computer which gave me another 20 minutes of free cycling time but I must have read it wrong as when I arrived at the next station it too was full. Third time I was lucky and finally managed to get a spot at Jervis Street. Luckily the Internet had been lying and trams were running the full route again so I was able to hop on a Luas almost immediately.

I was pretty happy with the experience and I'll definitely be using them a lot more. There are a few disadvantages that are worth a mention.

1. Bring your own safety equipment. As I mentioned fluorescent vests and cycle helmets aren't provided. It would also be a good idea to bring a quality bike lock if you need to stop your journey at any point. Cycle clips are not required, as I discovered after cycling around with my trousers rolled up for half a day, there is a very good chain guard provided so there is no chance of getting your boot cuts caught up.

2. Check the availability of parking space at your destination before leaving. The bike stations have a display of what spaces are available at what stations across the city. If I hadn't found a space at Jervis centre I could have had to face a cycle back up the very steep hill next to Christchurch so checking where to park in advance of my journey would have been a good idea. The council moves the bikes during the day to ensure maximum availability but by 9.30pm they had obviously stopped this service, there were only two bikes to hire at Wilton Terrace and as I mentioned the stations at my destination were full. If you have an iPhone or similar there is a handy app which allows you to access information whilst on the road. Find it here.

3. One way systems. Bring a city street guide with you so you can make sense of how to get around the one ways. I'm used to navigating the city by foot so I found myself scuppered by one way streets a number of times.

You can buy a one year subscription to Dublin bikes online for €10 or, if you are in Dublin and fancy giving it a go right now you can get a three day subscription for €2. For full information check out the DublinBikes.ie website.

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

Critical Mass comes to Dublin

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If you've ever been in central London during critical mass you will have witnessed the streets filling with bicycles. It's a strange site to see as the cars, buses and taxis get pushed aside to make way for hundreds of bicycles.

Critical Mass has it's roots in San Fransisco. On September 25th 1992 48 cyclists attended the first ride. The numbers grew steadily and by January 1993 there were 500 cyclists attending. Other cities began to take notice and the movement has now spread worldwide.

17 years later to the day Dublin is to see it's first Critical Mass. Meeting at the gates of Stephens Green, (Grafton Street end) at 6pm the ride will take a scenic route around the city and along the canal. It promises to be a relaxed ride and that all are welcome even grandparents! If the weather is good there's going to be a picnic in the park afterwards.

We all know Dublin is a great cycling hub, since I've moved away I've missed the freedom of the city that cycling gave me. And luckily for all of us living in the country the Dublin Bike Scheme is launching almost 2 weeks before hand so we will be able to rent a bike for as little as €2!

I look forward to seeing some of you there.

For more information of the Critical Mass movement:
Wiki
Critical Mass Info

*photos by Iain Cognito

Cool Earth at the Festival of World Cultures

Feelgood Organic Hampers has been asked to participate in this year's Cool Earth exhibition at the Dun Laoghaire Festival of World Cultures.

Run by Dun Laoghaire Rathdown CoCo's Environmental and Culture Department, the event takes place this Saturday and Sunday the 29th and 30th of August on the concourse of Dun Laoghaire County Hall between 11am and 6pm. It is the third year that it has been run and it aims to illustrate 'simple ways to reduce your carbon footprint'.

Speakers include Trevor Sargent , Evelyn Cusack from MET Eirann and Kieran O'Brien from UNICEF Ireland. There is also entertainment including music from environmental folk singer Enda Reilly, a mixture of Japanese and traditional Irish music from Philip Horan and Junshi Murakam and comedy from the hyper eco-aware MOMO Theatre company.

There will also be plenty of family friendly activities including making bird feeders and plant pots.

We will be there with a selection of the best Irish produced Organic Food, the Irish made skincare range from Flourish Organics a selection of organic cotton baby clothing and of course hampers. Other stall holders include the Amnesty Freedom cafe, Coolfin Gardens Organic Bakery, Glenisk, The Native Woodland Trust.

For more information check out the Cool Earth website.

The allotment phenomenon

The cult of grow your own has become massive this year. Maybe it's the credit crunch driving us back to a simpler way of life, a hobby that saves us money not one that eats through our finances. Maybe it's the inevitable next step in the green revolution. Or maybe all those hours of watching Hugh do it on River Cottage have finally paid off. Almost everyone I know is growing something this year and it's a great community to be part of. A mild panic I had during the week about my potatoes was soon assuaged by talking to a fellow gardener.

