Darina Allen: The future of farming, and recipes from Fitzgerald's Woodlands Hotel
With Bacon, Smoky Chicken Organic Mushrooms Woodlands Cabbage &
The atmosphere was palpable and optimistic at the seventh BioFarm Organic Conference organised recently by NOTS.
This is the annual get-together of organic, biodynamic, chemical-free and in increasing numbers, regenerative farmers, who are transitioning to more sustainable production methods.
This year the numbers increased by almost 50%, reflecting the growing acreage of land in Ireland being farmed on organic principles, to 5% in 2024 from a mere 2% in 2022.
Organic production is increasing worldwide with Australia, India and Argentina leading the way.
In Europe, Liechtenstein has the highest organic area at 43% followed by Austria, the leading EU country at 27.5%.
Sales of organic food continue to rise exponentially particularly in the US and Australia.
Here in Ireland, despite the cost of living crisis, an increasing number of people are connecting the food they eat to the health of the family.
There is a growing realisation that it’s more cost-effective to invest in chemical-free foods rather than expensive and not always effective supplements.
Once again, I repeat our food should and can indeed be our medicine.
There’s also a significant increase in the number of families who have started to grow some of their own food at home, in veggie patches, allotments and even on window sills and balconies.
This not only enhances our lives, and reminds us of what food should taste like, but it excites the kids and teaches them some really important life skills.
It also shows them (and us) how much work actually goes into producing nourishing wholesome food, it doesn’t just appear on the supermarket shelf.
John Hogan, an agronomist and horticultural consultant with 40 years’ experience, spelled out the challenges but also the growing market for Irish organic food and opportunity for export substitution.
Most would have a gut feeling (as do I) that organic, chemical-free food, grown in rich fertile soil has got to be altogether better for our wellbeing but why, one might ask, in the midst of this cost of living crisis, would the consumer reckon that it’s worth the extra money unless there is scientific evidence to prove it?
We urgently need targeted stats, anecdotal evidence is not enough.
Poor diets are also linked to 20% of deaths worldwide and cost health authorities countless millions globally.
Engaging and inspirational speaker Neil Fuller, a soil scientist and climate-smart farming expert, talked about how we could make ‘food the weapon’ in climate change and the real cost of cheap food on people’s health.
Despite the perception, farming is a significant part of the solution to climate change.
In the words of Patrick Holden of the Sustainable Food Trust, ‘if we paid farmers to be carbon stewards, then farming could move from being part of the problem to part of the solution’.
There was much to learn about heritage wheat trials, increased demand for organic oats, and homeopathy for animals.
BioFarm encourages and supports farmers and growers to consider agroforestry, silvopasture (a way of combining trees, livestock, and forage crops on the same land for multiple benefits), the importance of dung beetles, all play their part in enriching fertile soil and producing healthy food to nourish rather than damage our health which is what farming should be all about in the end.
We stayed at Fitzgerald's Woodlands hotel in Adare, the conference venue, a wonderfully convivial, family run hotel with exceptionally kind and helpful staff.
Chef Mark D'arcy shared several of the recipes that the conference attendees enjoyed.
