Organic & Local Shopping at Naas Farmers Market

Castleruddery Organic Farm (above)

Andrea's Tasty Treats (above)

The view from the Feelgood Organic Hampers stall (above)

The best place to find seasonal, local and organic food is your local farmers market. There are so many dotted around the country now that it is almost impossible not to have one close to where you live. To find your local market check out Bord Bia's list of Farmers Markets In Ireland.

I have a stall at the Naas Farmers Market, and of all the markets I have worked at the Naas one has the nicest atmosphere. Located in the grounds of the Storehouse Restaurant it is small yet perfectly formed. The stalls, to name but a few, include two organic vegetable stalls, 'Vegi Snacks' a great vegetarian food stall full of tasty foods which are made using organic vegatables, 'What's Cooking' where those of us short of time can purchase healthy pre prepared meals which are prepared using local meat and organic vegetables and 'Choc O'Neill' divine chocolate handmade locally in Naas.

You will also find all your weekly staples: bread, cheese, eggs, cakes (well they're a staple to me), olives, meat and fish.

It's also a great place to have lunch. Aside from the Veggie Snacks, you can choose from deep fill pies and decadent rostis from 'The Gallic Kitchen', Noodles, hot soup and soon crepes. The coffee stall sells locally roasted coffee, and for desert you can grab a smoothie from Annies Apples or my favorite Belgian chocolate brownie from 'Andrea's Tasty Treats'.

If you live near Naas it's always worth dropping in on a Saturday to do a bit of shopping, we are open between 10am and 3pm don't forget to drop by and say hi to me! For those of you further afield, make sure you support your local farmers market, the more people who shop at them the better they get.

The Complicated Issue of Food Miles

When I first came to Ireland over 13 years ago I was impressed by the countries commitment to buying Irish.

Recently the local food trend has become a growing phenomenon worldwide with some people choosing to only eat foods that were produced locally. There are many reasons why buying local makes sense: it supports the economy, ensures the traceability of what we eat and most importantly cuts down on food miles and the carbon emissions associated with them.

So, due to the carbon emissions associated with airfreight, and considering that one of the key objectives of the organic movement is to protect the environment, should we allow food that is flown around the world to be certified organic? The Soil Association, the UK’s biggest and longest established organic food certifying body has been considering just this. In May 2007 they released a discussion document which is available online here.

So what are the arguments against buying exclusively local foods?

For me there are there are four key arguments. Firstly there can be no doubt that it makes sense to buy local when you are buying according to the seasons. The Irish apple is a great example as a recent article in the Irish Independent explains:

‘Apples mature as autumn fruits, they are picked in September and October. During those months you can buy locally produced fruit that will have very little carbon emissions attached to it.
But as the months go by, that autumn glut of fruit is stored in chill warehouses which, of course, use fossil-fuel energy to power them.
When you do the maths on this you find that by the following August those stored apples will account for more carbon emissions than apples shipped in from Australia and New Zealand.’

Then consider the Nitrogen based fertilisers that are used in non-organic farming. Nitrogen is a much more harmful greenhouse gas than CO2. So if you are buying non-organic local foods the impact on the environment can be just as great if not worse than imported foods.

Another strong argument, which to my amusement even made it into Ken and Deirdrie’s living room in Coronation Street last year, is that by driving out of our way to buy local food we are generating more carbon than it would take for the same food, as part of a consignment, to be air freighted around the world.

Probably the most compelling argument for buying foods from overseas is the impact that this has on communities. It is one of the major considerations outlined in the Soil Associations Green Paper:

‘Airfreight enables producers in some of the poorest regions of the world to supply high value fresh fruit and vegetables to Europe, creating jobs and opportunities to add value.’

One compelling example of this is outlined on the Natural Choices website:

‘Blue Skies is one Soil Association licensee that uses airfreight. Blue Skies specialises in the export of pre-cut, ready-to-eat fruit transported in the hold of passenger flights.
The pineapples are grown by small-scale farmers in the Central Region of Ghana and processed in their fresh-cut production facility in Nsawam, in the Eastern Region. In Nsawam Blue Skies employs over 1500 people and, through salaries alone, contributes around £2 million to the local economy. In the Central Region they have created vital jobs where unemployment is currently 70%. According to Wikipedia Ghana produces 7,513,000 metric tonnes of co2 emissions, less than 0.1% of the world’s total, which is less than 0.37 of a tonne per person in 2003.’