I guess part of the reason I moved to the country was to be able to grow my own and become more sustainable, which is why I often feel a bit sorry for those who live in apartments or the city. There is a lot that can be done with window boxes and planters but if you want to be more adventurous, don't have a garden and really want to get your hands, boots and clothes dirty, an allotment could be the way to go.

Originally hailing from England my view of allotments has always been of old men with flat caps accompanied by whippets putting their feet up in a ramshackle shed. A view which was probably influenced by popular culture, allotments were spaces which soap opera characters like Arthur Fowler and Jack Duckworth inhabited. Coming from the suburbs allotments weren't something that I had first hand experience of, everyone in the 'burbs has their own garden!

I went to college in the north of England, just outside Newcastle and the allotment was far more prevalent there. I went to a photographic exhibition on the subject, the black and white prints of people enjoying the allotment life, growing food, pigeon fancying, being part of a community was enough to sell the whole concept to me.

It is this romantic view of allotments which has stuck with me, and when I learned of community allotment schemes beginning to spring up across Ireland I was delighted.

Earlier this year I bumped into a business contact of mine, Mary from Taxing Times, she told me that she was involved in the Harbour View Community Garden Project. The community received a grant of €2,500 to convert a 3 acre plot of vacant land into allotments. A lot of work had to be done to clear and prepare the ground, a task which the community took on together. Well wishers donated equipment and even trees.

The allotments are now being rented, the proceeds of which will go back into the garden with the intention of establishing a native woodland and orchard.

This is just one of many stories of thriving communities across Ireland pulling together to create gardening space. To keep up to date with news on allotments near you check out Allotments Ireland, you can also follow them on Twitter.

Back in the UK it seems politicians across the spectrum are encouraging the grow your own movement. Boris Johnson and Gordon Brown have both been in the news due to their green fingers. Mr Brown has even taken a leaf out of President Obama's book and declared that he and his wife are to grow veg in the garden at No. 10. So the allotment phenomenon seems to be here to stay.

*please excuse the quality of the images which were grabbed from a scanned document

Water Labeling

Last week the Food Ethics Council (FEC) and Sustain launched a joint report into the amount of water used to produce the food we eat. They proposed the introduction of a water footprint label which they hope would encourage good water stewardship practices and help to educate the consumer on how much 'virtual water' goes into what we consume.

At first it seems baffling that it could take up to 7 litres of water to make a bottle of water or 140 litres to make a cup of coffee. The statistics get worse when you look into meat and dairy production with 2,000 litres of water going into 1 litre of milk or 1kg of beef. Where is all this water going?

In the case of coffee, it is a very thirsty crop, often grown in a hot climate. It is also grown in countries where irrigation systems have been stretched to the max, these tired systems can be inefficient with the water they carry.

With bottled water it is the bottle itself that is the culprit. To make the plastic, mould it, mass produce it and maintain the factory where it is created.

For beef and dairy it is not just the water that the cows consume, it is the water that it takes to grow the food they eat. The grass or corn or alfalfa that they eat needs water to grow and one average cow can consume up to 76kg of grass per day.

So is water labeling the solution? I do believe that we as consumers need to become more aware of the amount of 'virtual water' we consume. In Ireland it is often easy to forget that water isn't so easy to come by elsewhere. I have just finished reading Fred Pearce's 'When The Rivers Run Dry' which paints a pretty bleak picture of our world teetering on the edge of water poverty. Centuries of bad water practices, of dams and irrigation systems that rob some rivers of so much of their flow that they fail to reach the sea. Of drained and polluted aquifiers, of farmers who dig wells deeper and deeper yet they still run dry. Each of us need to take responsibility for the amount of virtual water we consume, we may switch off the tap whilst we're brushing our teeth but to really make a difference perhaps we should cut down on the amount of coffee we drink, the amount of bottled water we buy or the amount of meat and dairy we consume? Water labeling will educate us, will make us aware but my fear is that another label on our food, without a massive marketing campaign to back it up, could just be lost amongst our certified organic, fair trade, carbon footprint and nutritional information.

Download the report here.

Climate Camp Ireland

Ireland's first Climate Camp is scheduled to take place near Shannon Bridge in County Offaly between the 15th and 23rd of August.

