When I moved to the countryside a couple of years ago it was assumed that I would be baking tarts, making doilies, and hand-rearing lamb in the living room – or at the very least cultivating my own vegetable patch. I can’t say I have done all of the above but I did have great [...]

We all know that blackberries grow freely throughout Ireland in late summer and early autumn, but some other foods also cost nothing. I got the LUAS to Kilmacud Road last week and walked up towards the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford Industrial Estate. It was impossible not to notice: the side of the public footpath was [...]

Today, most of us are fed by large-scale industrial agriculture. I buy the bulk of my groceries in supermarkets, and so count myself among this number. But an interesting article in yesterday’s Irish Times, written by climatechange.ie‘s John Gibbons, introduced my rather ignorant self to the idea of permaculture. Most farming is energy intensive, using [...]

COMPETITION CLOSED: THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED. CHECK BACK TOMORROW TO SEE IF YOU’VE WON! Win gardening lessons for you and your friends in your own home. More competitions. We’ve a really interesting and innovative prize to give away this week. My neighbour Huub, a gardener with 35 years experience in organic fruit and vegetable [...]

Leitrim has become a mecca for people looking to live a more sustainable life, and The Organic Centre has played a huge part. Situated at Rossinver, Co. Leitrim, it provides information, education and training about organic growing and sustainable living. The Organic Centre also runs courses in counties Wicklow and Clare. The centre runs a [...]

When it comes to food, it can be hard to figure out a balance between nutrition, seasonality, and cost. So, we’re delighted to be joined by the nutritional therapy team from Positive Nutrition, an intriguing and relatively new company with a simple and uncomplicated approach to healthy eating. Every month, they’ll be contributing a column [...]

A few weeks ago, we started a list of resources for children, parents, teachers, and anybody who wants to learn a bit more about healthy eating and growing your own food. Food doesn’t get much cheaper – or better for you – than that. Teaching Resource #2: Irish Seedsavers Irish Seedsavers is an absolutely essential [...]

The problem of obesity has been overshadowed by the economic collapse. But it hasn’t gone away. One way of tackling both problems is to encourage children to learn about food. After all, recessions don’t hit as hard if you’re able to grow some of your own. Luckily, teachers who want to bring food and nutrition [...]

Each trip to the supermarket brings a fresh disappointment.  I arrive in naive anticipation of new and interesting fruits and vegetables, only to be confronted by more of the same. Always the same variety of carrots, onions, broccoli, cabbages, leeks, oranges,  bananas, and apple, plums, pears…. Peppers, mangoes, pineapples, the same selection of berries. Leeks, [...]