Finally it should be remembered that not all food is air freighted. Many companies like my own choose to transport by road or sea.

So it seems in order to be kind to the environment we should try to buy local, seasonal organic foods. But to be kind to the world in general we should support overseas suppliers andd shouldn’t always shy away from buying imported or even air freighted produce.

To find out more follow these links:
The Observer
The Times
The Irish Independent
The Soil Association
Natural Choices.

Postcards against GM

Last year I asked for your help to battle against GM foods in Europe. The campaign goes on and there is something we can all do to help. Here is a plea for support from Green Peace which landed in my inbox today.

Dear friends,

Environment Commissioner Dimas needs some support right now! Can you help?
Last year more than 130,000 people joined our cyberaction supporting Commissioner Dimas' proposal not to authorise the cultivation of two new GMOs in Europe. However, the agri-chemical industry and their lackeys in Brussels are fighting back very strongly, trying to isolate Dimas and to force him to authorise their GM products.

If Dimas receives picture postcards from all over Europe -- and from supporters around the world -- he'd know he's not alone. You know the feeling. It's so rare to send real hand-written postcards these days, that every single one makes an impression.

Do you want to keep risky GM crops away from European fields, food and feed?

Will you participate in this urgent action? Then please let us know and click here:

I will take part -- and will send a card to Mr. Dimas! (link to webpage with Dimas' postal address and tips)

Thank you!

Marco Contiero, (Policy Advisor on GMOs, Greenpeace European Unit, Brussels)

P.S. 130,000 people sending messages to the Commission is a lot! But, we need to be even more, and send Commissioner Dimas as many postcards in support as possible. Therefore please forward that message to at least three friends and ask them to take action as well.

For more about why we should be worried about GM foods check out: the GM Free Ireland website.

Can flying ever be eco-friendly? - Part Two - Carbon Offsetting

Carbon offsetting is the system that allows an individual or a business to counteract their carbon footprint by investing in the planting of trees or, more recently supporting eco-friendly projects overseas. Simply by paying a company like Carbon Neutral or Climate Care a small fee - as little as 75p sterling for a flight to the UK -  you can rest assured that the carbon you are generating is made up for elsewhere. It's always seemed a bit good to be true to me so I thought I would look into it further.

The first thing I discovered is that offsetting carbon is not just about planting trees. In fact tree planting has fallen out of fashion. The problem seems to be that although a single tree can absorb 1/2 a tonne of CO2 in it's lifetime, it is only temporarily stored and when the tree dies and decays the carbon is released again for more see Sinks Watch. There have also been stories about heavily sprayed, large mono-culture plantations populated with fast growing tree species which suck nutrients out of the ground and don't deliver on their CO2 targets. That is not to say that planting trees is a waste of time. Last week I was speaking to Keith Shirley who is thinking about planting trees on his own land to offset his carbon emissions. Climate care also supports a rainforest restoration project which works with Ugandan rangers to replant deforested lands.

Carbon offsetting companies are now offering other alternatives. Some support wind farms in developing countries, others work with communities in the developing world on projects that include providing energy saving stoves, people powered foot pumps and energy saving bulbs. I have no problem with helping these communities but I do feel that by offsetting my carbon this way I am allowing myself to be decadent with my emissions whilst expecting people in other parts of the world to pick up the tab. All this aside, I feel that by offsetting my flights in future I will be giving something back.

A more effective alternative to offsetting is to simply cut back on the amount of flights that youtake. To really make a statement why not take the pledge at low fly zone to stop flying for 12 months. 

Can flying ever be eco-friendly? - Part One - Biofuel

On Sunday Richard Branson's company,Virgin airlines, launched it's first biofueled flight. The tank was filled with a combination of traditional airline fuel, coconut oil and babassu oil which comes from the babassu palm tree. Branson is apparently committed to a green agenda for his businesses, you can read his recent interview with Freinds Of The Earth here. But even if all Virgin flights ran on biofuel is it enough to really make a difference?