The week long camp is packed with workshops and seminars which tackle everything from bicycle maintenance to building your own wind turbine. The aims of the camp range from building a movement calling on direct action against polluters and carbon trading profiteers to proposing an alternative model which embraces sustainable living.

I am looking forward to attending, but my main concern is how I'm going to get there. It is clear that cars will not be welcome and although I love cycling I'm not sure my fitness level is good enough for me to join the bikebombers on their Dublin to Offaly 2 day cycle. A quick search for buses or trains that service the town brings up no results. I'm sure the organisers have come up with something and I guess that I'll have to keep an eye on their website to find out.

The camp is also looking for donations of certain materials for the construction of the camp, I did breath a sigh of relief when I saw that they were looking for toilet seats! Check out the 'Things we need' page of their website to see what you can contribute.

I'll try and keep you updated as I receive information. For the Facebook users amongst you there is an event group which you can join.

I'll look forward to meeting some of you there.

*UPDATE*

Transport arrangements as follows:

The climate camp is located beside the town of Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly.

How can I get there?

We are asking people NOT to drive to the camp. We not providing a parking service. We do not want to disrupt traffic in the village or block any footpaths, so please leave cars at home. If you have heavy equipment and children to carry we encourage you to take a train or bus and then avail of our shuttle service to and from ATHLONE. If you do arrive by car, you will have to find your own parking and this will be at your own risk.

You can reach the Climate Camp by:

Train:

Take a train to Athlone and from there our shuttle bus.

The shuttle buses depart from bus station in Athlone to the camp each day at 10.30am and 6.30pm. On Weekend days there is an additional departure from Athlone at 3.30pm. The journey takes 25 minutes and the cost is €5 each way.The first shuttle bus will run at 6.30pm on Friday 14th of August, from Athlone. The last bus will depart from the camp 9.30am on Monday 24th of August.

Buses leave the camp at 9.30 and 5.30 everyday, and also at 2.30pm on weekend days.

When you know your desired departure times from Athlone PLEASE TEXT 087 1320240 with your time and number of passengers to help us make sure everyone gets a ride.IT IS IMPORTANT TO TEXT SO THAT YOU ARE NOT LEFT STRANDED IN ATHLONE.

Bus

Take a bus to Athlone and from there our shuttle bus.

The shuttle buses depart from bus station in Athlone to the camp each day at 10.30am and 6.30pm. On Weekend days there is an additional departure from Athlone at 3.30pm. The journey takes 25 minutes and the cost is €5 each way.The first shuttle bus will run at 6.30pm on Friday 14th of August, from Athlone. The last bus will depart from the camp 9.30am on Monday 24th of August.

Buses leave the camp at 9.30 and 5.30 everyday, and also at 2.30pm on weekend days.

When you know your desired departure times from Athlone PLEASE TEXT 087 1320240 with your time and number of passengers to help us make sure everyone gets a ride. IT IS IMPORTANT TO TEXT SO THAT YOU ARE NOT LEFT STRANDED IN ATHLONE.

Cycling

A group is cycling from Dublin to the Climate Camp departing on 15th August. Contact bikebombers@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for all the details
We encourage as many people as possible to cycle to the camp from wherever you are in the country. If you are new to cycling and would like some advice contact 087 1320240This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For tips on what to bring and choosing a route contact bikebombers@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for support.

You could also combine a short cycle with a bus or train journey. We'd recommend putting your bike on the train or bus as far as Ballinasloe. From there it's a 12km to the camp in Shannonbridge, which takes about 40 minutes to cycle. It's a pleasant route, not many cars and you'll get a good view of the vast cut bogs and rolling agricultural landscapes as you approach Shannonbridge from the west.

Walking

It's a 12km walk from the nearest bus station and trainstation in Ballinasloe. If you are walking we recommend using an Ordnance survey map to plan your route. The R road is a pleasant route, not many cars and you'll get a good view of the vast cut bogs and rolling agricultural landscapes as you approach Shannonbridge from the west, but there is no footpath for most the route.

Hitching or liftsharing

Hitchhiking in Ireland is becoming a lost tradition - it's a lot easier than you think! You can also check online whether there are any lifts going that you could take - www.tripmi.ie

Barge..Currach..canoe

Shannonbridge is on the River Shannon - if you have fossil-fuel free boat transport available to you, we encourage you to use it!

From the Climate Camp website

How does your garden grow?

