Adapting the weapons of war: farming, food and 100th anniversary of synthetic nitrogen's invention

I did a bit of radio today (4 and drivetime on RTE 1), about the new UK FSA research into the research on organics. You may have heard it, and, if not, I'll be posting about it here and writing about it in the examiner presently.

In the meantime, I'd like to draw your attention to a referenced article I have on the current website of organic matters.

This notes the 100 anniversary of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and the Haber-Bosch process. I'm particularly pleased with it as a pice: its a tiny update on the printed version, and has those references put in: print sources tend to prefer articles wirthout references.

The one update is so chilling: thanks to pesticide use: there are not in fact 25 million dead birds each year, there are 70 million. Scary.

Puts relative levels of nutrition in conventional vs organic in the shade really...

Feel free to comment on the posting over there

Cheers Ollie

Summer Art Show

Artists� Reception
Friday, July 31, 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
O.B. People�s Co-op
Join us for our second art show of the year featuring: Bridget Hanley, selected works by artists from the Creative Arts Consortium, and student �recycled art� from O.B. Elementary. It�s going to be an evening of great art, great music, & fantastic food. Free of charge!

Blueberry Jammin Part 1

Here's the recipe I'm using for my first batch of blueberry jam. I'm excited. When I saw all the sugar called for, I adjusted amounts. I used about 6 1/2 cups of berries to get the 4 1/2 cups of crushed berries. I crushed them with a potato masher. I used organic raw cane sugar, and organic lemon and lime peel, and fresh lime juice. I've never made this recipe before, but Valerie Bear, at Bear Hollow Blueberry Heritage Farm, where my blueberries came from, said it was a good one.

I got a dozen of these half-pint jars for $5.86 at Winco, cheapest price around I could find, and here they are washed and drying with their lids and rings.

Tools of the trade...get yourself some measuring spoons, a little juicer, measuring cup, couple big containers, couple big pots, and a half ton of organic evaporated cane sugar ($.97/lb. at Winco). It's unbelievable how much sugar you can use in jam. The OG raw sug is milder than the white refined crack grade. In jam, sugar does bring out the flavor of fruit, and it's a preservative. My next batch will be with a low-sugar pectin, and I'll use less than half the sugar I do with this one.

The mashed blueberries are measured and ready in the pot.

Heating up the jars in the canner with the rack in place.

The lids are heating too.

Blueberry Jammin Part 2

How beautiful is that? The pectin is in with the berries now and I'm heating it to a boil. See the recipe, Part 1.

Stirrin in the sugar, then it has to boil hard without sticking for one minute. A heavy pot is good, plus you gotta stir it. Burnt sugar tastes bitter, so this is crucial. Did I mention it's really hot tonight, not the best night for firin up the canner, but that's typical canning weather---that's what makes those fruits so yummy sweet.

The profound moment of jarring has arrived. If you want to can and make all this great food for winter, get a Ball Canning Book. It's only about $7., and it has all these important steps to make sure you will safely put up your food. It's easy, but there are rules to it, like heating your jars, and a bunch of other things, but once you learn the process, you can do amazing things, canning, freezing and drying. Also, there are a few tools that you'll need, like a canner with rack, jar funnel, tongs, and jars. I won't explain all these steps here, because this info is readily available, even online. I love this stuff, I learned it from my mother, and it's really in my blood, literally I think, from eating this way over the years. I give thanks that I'm here and able to pick my food again another year, this amazing organic food that we're so blessed to eat, and put it away for winter. I'm doing more canning this year than freezing because it's better storage for me. I don't even eat that much jam, but you can use this in smoothies, a spoon in fruit salad, in plain yogurt, on cereal and a little in any baked thing for brilliant color and pizazz. Layer a little with peaches and yogurt in a pretty glass.

As I fill each jar, it goes into the canner on the rack, then I'll lower them all at once, make sure there's water to cover them 1-2", turn up the heat and start counting 15 min. when it comes to a boil.

After the 15 min., I lift them out with big jar tongs, put em on a towel away from drafts, and leave them overnight. You hear the lids popping as they seal. Success!
I got 8 half pints done in 1-1/2 hr. time, including setup and cleanup. Today in the store, I saw some fancy blueberry jam that was selling 5 oz/ $4.95. Mine are 8 oz. and organic and with the lemon and lime. Mine probably cost $2. ea. I'm estimating. $40. vs. $16. makes it even sweeter!