There are concerns, The British Independent quotes The World Development Movement

"...even if all flights in the country used biofuels, the reduction in British aviation's contribution to climate change would be cancelled out by one year's growth in flights."

Maybe this is true but it should be considered that if air traffic is going to continue to increase surely it would be better if they were all flying on biofuel.

Another concern is that the growing popularity of biofuel is displacing food crops in the developing world. The cost of this is spiralling food costs which could eventually lead to famine.

But Branson has thought about this too. The test flight may have been fueled by nut oil but the long term plan is to develop biofuel for the future created using algae from sewers.

Only time will tell if these developments can make a significant difference but for the time being I will continue to try and limit the number of flights I take. Remember it might be quicker and cheaper in the short term to fly from one end of the country to the other but the cost to our future could be devastating.

In part two I will look into carbon offsetting.

Eco Brides and Green Grooms

Whilst researching weddings in an attempt to construct the perfect organic wedding hamper I came across this article in the Sunday Business Post archives. 

There are over 12,000 weddings each year in Ireland, each one creating an average of 14.5 tonnes of carbon emissions. That makes over 174,000 tonnes of carbon in total more that twice the amount that the population of Athy generates in a year. 

If you find these statistics compelling and you are planning a wedding why not make it a green one? Not only will it make a difference to the environment but you will be able to create a day that could truly stand out in the memories of all those who attend.

I found some great sites which can help you with the planning,  this fab site offers a 'challenge us' section for any hard to solve eco problems. The WWF also have a good site devoted to weddings which even includes an eco-friendly gift registry. You can even buy an eco friendly wedding dress. Conscious Elegance  have a great selection including the one pictured above. They tell me that they are planning to launch some party dress designs in May so your guests will be able to find something to wear there too.

Organic Product Review - Booja-Booja Champagne Truffles

I have to declare a bit of an interest in this review. I stock and sell Booja-Booja Champagne truffles and have done for many years. The reason I stock them is because I love them and have done since the very first time I tasted one. I had been searching out the best organic chocolate box for some time but hadn't managed to find one that came up to scratch. It was at a trade show in London that I discovered them, and whilst having a conversation with the sales rep must have eaten my way through a mountain of samples. All of the Booja-Booja truffles are good. As well as the Champagne there are Ginger Wine, Hazelnut Crunch, Around Midnight Espresso and Cognac Flambéed Banana. All of them have been my favourite from time to time but the Champagne always wins out in the end.

When you open a box of Booja-Booja you know you are getting something really special. The truffles are presented in a black box trimmed in gold. When you get inside the cocoa dusted truffles look up at you from gold shiny packaging. Dark chocolate is often quite bitter but as you bite through the shell of these truffles you are greeted with a creamy, very alcoholic flavour. I often tell people that these chocolates are so decadent that you could not possibly eat the whole box at once but I have a sneaking suspicion that if you left me alone in a room with them I might give it a go. All Booja-Booja Truffles are Vegan, wheat, dairy and gluten free.

You can buy Booja-Booja Champagne Truffles from my website.

Booja-Booja Truffles are certified organic by the Soil Association.

Green washed at the Farm?

I am part of an informal dinner club with two friends. Once a month we splash out and try a new restaurant. It's a great way for us to stay in touch since I have moved away from the city. As we are all food lovers we enjoy indulging ourselves. Sometimes we even have four deserts between the three of us!

In December we decided to visit The Farm on Dawson Street, Dublin, a restaurant seemingly specialising in organic and local foods. It sounded right up my street and I was really looking forward to my visit. First impressions were good; a big blackboard outside announced its ethos of commitment to local and/or organic produce. The decor, although not screaming eco or organic was pretty. I was late and my friends were really hungry so I chose quickly from the menu.