Woodlands Organic Chicken with Smoky Bacon, Cabbage & Mushrooms
The Chicken We A Made Personal Favourite, Woodlands We My Winter Recipe Supper A By Adare Thighs In Hotel Forting With Brown Ate Meat Is It Inspired Dish Is Delicious So At This Drumsticks, And
Servings
12Preparation Time
30 minsCooking Time
60 minsTime Total
1 hours 30 minsCourse
Mainingredients
Kilkenny) Rings (i 6 Used 2kg Chicken Organic Co Legs From Organic Of Whole Chickens
Pepper Freshly Ground Salt And
1 Sliced Large Carrot,
Large Sliced Onion, 1
Peppercorns 5
Up Sprig Stick A Leaf, Of Parsley Bouquet A A A Tiny Made Thyme, Celery Stalks, Bay Of Garni Of
450 A Or Wine Water White 600ml And Or Chicken Light Of Stock Homemade Mixture (1 Water Glass)
Prepared) York Cored And Shredded Savoy Cabbage, (450g 1 Or
If Like Butter You Or 25g More
Black Ground Freshly Pepper Salt And
300ml Light 250 Cream
2 With Equal Minutes) And Butter, Flour Cooked For Roux Approx Of Quantities (made 75g
Salt
Onion, Diced Large 1
Finely Cloves 2 Garlic, Chopped
500g Mushrooms, Quartered
Freshly Ground Black Salt And Pepper
Butter Virgin Of Knob Oil And Olive Extra
Smoky Bacon, Streaky 175g Diced
1 Or Rosemary Tsp Thyme Chopped Of Leaves, Tarragon
Salt Black Ground And Pepper Freshly
Garnish Parsley To Chervil, Or Chopped
The Pilaf for Rice:
Salted Butter 25g
Or Tbsp Onion 2 Chopped Shallot Finely
Rice Grain 400g Long Basmati) (preferably
Pepper Ground Freshly And Black Salt
Stock Homemade Chicken 975ml
Or Chopped Such (optional) Tbsp Parsley, Chives Freshly As Thyme 2 Herbs,
method
With The Overnight Brine Pepper If Freshly Cooking, Chicken Season Dry Sprinkle Before (just Salt And Salt) Surface The The Time Ground Lightly Allows Otherwise, Chicken With
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Be Remove Meat On Hob 45 And Casserole Is The Bird To Simmer 40 Boil Oven When In Really Cover The Tender And Mark 180°c/gas The Should 4 The For Or Bring Cook Either At The Minutes Cooked, From The
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To Just On Be The 3 Then Heat Water The If Serving, Minutes Stir At Herbs Cook For And 160°c/gas Before Reduce Mark About In Cooked And Using Simmer Or A The Hob 10 Just In Then The By The Rice Should The Oven All Absorbed Fresh Minimum
Strain Flavour Liquid Wide, More Had Vegetables: The 1 (we Liquid The Litre) Discard Casserole Reduce Concentrated In Cooking Cooking Flavour The The De Grease A And To Return Their Liquid 5–10 Chicken Until Minutes To For Uncovered Already The They The Casserole Given Have Is
Wide Water Or And Cut The Then Divide And The Across A Cabbage 3 The A Into Out Salt Section Stalks Tough Shreds Butter With Grain Cut Of Leaves Of The Outer Each The Tablespoons 2 Into Fine Pinch Put Into Four And Saucepan Remove
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Drumsticks White Pieces Dish Be Ahead May Chicken Through Point) The Bubble Of Joints, To And Add To Using) (chunky (the Into Thighs Sauce, The Heat And This If Divide Prepared Meat
Hot Necessary Batch In Ground Each Little If Until Add A In In Keep Season Mushrooms Onion But Soft Salt, Pan, Butter, The Batches To Sweat Frying Aside Onions A Garlic Chopped The A In And Pepper And Coloured Not Little And Butter Sauté The Freshly With Quartered
A Heat Lardons Or Add Rosemary Melt The A Tarragon Cook Onions Sauté Mushrooms Olive Pan, The The Leaves, Oil, Add Thyme And Minutes 4 On Tossing For Butter 3 Extra Chopped The A Add Medium And In And Little Sautéed Virgin Bacon
Cooked With Until Cabbage Through Gently Taste Seasoning The The To Correct The Fold Add Fully And Sauce Buttered Through Toss
Parsley A Pilaf Scatter And With Lots Of Or Rice Chopped Serve Turn Dish Chervil Serving Into With
Woodlands' Shortbread Cookies
Over Keep Freshly Super To Fridge You A With Can Roll Surprise Christmas Cookies In Your Guests Easy Baked Make, So Unexpected