U-Pick Blues

Yesterday I headed out to Bear Hollow Blueberry Heaven to pick high bush blueberries for the winter stash. Wow, what a place. These bushes were planted in 1948, they're unsprayed and grown with organic methods, but not certified (it's very costly). I love where these berries live!
At $1.75 per pound, I know I'll be savin some serious dough over Farmers' Market prices. I could get some deals at the market, but they're usually grown with chemicals. Plus, I love to pick. Try it, get out there and see where your food lives, it's pretty cool. Much more interesting than the supermarket.

Blues are a superfood, and these are so plentiful, it's like pickin clusters of grapes. I hope I brought enough money, 'cause it'll be hard to stop!

At the back where I like to pick is this old railroad trestle, usually you can hear some hawks around, songbirds, and there's hardly anyone else here. Guess the heat scared people off. Lucky for me, some of these bushes haven't even been touched.

In about 2 hours, I picked 14 1/2 pounds, these are gallon milk jugs filled to the top. All these cost me less than $24.00. I am so stoked! Home to jam!

Into the kitchen for a ginger beer break, assess the jam recipes and assemble the equipment. Wait till you see how quick and easy this is.

the end of REPS : implications for organic farmers

Organic farmers are still reeling from the twin cuts in REPS and the Organic Grant Aid scheme.

According to Kate Carmody, Chairperson of IOFGA, �many farmers had been finishing up their current REPS plans and were waiting to join REPS 4 and convert to organic farming. We currently have many members who are finalising their applications for grant aid and IOFGA are very disappointed with the short notice given to announce that the scheme was closing�.

Some organic farmers I have spoken to have claimed that they were advised by their REPS planners not to try to transfer out from REPS 3 to REPS 4, as the waiting lists were said to be too long.

This, coupled with the fact that some farmers did manage to transfer successfully from REPS 3 to REPS 4 has especially angered farmers.

It is now the case that some farmers will have five years of funding, totaling tens of thousands of euros, while competing in the cattle mart with neighbours with no such cushion. Farmers have described this situation as anti competitive.

IOFGA also felt that it was very important to mention that REPS and the Organic Farming Scheme are separate, and that the Organic Farming Scheme is still very much open:

�We would like to point out that the Organic Farming Scheme is still open to people and overall we are hopeful that the stability within the organic sector given the current economic difficulties will still encourage people to convert to organic production and help the market realise its potential here in Ireland.

The Organic Trust has been especially vocal in its criticism: �The Organic Trust have expressed very serious concerns about the closure of REPS 4 as this will adversely affect the on-farm incomes of 33,000 farmers over the next 2-3 years. This will have a devastating affect on the rural economy and the horrific consequences of this decision across the Irish economy generally will become evident very soon.�

They point out that farmers in REPS 2 and 3 farmers �would have had a valid expectation that they could enter REPS 4 on the completion of their REPS 3� and that they are now at a �severe disadvantage� because of �this arbitrary decision� which, they suggest, was not as a result of any �fair or equitable selection process.�

Specifically in relation to organic farmers, according to Helen Scully of the Organic Trust: �900 organic producers in REPS 3/2 will have their incomes significantly reduced when their REPS 3/2 contracts end which will undoubtedly have an adverse affect on the modus operandi of those farms - farms which are producing top class organic food in a sustainable and responsible manner.�

While many have suggested that the ending of REPS will have negative consequences as regards government aims for increasing organic farming's land base from 1 to 5%, the situation is not entirely clear cut.

It may also be the case that the Organic Farming Scheme will now appear more attractive than it previously did. This may especially be the case for what will be an increasing yearly number of former REPS farmers.

The lack of REPS money may in fact lead to a rush towards the Organic Farming Scheme: less intensive sheep and beef farmers may see it as one of the few remaining funding options.

This could have implications as regards sustaining what there is of a price premium in beef and sheep.

This then could lead to relative over-subscriptions and corollary pressures on available funding.

However in a context of a government target of 5%, it would be incredible if funding was not available to cope with an influx of farmers: increased numbers are inevitable with a move towards 5%, and this will incur costs for the state.