It was only as I settled down that I noticed that my companions were drinking Heineken, not very organic or even local. Then I noticed that in the centre of each table, on top of white bleached paper tablecloths was a bottle of Heinz tomato ketchup. I started to wonder what if anything in this place was organic. Our starters came and went, I had the hummus, which was nice. One of my friends has just completed a wine course so I let her choose the wine. When it came I discovered that it wasn't organic either in fact there was a limited choice of organic wines on the list and they were all quite highly priced. When our mains came I looked down on two small, overcooked pear and brie tartlets, they looked like they had come straight from the supermarket, the rocket salad was pleasant though and I did my best to disguise the taste of the tartlets by piling loads on top of it. One of our party had pizza made from organic flour - at last something organic - which I believe was fantastic, as was the burger enjoyed by the third member of our group

Desert was great too. We all had chocolate cake which had been individually decorated for each of us. The service was fast and very attentive. Although overall the food was good (for my companions at least), I came away at the end of the evening desperately disappointed. I'm really not sure who this place is aimed at, the hardcore environmental foodie would want organic ketchup (readily available), an organic wine list and more visible eco credentials, someone ambivalent towards the organic movement would probably be put off before they walked in the door.

I can only hope that The Farm will re-think its formula and become the restaurant it claims to be.

Running A Paperless Office

I am going to try to give up paper for February and am moderating a discussion on the subject on Irish Business Women.com at the moment. I will keep you up to date with my progress on my blog but you can also follow the discussion here.

Recipe - Sheepless Shepherds Pie

After a month off from blogging I thought I would give you all a treat and share with you one of my favorite recipes for this season. I find it goes down really well with both vegetarians and meat eaters and is a great warming, rustic, comfort dish.

Serves 4

225g lentils soaked over night (Green, Brown or Puy are best)

2tbsp Yeast extract (eg. Marmite although there are some organic ones available)

1tsp Dijon mustard

50g Butter

1 Onion

2 Carrots chopped into cubes

A handful of string beans sliced into 2cm lengths

1tsp Dried mixed herbs or 1tbsp fresh mixed herbs

450g Potatoes

1 Large parsnip

Extra butter and milk for mashing

Pre-heat the oven to 180c 350F or Gas Mark 4

Cut the potatoes and parsnip into small chunks and steam or boil for about 20 minutes until tender. Mash them together with some extra butter, salt and milk until smooth.

Add the yeast extract to one liter of boiling water. Stir in until dissolved

Cook the lentils in half of the yeast extract mixture for approximately 20 minutes or until they are tender. Drain the liquid.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the onions for a couple of minutes until soft. 

Add the chopped carrot and stir for another few minutes until they begin to soften. 

Now add the string beans and stir for another minute.

Stir in the flour until it has soaked up all the moisture from the pan. 

Slowly add the rest of the yeast extract mixture, continuously stirring until smooth. 

Mix in the Lentils, dijon mustard and herbs. Season to taste.

Pour the mixture into the bottom of an oven proof dish and top with the potato and parsnip mixture.

Make grooves through the mash with a fork and bake for 30 minutes.

If you would like to recieve a seasonal recipe every month to your inbox, join the Feelgood Organic Hampers recipe of the month.  This months recipe is spicy tomato and lentil soup.

5 step guide to a greener Christmas - Step 5 - Entertainment

It seems traditional at Christmas to flop down in front of the Television after dinner, the Children might go and play on their Wii or Playstation and our electricity meters start spinning at an alarming rate. 

One of the best Christmases I can remember we suffered a power cut and were forced to resort to more traditional entertainment. We spent the evening playing 'Trivial Pursuit' by candle light. This year Cranium, Connect 4 and Kerplunk are on the cards. If it isn't already a tradition of your family to take a walk after dinner, why not try it? It's a beautiful winters day here in Athy and I for one intend to take a stroll by the river this afternoon. So, today on Christmas day, why not make a resolution to switch it all off for a couple of hours and spend some quality time as a family, you are not only saving electricity and the environment but it gives you a chance to really bond with those closest too you.

Have a great Christmas everyone and I'll see you back here in the new year.

Christmas Carols for Charity

If your ears can bear it, you can listen to my version of 'Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree' for a small donation to the Children’s Medical Research Foundation - Crumlin Children’s Hospital  at: Mumcentic.

5 step guide to a greener Christmas - Step 4 - Presents

This years must have gift, the Nintendo Wii, is flying off the shelves, but what are it's green credentials? According to Green Peace, who have recently launched a new website: Clash of the Consoles, games consoles "contain toxic chemicals and can contribute to the massive growth of electronic waste that's often dumped, causing widespread environmental pollution and health problems for unprotected workers." So I guess to be green we should look else where.

