Blessed with Bounty
At this
time of year, when the harvest is at its peak, the vegetable patch is groaning
with produce, the hedgerows are dripping with blackberries and the sea is
teeming with mackerel we can be grateful that we are blessed with such tremendous
bounty. And much of it is practically on our doorstep. It shows that an actual
local food economy is within our grasp as long as we keep forging ahead with
local food projects.
Kinsale
Community Supported Agriculture is one such project. One of the first of its
kind in Ireland, its members have not only successfully grown their own oats
and turned them into edible porridge, but this year they are experimenting with
a South American grain-like crop called quinoa. Quinoa can be eaten as an
alternative to rice or couscous, is rich in protein and has a balanced set of
amino acids for humans. It is also gluten-free, making it easy to digest and it
also grows well in the Irish climate. This could be another first for Kinsale!
The summer
was less than warm this year and TTK’s Jeannie Timony brought us
a series of highly successful talks and wonderful workshops that were
informative, educational and entertaining.
Ted Cooke’s Woodland Walk
This leisurely paced walk was held on a (rare) hot sun-drenched day in
July, making it easy exercise and also a great social and learning event. The
gorgeous Doon Woods smelled and looked absolutely glorious and the 25 people
who attended the walk found Ted to be a passionate and knowledgeable speaker on
ecology and natural history.
He explained how our hedgerows were developed and
how natural succession and natural regeneration works. He also talked about how
Ireland’s townland names provide and important key to the historic ecology of a
place, e.g. “Dun Daru” meant Fort of the Oakwood. He spoke of the many species
in the woods and their ecology as well as the geology of the woods. We had a
wonderful picnic break, giving everyone time to socialize and lay on the grass
in a sunny clearing in the woods. It allowed everyone time to absorb some much
needed hot rays whilst enjoying the delicious shared food. All in all this was a
thoroughly relaxing yet very informative social event.
Ted and
Jeannie Timony have since worked on a pamphlet which will celebrate Doon Woods
biodiversity and ecology with notes taken from the walk, which will soon be
available to buy at a low cost.
Agro-Homeopathy
Workshop with Mark O’Sullivan
What, you may ask, is
agro-homeopathy? The question was answered at this practical workshop with Mark
O'Sullivan, homeopath, environmentalist and I.T. teacher. Mark taught us how to
manage our gardens sustainably and without toxicity, how to heal fungal and bacterial diseases and balance
nutrient excesses & deficiencies. He explained with great clarity how we
can restore damaged or traumatised plants and soils, how to prepare and apply
the homeopathic remedies for plants. Ever wondered how you could get rid of
garden slugs without resorting to toxic repellents? Mark showed how all manner
of pests from slugs to beetles and various larvae can be deterred in a safe,
effective, non-toxic manner. This was a jammed-packed well taught workshop and
so successful that Mark will be return at a later date to do another workshop,
in Spring 2012.