Should such a rush occur, it is likely that, with the ending of the grant aid for organic, beef and sheep will continue to be the main area of new conversions to organic.

Biodegradable Seedling Pots!

Homemade Seedling Pots

We found this happy little garden tip over at the Good News Environmental Blog; it�s an inexpensive way to plant your seeds. Collect your discarded toilet paper rolls, and cut them in half and fill with soil for instant seedling "pots". As they are bottomless and will decompose once planted, they are the perfect starter pot for seedlings. Plus, they don�t cost a thing!

My First Tomato!

"Wake di town an tell di people!" My first tomato off the vine! Major payday with bonus for every gardener, that day when you pick the first one. Kissed by the sun moon and stars, and ripened to perfection! The first one traditionally goes on the best bread you can find, likkle salt & peppa, and that's all you need---make sure you give the spirits some too, give thanks for the harvest....an it's only the beginning.

Dee's Organic Veggie Burgers: Bandon Butcher Approved

There was a time when organic food was mainly associated with wholefood and vegetarian food.

Throw your mind's eye back to the time when we all wondered: who shot JR? Or whether those Joan Collins shoulder pads should have planning permission.

There was the emergence of the Irish environmental movement with Carnsore Point; we had Live Aid and later Self Aid. There was Madness and Maradona; there were Hunger Strikes, the Miners' Strike, and the battle of the Beanfield.

Fast forward to today: these days this 80s vision of organic is no longer dominant. At the same time, it is also the case that people in general are more aware of the benefits of organic, whole and vegetarian food.

In particular, for the urban, female and under 35 demographic, organic, vegetarian and whole foods make up the essential parts of a holy trinity.

Along with this triad, there is also a growing band of 'eating withouts'. In other words, people who avoid some or all of the following: gluten, dairy, salt, egg, wheat, transfats and more.

Finally, there are a small number who just prefer the taste and flavour of at least some vegetarian food: not all customers in Cork's Cafe Paradiso are vegetarians. Sometimes, meat is a crutch for lazy, mediocre or hurried cooking.

Dee's �Eat Well, Be Happy� organic wholefood burgers is a Cork-based company which ticks all of the above boxes: health, eating without and taste. This is quite an achievement.

The brainchild of Deirdre Collins, Dee's began in a small kitchen in Innisshannon in 2006. Since then, production and profile have ramped up. The burgers however, are still handmade.

I asked Deirdre Collins why she choose her food business route: �I had the idea for Dee�s �Eat Well, Be Happy� about three years ago. I studied Food Science in UCC and spent a lot of time in supermarket aisles of looking for fast, healthy options for my lunch or dinner.

�I was always amazed at the amount of salt, fat, sugar and artificial additives in food. I decided to develop something that could be prepared quickly but that had a very high nutritional value.�

Her expertise in food science has helped with the development of her products. According to Collins: �Modern food processing methods destroy nutrients. Though we have plenty of food to eat, most of it is processed and contains too many artificial ingredients�

She points to the lack of necessary micronutrients �such as selenium, copper and zinc� and the fact that she herself uses �natural, non-processed wholefood ingredients such as local vegetables, organic grains, protein rich seeds and fair trade spices�.

In particular, �the special ingredient I use is organic hempseed, a superfood and natural source of omega 3, 6, 9 and GLA. Hempseed is also a complete protein, easily digested and contains all the amino acids� says Collins, whose burgers are also suitable for coeliacs and vegans.

She also points out that her burgers are high in fibre, without salt or sugar, and cooked macrobiotically.

I asked Dee to elaborate on her sourcing: �All my dry wholefood ingredients beans, grains etc come from Irish Independent Health Foods based in Kerry. My carrots come from Leo Dunne in Durrow County Laois� Her mushrooms and seeds come from companies based outside the jurisdiction.

Production has certainly increased with her new 1000sq ft unit in Ballincollig: �Capacity at the moment is 1200 units or 600 packets of burgers per day.�

Needless to say, the foodie havens of the south west, from Scally's Supervalu in Clonakilty to the Quay Co-op in Cork were in on it early.

Following her recent launch in the Glucksman (UCC), she tells me �new shops are coming on stream every week. Just last week the products flew out of the fridges in the Organic Supermarket in Blackrock, in Dublin�.

Even a few butchers have taken the plunge: Tormeys in Galway and Martin Carey�s in Bandon are two.

