If apples truly were the food of love we would be in business. Our garden walls are surrounded by espaliered apple trees of many different varieties. Some are ancient and gnarly but they are all flavoursome with an enormous range of sweet/sour. The stormy weather has brought a lot of […]
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I can’t recall as challenging a 12 months in farming as the past year, even looking back to the extremes in 2012 with a washout summer and accompanying fodder crisis into May 2013. Fast forward five years and it got more extreme. Beginning with hurricane Ophelia in October 2017, through […]
Growing up in rural West Cork in the fifties, practically every housewife kept a flock of hens. Domestic hens are direct descendants of wild Red Junglefowl (Gallus gallus) and grey Junglefowl (Gallus sonneratti) from southern Asia. These domesticated birds have spread to every corner of the earth. There are hundreds […]
It’s very difficult to change a perception of anything once it becomes established in popular culture. It always seems to me that Irish people like that we have some link and heritage with the Vikings. They come from an era that was pre Anglo-Norman, who of course became the permanent […]
July seems to be the month that summer takes a break. All the cloudy weather is very frustrating but at least there’s what I call the five o’clock phenomenon when the sun seems to make an appearance and shines like it’s been out all day. We have a couple of […]
“Have you tried taking Lion’s Mane yet?” is a common question among my female friends these days. Menopause is a hot topic (pardon the pun!), so a mushroom said to reduce brain fog and anxiety, boost energy, and improve sleep fits right into our conversations. Overall, the feedback from women […]