Servings
30Preparation Time
10 minsTime Cooking
15 minsTotal Time
25 minsCourse
Bakingingredients
Butter 180g
Sugar Caster 90g
270g Flour
method
To Mix In Butter The The Cream Continue Firm Dough And Flour A Bowl, Sieved Mixing To And Sugar A Add
Ends The Paper Fridge Hours, Cover Like Few In A Preferably Chill And A Mixture In Roll The Twist Into Log For Cracker A Christmas Overnight Parchment The
To Preheat 180°c/gas Oven 4 Mark The
In Icing Thick Remove Baking And Oven Bake Into The Cut On Preheated 12 Baking Chilled Cookies Dough Cook Lightly Paper Tray, The Cool From Parchment Dredge Wire And Minutes Rack For Lined A The A 15 With On 1cm Sugar
Christmas Nougat
Take Squares Italian French Texture My Is Makes In It! This 3 More Airtight Which For You Can If In Resist An Weeks Nuts Is Keep 64 Than Softer Up 5cm X Firmer Torrone, Version Nougat You On 2 To As Will Container Add Can The Like You Less Or
Preparation Time
40 minsCooking Time
40 minsTotal Time
1 hours 20 minsCourse
Bakingingredients
350g Sugar
Liquid Glucose 225g
Honey 200g
125g Hazelnuts
Skinned Almonds 125g
Whites, 2 Range Egg Preferably Organic Free And
1 Vanilla Extract Tsp
100g Peeled Shelled, Pistachios
Dried 75g Cherries Sour
Or Orange Chopped Lemon Peel 50g Or Dry Apricots Candied
Grated Rind 1 Of Lemon
Pinch Salt Good Of
method
Of Base A Line With Paper Rice Square Tin Confectioner’s The 21cm
12 Until Skins Oven In Almonds Rub With 20 Minutes 15 To Cloth Roast Away Hazelnuts For 10 180°c/gas Set Whole Leave The The Aside The And Skins To For Baking 4 On Sheet Oven Preheat The Start A And Toast Put A Minutes, Skinned Off Them Mark Flake The The
(hard Wide Put Into A The Sauté The Low Cook Reaches Thermometer Syrup Glucose Stir And Sugar A Heat A Increase The Over 130ºc Heat Liquid Sugar Pan Until Until And On Honey The Sugar, Crack Stage) Dissolves
Bowl Clean, To Speed Whisk To Add Low A In At Vanilla Whisk Dry Slowly To Syrup Mixer Pour Spotlessly And A Preferably A The The The Half Firm Whisk Egg In Extract In A Food Continue Bine Whites And Peak
It’s Egg Back Candied Hazelnuts, Until Cook Peel, Slowly Thick A Fold Salt In Pour And And Toasted And Until Nuts, Meanwhile, On A 5 Put Glossy Onto Lemon Sugar Rind Whisk Mixture About And Of Pinch White Cherries, Syrup The Thermometer For Remaining The Almonds, The On The The Mixture Heat Minutes, 150ºc Dried Reaches Pistachio
Airtight Of Cool, The 2 Press Smooth Store Prepared Sheet Serve Mixture Spatula The Down Of Top Or Cover Into Tin Gently A Into Knife A Tin With With With A And Rice Cut Pieces Square Paper Spoon An To A Nougat Back Allow 5cm Then The In And Pour Sharp The
There’s a one-day Organic Horticulture Conference coming up on Tuesday, 26th November at Killruddery House, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
This event brings organic growers from around Ireland together for an in-depth day of presentation and discussions about current issues and future plans. Ideal for horticultural growers and producers and anyone interested in converting to organic growing.
- Special price of €25, must sign up directly via NOTS (National Organic Training Skillnet).
- For more information, see www.nots.ie
Racking your brains for some Christmas present inspiration…
The Home Sommelier is a brilliant little guide to making the best choices in the mesmerising world of wine, without breaking the bank.
Brigid O’Hora has spent over twenty years working in the wine industry.
She began her training in Australia and since then has been a wine studies lecturer, held several posts as sommelier at prestigious restaurants in Paris, Boston, Sydney, Dublin and Clare and set up her own wine tasting business which she ran for three years.
- Instagram: @brideys_wine_chats
- Published by Hachette Books Ireland.