If you live in the Kildare area, there is still a chance to buy one of my organic gift hampers, you can collect or buy at the Naas Farmers Market on Christmas Eve.  For other green gift ideas, you could visit the Eco-shop in glen of the downs which is open until 5pm on Christmas Eve, or the Cultivate centre in Dublin city centre, which although closed on Christmas Eve is open on Sunday the 23rd of December 2007 from 12-5.30pm. 

Online, but sadly too late for this Christmas, have a look at  Nigel's Eco Store. I sent the link out to all my friends in the hope that they would get me something from there. Be warned you could spend the best part of a day browsing through all the great products on offer on his site.

Another lovely idea, is the gift of a tree. Either delivered to your door, sent as a gift certificate so that the recipient can choose their own, or planted on your behalf   this is the ultimate environmental gift. 

For gift wrapping Klee paper do a good range of recycled wrapping paper and cards. For a list of retailers stocking their products check their website. And remember to recycle and reuse your gift wrap.

5 step guide to a greener Christmas - Step 3 - Dinner

Eating has become the thing that I look forward to the most on Christmas Day. But in the midst of all the gluttony it is possible to be a bit greener. 

Firstly, try not to buy too much food. I know myself that it is a hard to resist the mountains of food in the supermarkets at this time of year, but wasted food is a disaster for the environment. The population of the UK throw away about a third of the food they buy, I haven't been able to find a statistic for Ireland but I would imagine that it would be quite similar. The problem is that a lot of our food waste ends up in landfill and produces methane as it decays. As we are now all aware thanks to the belching cow phenomenon, methane is a powerful greenhouse gas. The more worrying and less obvious consequence, according to WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) Is the "embedded energy used to produce, package, transport and deliver the food to our homes which produces the equivalent of at least 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year." 

If you are a meat eater I am sure that turkey and ham is a must. Try and source organic meat if possible, if you can't source organic try and buy locally to cut down on the food miles. 

For vegetarians, again try and source local and organic produce. A lot of the ingredients for my own veggie feast can be found at Farmers Markets and health food stores. By shopping here as well as having the best variety of organic and local foods you can also avoid all the packaging that often comes with supermarket vegatables.

If you have a garden it's worth investing in a good compost bin so that you can compost your peelings to help your garden grow in the new year.

5 step guide to a greener Christmas - Step 2 - The Tree

The scent of the pine tree, to me is the smell of Christmas. But are Christmas Trees eco friendly? The good news is that it can be. Christmas trees are farmed and replanted every year so even if you get a cut tree you can rest assured that you are not depriving the earth of a CO2 absorbing tree. Try to buy locally in order to cut down on the amount of fuel consumed getting it to your house. If you buy one in a pot with a view to replanting it at the seasons end, be aware that our warm houses are not neccesarily the best environment for keeping them in, to help it survive make sure you give it plenty of water. The most important thing is to remember to recycle it after Christmas. There are lots of council run recycling stations which will take in your christmas tree, mulch it and use it to help new things grow.

So what about artificial trees? Unfortunately, although as they are reusable artificial trees consume massive amounts of energy during manufacture. This means that they create CO2 during production where as a real tree absorbs it. They are also made from PVC which is derived from oil. If you have one already, don't throw it away, it would be a shame to think that all that CO2 would have been wasted. They make great second trees. 

Although an Irish grown living tree is the more environmentally friendly of your choices do be aware that trees are often sprayed with chemicals and as yet I have been unable to find an organic tree here.

For more information, I found this great article on the Christmas Tree Debate.

5 step guide to a greener Christmas - Step 1 - Christmas Decorations

It’s easy to put aside your good habits when it comes to Christmas but being green can be fun too.
Organic Yum Yum has compiled an easy step by step guide on how to have an eco friendly Christmas

Making your own Christmas Decorations is a great way to bond as a family. Try painting patterns on used paper, cut it into strips and make paper chains with them. They are a great alternative to tinsel. If you are a bit more adventurous you can be more creative with your paper chains, try these ones. Pine trees shed their cones throughout the year and if you live near a wood with lots of evergreens you should have no problem collecting them. They make great Christmas Tree Decorations, or if you are creative you can add them to some fresh cut holly or other garden foliage to make a Christmas Wreath.