I think the fact that my garden is baring fruit must be testimony that anyone can grow something to eat in their garden. I have muddled and bluffed my way through the whole gardening process so am delighted that I am finally able to eat the fruits of my labour.

One thing I have learned from the experience so far is how helpful people can be. I never imagined that I would be one of those people who could comfortably chat about gardening, whether it be how the slugs have attacked my beans or how proud I am of my squash plants, I am able to converse on gardening for a very long time. The tips and advice you can pick up are invaluable. I can even thank my social networking friends for their continual support. I wouldn't have a garden without them.

The potatoes are a constant delight to me. I can't wait until it's time to dig them up, I just can't get over how well they have grown without much care and attention, specially as they were grown from a bag of sprouting potatoes that I didn't get around to cooking.

My one disappointment is that I seem to have pretty much failed to grow anything really successfully from seed. I obviously need to do a bit more reading in that area. I have, as I mentioned before three great squash plants, a pea plant and a bean plant. There are two beetroot seedlings also still struggling on. Luckily I have been given plants by other enthusiastic gardeners who have managed to propagate a few too many for their own consumption. Last week my bean seeds from Glenisk and the Organic Centre arrived, hopefully by following their instructions to the letter I will finally have my own bean plants grown from seed.

From the garden I have already been able to enjoy; lettuce, which I've been eating almost every day, although it has gone to seed now there is still plenty of eating left in it. Herbs, which again I am using everyday. The Rosemary, Bay leaves, Parsley and chives have been used in casseroles, dumplings, salad dressings and more.

I am watching my first courgette daily, and am planning a recipe for it when it that will bring out the flavour fully. I also have a number of beans growing and a single pea pod which I am looking forward to harvesting.

My Mint plant however doesn't look too healthy. It has turned yellow with black spots on many of the leaves. I have asked for expert opinion and it seems I could have been over watering it. I've got my fingers crossed that it survives.

Organic Supermarket goes online.

Last year I visited the Organic Supermarket in Blackrock and wrote a review of it for Organic Yum-Yum. I was very impressed with the place and the range of organic produce, I was particularly impressed that all the food was organic and that Darren Grant, the owner, had gone to the extra effort of getting the premises certified organic.

The one disadvantage was that it was in Blackrock. Living in Kildare this meant I was unable to do my weekly shop there. It is rarely that I have had the chance to pop in since but I do make it my mission every time that I am in the vicinity.

As you can imagine I was delighted when I heard that the Organic Supermarket was moving online offering over 3000 products for home delivery.

The website is well laid out with weekly specials, managers picks and easy to navigate product groups. Delivery costs €6.50 to anywhere in Ireland.

I have yet to place my first order, probably because I still like to buy from the Farmers markets and I would imagine this will be the strongest competition the site will face. I am sure however that I will be availing of the service, particularly on those weeks where it is just impossible for me to make it to the market. It is good to know that there is somewhere that I can shop and know I am getting good quality organic produce. When I do get my first delivery I will be sure to write about it here.

Foraging and a country walk with the Athy Toastmasters

The River bed
Wood Sorrel
Martin Chanders with Wild Garlic
The WaterfallThe Wheels on the bus go round and round.

I am a member of public speaking group Athy Toastmasters. The group shuts down for the Summer months but the idea of meeting up for an informal day in the countryside appealed to us all. We decided to take a trip into the Slieve Bloom mountains where the Barrow river, which flows through Athy, rises. Although we didn't go all the way to the source it was a novelty to be able to paddle in the stream that a few miles downstream becomes the wide river that we are so familiar with. One of the things that most attracted me to the walk was the promise of wild garlic that I was told grows in abundance up there.

Being on the summer trip reminded me of school days out, we were all loaded onto a minibus, packed lunches in hand, giggling with excitement. Some of us could hardly wait to tuck into the sandwiches and salads we had prepared that morning but our more sensible adult side restrained us from polishing them off before we reached our destination.

We were blessed with a beautiful day, rays of sunshine penetrated the trees illuminating our woodland path. Our first view of the Barrow, a glint amongst the trees was met with much excitement and hurried us along our way. Martin Chanders (pictured above) stopped me as we got deeper into the woods to show me wood sorrel growing near the roots of the trees. Bitter in taste and shaped like a shamrock it can be used in salads, although some internet research has suggested that it shouldn't be eaten in large amounts. I picked some to add to the salad I had brought with me. Our new president, Mary found some wild strawberry leaves but unfortunately they weren't yielding any fruit yet. As we got closer to the river we finally discovered the wild garlic. The unmistakable scent reaches you before you see it, a mild garlicy smell that leads you to the plants. It is the leaves that are edible, I added some of these to my bounty to be used in the salad.

