Author: cloughjo

  • Irish Food Writers Guild visit the Eco Village

    Irish Food Writers Guild visit the Eco Village

    The Irish Food Writers Guild visited Cloughjordan today. Lunch in the Middle Country Co-op Cafe with a menu featuring over 11 local producers and beers from White Gypsy, a tour of the ecovillage, a visit to the Cloughjordan Community Farm, foraging with Wild Irish Foragers & Preservers, a trip to RiotRye bakehouse and bread school, a walk through the community apery, allotments and orchards, as well as an introduction to the research in the RED Gardens.

    Find out more about The Irish Food Writers Guild

  • All Ireland Permaculture Gathering, 19th – 22nd August

    All Ireland Permaculture Gathering, 19th – 22nd August

    Book your tickets online for this years All Ireland Permaculture Gathering which will be taking place in Cloughjordan Eco-Village. Time is flying by and we’re almost there now so do book your place as spaces are limited.

    Book your tickets here:www.permaculture.ie

    See More

  • New Piglets!

    New Piglets!

    The amazing Georgina and her 9 piglets! The perfect DIY pig she did it all herself no human interference! Well Samson the boar had a part in it as well!! These are pigs expressing their piggieness!!

  • Courgette and basil soup

    Courgette and basil soup

     
    This fresh summer soup is a lovely way of polishing off extra courgettes. It’s a good light lunch with bread and salad, and is especially excellent if you serve it with a generous dollop of tomato chutney in the middle of the bowl. Use Pecorino or any other substitute hard cheese in place of Parmesan if you are a vegetarian.

    Ingredients

    • 3 tbsp olive oil
    • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
    • 6 or 7 courgettes, diced
    • a handful of basil leaves
    • 600ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
    • 50ml cream, double or single
    • parsley, chopped (optional)
    • 50g Parmesan, grated
    • salt & pepper

    Method

    1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan, then fry the garlic, courgettes and basil with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, until softened.
    2. Add the stock, then simmer for another 10 minutes.
    3. Blitz the mixture in blender or food processor, reserving some of the courgette if you want a bit of texture in the soup, then return to the pan, stirring in any chunks of courgette you have reserved.
    4. Gently reheat, stirring in the cream, parsley and most of the Parmesan. Season. You may want to thin the soup with some milk or stock.
    5. Serve with the reserved Parmesan sprinkled on top.
  • Farm Newsletters – Issue no. 3

    Farm Newsletters – Issue no. 3

    FarmNewsIssue3 Find out all the latest farm news;

    Issue no. 3 June 2016 – Click here to read or download

     

     

     

    Peppa grazing happily in her field, early June morning 2016

    Photo: EB

    June:

    The heat and dry weather these past weeks has left us in no doubt that summer is

    definitely here and the kids, newly released from the confines of school, are looking

    forward to even more sun for their summer holidays… but on the Farm we hope for

    rain between the rays and moderately warm temperatures. After an unseasonably

    cold April/start of May where frost threatened plants very late in the season (we had

    them snuggling under fleeces even in the tunnels!) we headed straight into

    spectacularly hot weather and drought, where four times daily watering was

    necessary to keep the plants alive…we even had to water some field crops.

    Read more….

  • Whole-Wheat Penne with Sausage, Chard, and Artichoke Hearts

    Whole-Wheat Penne with Sausage, Chard, and Artichoke Hearts

    RecipeThe Swiss chard in this pasta dish is the perfect economical veggie: You can eat both the leaves and the stems. Body+Soul, April 2009 Yield Serves 4 Add to Shopping List Ingredients Coarse salt and black pepper 12 ounces whole-wheat penne 2 tablespoons olive oil 3/4 pound chicken sausage, removed from casing 1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1 pound) cleaned, stems and leaves separated and chopped 1 (9-ounce) box frozen artichoke hearts, thawed 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 2 ounces), plus more for serving 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Directions Set a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking sausage into pieces, until cooked through and lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Add remaining oil, chard stems, artichoke hearts, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook until chard stems soften slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chard leaves and cook, stirring, until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add pasta to boiling water; cook until 2 minutes short of al dente. Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain pasta; return to pot. Pour half of reserved pasta water into a small bowl. Add tomato paste and whisk to combine. Add tomato paste mixture, sausage mixture, Parmesan, basil, and red pepper flakes to pasta in pot. Toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.

  • Farm Newsletter – Issue No. 2

    Farm Newsletter – Issue No. 2

     

    After biding our time for the wayward weather to calm down, the sun has finally arrived to herald Spring proper. This month has been unseasonably cold and the sun’s heat sparse but over the last few days green shoots have burst forth in the polytunnels thanks to the new sun’s rays and in the days and weeks after St. Patrick’s Day we will be going into overdrive on the Farm…sewing trays and trays of seedlings, transplanting into pots, after that into the fields. Our irrigation systems are being cleaned and restored, channels dug for new fencing, old crops cleared, fruit beds weeded, soil turned over in the tunnels and fields…..after winter’s hibernation we are limbering up for the explosive abundance of life and growth in the madly busy weeks ahead. Read more…Issue 2 of Farm News

  • Farm Newsletter – Issue No.1

    Farm Newsletter – Issue No.1

     

    It is February and the weather is still wild and wintry but at the Farm we are looking forward to Spring and already some planting is underway. In Celtic times, this is the time of year when the pagan ritual of Imbolc would happen- or the Rites of Spring.

    Click Here to read more…Farm News-Issue No1