You can even bake your own Christmas Tree decorations. Subscribe to Feelgood Organic Hampers recipe of the month service for free by emailing recipe@feelgoodhampers.com and you will get a recipe for shortbread Christmas shapes just in time for the big day. There are plenty of LED, low voltage fairy lights available at the moment which will help cut down on the amount of power you use, try to remember to switch them off when you go to bed.

Famous at Last

Just thought I'd let you all know about some press coverage we have had recently.

The Sunday Business Post

The Kildare Nationalist (scroll down to the bottom of the page)

And Liz Fuller, who has an excellent blog "More Than We Know" has written a profile on me. 

Recipe - Amanda's Perfect Porridge

No one could have failed to have noticed the sudden drop in temperature in Ireland at the moment. I now have a grand total of three hot water bottles in my bed to keep me warm at night. In the morning there is nothing like a good bowl of porridge to help me warm up. I sell Jumbo oats from Rossinver and they have been flying off my stall at the Naas Market. My personal preference is for oatflakes, which make a lovely creamy porridge. I get mine from the health food shop and Flahavans do a lovely organic one that you can pick up in most supermarkets.

For all you porridge novices here is my fail safe quick microwave porridge recipe.

Serves 1

Ingredients:

1/2 a cup of porridge flakes or oats

1/2 a cup of milk

1/2 a cup of water

1 tbsp honey

A sprinkling of toasted mixed seeds (optional)

Method:

Pour the oats into a microwavable bowl with the milk and water.

Stir

Put in the microwave at full power for 2 1/2 minutes

Stir in the honey and seeds(if required)

Serve and enjoy

GM Free Petition

On November 28th 2007 the European Commission is making a decision about weather to allow two new strains of GM maize to be cultivated in Europe. These new strains could, amongst other things, have a hideous effect on our wildlife.

To find out more check out GM free Ireland's website. To add your signature to the petition follow this link.

Why Organic Skincare

I have been using and selling organic skin care products for well over a year, but whereas people are beginning to understand the reasons for eating organic food, the benefits of using organic cosmetics are probably not so well know. Although there are strict regulations in place for the labeling of foods as organic these do not apply to skin care products. This can be quite confusing for the consumer, how can you be sure that the bottle of moisturiser on the shop shelf does not contain harmful chemicals?

It is widely believed that a percentage of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your blood stream and a few years ago there was quite a scare when some chemicals, such as parabens used in preserving skin care products and deodorants, were found to be present in breast tumors. No conclusive evidence has been found to link cancer and these chemicals but the scare alone has driven many to seek non chemical solutions. 

The amount of chemicals present in the everyday creams, gels and soaps that we use is quite alarming. A quick look at the side of a bottle will bamboozle you with long names such as methylchloroisothiazolinone, phthalates, polyethylen glycol which appear alongside more familiar ones such as formaldhyde. Some of these chemicals are harmful by themselves, for example methylchloroisothiazolinone is thought to be linked to gene mutations and nervous system disorders, phthalates to genital abnormalities and infertility and formaldehyde to cancer and respiratory irritation. The real worry is that nobody knows what long term effects these chemicals will have when they are combined. In the past, clinical studies on mice have shown that mixing some pesticides can cause conditions similar to Parkinsons Disease an effect never anticipated when the chemicals were used on their own. 

In order to avoid these chemicals we must choose organic but how do we know which ones really are organic? 

Although it is not a legal requirement, if you want to be sure it really is organic,  look for certification on the packaging. Some certification bodies are stricter than others. I always feel like I can trust the Soil Association and I believe the Australian Certified Organic label has one of the strictest set of rules for certification of skin care. Always look to see what percentage of the ingredients are organic. The soil association will approve a small amount of non organic ingredients to be used in the formulas it certifies but these will always be a very small percentage of the end product.

Some of the best known brands of certified organic skin care are: Essential Care, Spiezia from the UK, Miessence from Australia, Dr Bronner from the States and I'm glad to see a new Irish brand on the market Nadur Organics who are in the process of becoming certified.