Finally reaching the bank of the river we discovered a bed of flat stones that appeared to be carved over time by the current. This led us to a small waterfall. After some clambering over rocks I was able to get close enough to feel the spray on my face. It was at the top of this waterfall that we stopped for our packed lunches and I was finally able to taste the food I had scavenged, they added good flavor to the salad, the Sorrel was quite bitter in taste and the garlic was peppery with a mild garlic flavor.

It was such a fine day we didn't want to leave, we wandered back to the bus and sat under the trees talking and exchanging stories until it was absolutely time to go. I'm hoping to make another trip up there to collect more wild food, it looks like the perfect place to gather mushrooms in the autumn.

Slug Control the social network way.

When ever I talk to other gardeners the conversation inevitably turns to slugs. Even when the veg garden was just a twinkle in my eye I was warned constantly of the slug threat. So now that my plants are beginning to grow and I have noticed that some of them seem to be depreciating due to slug attack I decided it was time to take action.

I've also been using social networking sites for a while to promote my business. We have a Facebook page where people can become fans of Feelgood Organic Hampers and we have two twitter accounts, one purely business and one personal where I generally talk about the everyday comings and goings in the office, the garden and the Kitchen. So I decided to ask my social networks for assistance in slug control.

The response was great. On Twitter @elainerogers was by far the most prolific with bundles of suggestions including beer traps, Vaseline around flower pots: '...they can't slime over slime.', companion planting with Allysum, Begoinia, Cosmos, Geranium, Lobelia and Nasturtiums, and going out at twilight to gather and rehouse them. @helentreacy suggested crushed egg shells around the base of the plants @scottbert suggested stamping on them, but I don't see me doing that... plus if I stamped on them I'd probably crush the plants too!

On Facebook Rochelle Harris mentioned that in his book 'A Short History of Almost Everything' Bill Bryson suggests that slugs were or are a form of plant life. The only evidence I could find to support this was on a sea slug forum which suggests that these aren't slugs in the sense that we think of them.

Pauline Price suggested digging the ground with a copper spade and this wasn't the only time that copper was mentioned, Carla Knight and Jeff Jenkins both suggested making copper wire fences. Jeff did also suggest attempting to train the slugs with slug treats and whistles but this sounds like a lot of work! Sian Maloney also suggested beer traps and Elaine Rogers (yes the same one from Twitter) gave me directions on how to make the beer trap safe for beetles. Lesley Emerson thought I should cut them up with scissors... I don't think I could bring myself to do this though, I'd rather think they died happy swimming in a beer lake or a Bulmers lake as suggested by Rosy Days. Beverly Martin suggested hair and Ian Vince suggested making collars for the plants out of empty plastic bottles.

Armed with all this knowledge I began to assemble my arsenal. I had been collecting egg shells for a while as I had been told they were a powerful deterrent, I had also been collecting coffee grinds as a gardening friend had suggested them to me last year. I raided my recycling bin for empty plastic bottles and began to turn them into spiky collars. These were going to form part one of my assault against the slugs.

In the garden I surrounded different plants with different methods, some were too big for the collars so I used these to protect the smallest and most venerable plants, the bigger ones were surrounded by circles of crushed egg shells and coffee. The only problem I could see with the egg shells is that when I watered the some of them washed away. I'd want to be eating a lot of eggs to keep the area covered.

I'm going in with the phase two 'beer traps' soon. Watch this space....

Organic Recipe - Nettle Pesto

Although I have managed to cultivate a small portion of my garden most of it is still wild. I love looking at it at this time of year, there are so many different grasses, wild flowers and edible treats growing I am always looking for new things to do with them. When I went out this afternoon to seek some young nettles for this pesto I discovered wild chamomile, elderflower and plenty of dandelions. Somebody also suggested that I look for Borage in the garden but as yet I've been able to spot any.

At the weekend I attended a cookery course at Ryland House Cookery School and this recipe is inspired by our host Anne Neary. It can be stirred through warm pasta or diluted with lemon juice and used as a salad dressing.

