Pumpkin harvest 2011
With great help from Ryan & Fionn to locate all of our pumpkins we harvested over 60 of various shapes and sizes in October 2011.
Working the lathe
Working the lathe
This little piggie…
Well, this is the pig who made us work – hard!
On the day we collected them we decided to keep them indoors for a few days to get settled. As we had used the shed for this job before we thought we had a good system for them and didn’t fuss too much once they had their water, food & bedding….
It was as we were putting our youngest boys to bed that Fionn (one of them) looked out the window to say that ‘there are the piggies in the garden…’ – uh oh… It turned out that the black & white pig had dug her way out under the shed door (earth floor) and led the others out into the garden and around the field. Now that wouldn’t be too bad when they got to know us and would follow the bucket of food pretty much anywhere. But as it was their first night and they had no attachment to any of us it was pretty much a case of pick your pig and pick your moment to grab.
Well – all in all it took about three hours that night (9pm to midnight) to round them up. Pigs are pretty nifty movers, cleverer than they are usually given credit for and have a natural aversion to being picked up – so once it got dark we had a job on our hands to get them in. They also have a great talent for playing statues in long grass… who knew that?
But with time, patience and the help of Cathal and Oisin we eventually succeeded. Lesson number one – check your exit is escapeproof!
Three (not so little) piggies in their garden
In July 2011 our three latest weaners arrived – two red duroc & a gloucester old spot mix. It was our first time to keep them out in the garden and it was a great experience to see them rooting, playing, chasing each other around and even sunbathing when the weather allowed.
We placed them in a part of the garden that we are now planning to cultivate for green manure & crops next year. They did a fantastic job on rooting up the scraw and starting the process of breaking the turf and manuring the ground in preparation for working the ground for the next crops.
They enjoyed a great variety in their diet – corn stalks, herbs, old salad, spinach, brassica plants, soft pumpkins, acorns gathered in autumn – anything out of the garden, organic pig nuts for balanced nutrients, and anything they rooted up from the ground. All in all they had a good – if short life with us.
As great as it was to have them they were ultimately heading for the freezer, and with the cost of their feed there was no option to keep them as pets. Although I had misgivings, all the boys here were looking forward to sausages and pork crackling with no regrets. I guess if you are going to eat meat, it’s good to know that it’s the best quality possible, and that the animals enjoyed the time that they had here.
The meat turned out to be fantastic quality – enough fat for flavour, but lean from their outdoor lifestyle and full of flavour. We are selling some of the meat, as we had alot of requests from customers – if you are interested the list is on ‘available produce listing’.
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There will be a public meeting on Tues 31st Jan at 4.30pm in Lakeside Hotel dis…
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discussing the plans for the first “Discover Killaloe & Ballina Day” (Sunday 29th April). This is your chance to get involved!
The Discover Killaloe & Ballina Day will give people who live locally the opportunity to experience the wonderful visitor attractions, facilities, services and events we have to offer so we can in turn become our best ambassadors in promoting Killaloe & Ballina as a visitor destination. We are so fortunate to have 2014 as an opportunity to create a legacy for our towns, one that see us develop a prime tourism destination that is representative of our deep local heritage & of the people who live in our beautiful towns.
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Samhain/Diwali (the black moon after the harvest full moon) falls on the 13th November 2012. Anyone interested in getting involved or extra ideas for the Killaloe festival of Lights – please email info@satmya.com
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Methow Valley Herbs: Turmeric: “A medicine cabinet in a curry bowl.”
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What a busy week, great to see everyone again! I have been told in no uncertain…
What a busy week, great to see everyone again! I have been told in no uncertain tems by quite a few of our regulars never to close for that long again… they were starving!!!Thanks xx
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RTE Supergarden competition
I was asked by the organisers of the Supergarden competition on RTE to mention that they are now looking for applications for their new series. So here is the relevant info as sent to me:
“RTE’s Super Garden are currently looking for amateur designers, student designers and start-up landscape designers to apply for our 2012 series. We are always on the look out for unique ideas so welcome all kinds of applications.
This is a great opportunity for exposure for the selected designers as well as an opportunity to compete for the winning design to be featured at the Bloom Festival in Dublin.
We are looking for applicants who are passionate about gardening, have creative flair and the ability to deliver their garden design to a deadline/budget.
If you could help us spread the word on this it would be greatly appreciated. It could be a great opportunity for someone you know to take on an exciting challenge. I have attached a flyer that you can email on and also an application form if anyone does express an interest.
I am available to answer any questions that you or any interested parties may have, my contact details are 01-8641444 or email supergarden@vipmg.tv. Closing date for application is first week of February.
Kind regards,
Andy Malone”
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