Ingredients

• 1 large fistful of young nettles
• 1 tbsp of pine nuts
• 1 large clove of garlic crushed
• 150ml Olive oil
• 25g Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

• Remove the stems from the nettles (wear rubber gloves for this part!).
• Blanche in boiling water for 1 minute to calm down the sting.
• Drain well and dry with kitchen towel.
• Put all the ingredients except the cheese into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Stir in the Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Free Organic Seeds!

As all long term readers of Organic Yum-Yum will know I've long been a big fan of Glenisk. It was almost two years ago, just after I started writing my blog that I reviewed their re-branded yogurts. Since then I've seen their product range expand and I've seen them partner up with other Irish organic businesses.

Their latest offering has massive appeal to me, as a novice gardener I'm delighted to see that they are encouraging people across Ireland to grow their own too. They are giving away 10,000 free packs of organic French Bean seeds. All you need to do is sign up for the offer on their website. Not only will you receive the seeds but, in order to ensure your crop is successful, you will get email updates and instructions from the Organic Centre. What's more, if you use the special organic yum-yum promotion code (organicyumyum01) in your application you will be entered into a draw for a goody bag containing a months worth of organic yogurts.

So if you are inspired by my tentative steps towards growing your own and want to make your first attempt at growing something sign up now and don't forget to use the code: organicyumyum01.

Organic Product Review - Organic Choice Date & Stem Ginger Oatie

I was sent the most lovely surprise by Marian from Organic Choice. A box full of cake bars. It is hard to review them because they were all lovely, but after some humming and hawing I have decided that the Date & Stem Ginger Oatie was my favourite.

Made without wheat these cakes don't have the chalky consistency that spelt based baking tends to. They are all moist, not just the oaties but the fruit cake melts in your mouth and the chocolate almond cake is divine if a little bit bold. I'm a bit of a sucker for ginger though and that's why the Date and Ginger stands out. It's best described as a chewy flapjack sandwich. Layered in between two slices of oats is a lovely gooey filling. The oatie flapjakey bit is sweet but not so sweet as to overpower the other flavours. There is a touch of extra naughtiness on the top, a swirl of dark chocolate. Beautifully filling it took me two coffee breaks to finish the 96g bar. As it is oat based it really banishes hunger quite effectively and if it wasn't so tasty you could almost believe it was a healthy snack.

It is great to see new businesses like Organic Choice emerging in Ireland and I hope to be able to stock Marian's Christmas cakes this Christmas.

To find out more about Organic Choice and where you can get your hands on these cakes contact Marian direct on 01 2068034 or 087 2419646. And keep an eye on the website which is still under development.

Organic Choice is certified organic by IOGFA.

Planting the vegetable patch.

Last weekend I gathered some help from friends and attempted to plant some of my seedlings out in the big wide world.

The beans and peas were still doing the best, the plants were pretty huge now and even after being exposed to the elements for a week or so they seemed to survive. The two girls helping me; Orla and Tamsen, have an allotment in Brighton so were able to give me some good pointers.

Amongst some of the junk that has accumulated in our shed over the last year I found some wire mesh which when attached to the fence looked to be the perfect support for my beans to climb up. After securing it in place we took individual bean shoots and planted them about 2 feet apart leaning against the structure. For the peas we built a series of A frames from bamboo canes to encourage the peas to grow.

The rest of the seedlings were still a little small to plant but I had been given some lettuce plants and some herbs. We planted the lettuce, again spaced at approximately 2ft intervals in a new section of the plot. I am worried about the slugs getting at them so may have to protect this area with egg shells that I have been collecting for the last few months.

The parsley and the chives that I planted into the garden at our first garden party have been doing really well, they looked almost dead when we first planted them but they have thrived in the ground. Today I added mint, rosemary and some more parsley. The bay leaf plant seems to have taken quite a battering since it has been exposed to the outside world but there are still some good leaves on it so hopefully it will survive.

The best part of the day was burying the sprouting potatoes that had been growing in our kitchen for quite some time. I was quite excited at the prospect of turning unused veg into new veg. We removed most of the sprouts from each potato leaving just 2 or 3 on each one. With these pointing upwards we placed them in deep trenches and covered them. Apparently as the shoots begin to show the soil needs to be built up around them to avoid rot.

All I can do now is water them (although with the amount of rain we've had recently I haven't had to do much watering recently!) and hope for the best.