Dee may reach to the stratosphere from here on in, but can there be any better recognition of a veggie burger than the approval of a butcher in Bandon?

Please click on flyer image for clearer resolution.

Organic Delights: Healy and Son's organic fruits and vegetables

Looks like REPS 4 is being pulled: no more future applicants. Buried deep in a story about agri-enviromental funding. That's a big one that will cause quite a stir.

NB: close of business TODAY (9th) is what the above press release says at the bottom of the page, NOT tomorrow as Farmers' Journal's back page claims today. Tell your REPS planner!)

In the meantime, here's a feature on the Healy's Organic Delights organic fruit and vegetable farm and business in Wicklow.
(Pic: Duncan Healy with a classic afro)

The Healy name has been involved in organic farming in Ireland since the 1980s. Today Dennis has been joined by his son Duncan in managing the impressive Organic Delights farm and business.

The Healy's have a sixty acre farm in south east Wicklow, half of which is dedicated exclusively to growing some 150 varieties of vegetables, salad leaves and fruits. Some of these are planted up to 10 times in the year. The rest of the land is devoted to wildlife and nature, with forestry and ponds providing habitats for all kinds of everything.

�We are doing fifteen markets at the moment, along with occasional one-offs� Duncan tells me. Their stalls are impressive set ups, with up to 90 fruits and vegetables on display at some of the bigger ones, such as Lepoardstown market on Dublin's south side.

Inevitably, this means that, despite the size of the farm in Wicklow, the majority of the produce sold is imported.

That said, food miles and also more general energy and Carbon footprint considerations also come into Duncan Healy's thinking: �We aim for Irish first and as close as possible to Ireland after that�.

However, he does also take into account the energy intensiveness of southern vs northern European production.

Southern production is less intensive and occurs more in the outdoors, despite being slightly further away. This is better for the environment, but also:

�Without the natural light, the Dutch stuff can sometimes taste inferior. Italian and Spanish tomatoes, peppers and the like can often be better. But we also want to extend our own production too�.

I asked Duncan Healy if he had noticed a change with the recession. Many stallholders are reporting a return to staples in consumer trends, with luxuries being replaced by necessities.

Interestingly, he has not noticed this trend: �we've found the opposite in fact. New potatoes, figs, cherries, apricots they are all going really well� the afro-haired Healy tells me.

Healy is obsessive on quality, which helps. In any case, there is simply no supermarket availability of many of the quirkier organic options amongst the array on display at one of his stalls.

That said �We have some sworn supermarket avoidists shopping with us� he smiles.

Also, fruits, vegetables and leaves are all pretty much in the staple category.

With horror stories circulating about the supermarket demands for price reductions from organic farmers, Duncan Healy is relieved not to have gone down that route.

He has a few scare stories of his own:

�I do know an organic carrot grower who had a contract, but the carrots didn't look right, he was told. So he ploughed 20 acres of good carrots back into ground, and the supermarket went for the Scottish option instead�.

One new trend with the recession is a plethora of new markets. Even the north side of Dublin is getting them:

�In the last 6 months, a load of new markets have tried to start. Last Saturday and last Sunday saw new markets in Phibsboro. There are also new markets in Glasnevin and on Baggot Street�.

Healy is annoyed by shoddy chancers, and overall welcomes the new best practice flag scheme the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food (DAFF) is spearheading for Farmers' Markets.

�There are a lot of guys coming down from the north selling imported produce that's clearly in season in Ireland. Others sometimes find an easy way to source abroad and stop with the local supply�.

�You need to adapt and be adaptable. This year people are hoovering up plants at markets�

I asked him whether all of this grow your own malarkey was a threat to commercial growers:

�Not at all� he informs me: �people who grow their own appreciate what it should taste like. They can't go back to tasteless supermarket tomatoes after that�.

Growing Places 2009

San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project is inviting all of San Diego�s visual artists to participate in helping them create a sustainable food system in San Diego! Everyone living in San Diego County can make art, in any style and in any media, as long as it has a theme of food and/or farm.

What you make can be anything�a celebration of food you love, an expression of your thoughts about food, food history, food crises, or food future�as long as it has to do with food! Donate your art to SD Roots Sustainable Food Project and they�ll showcase it for the duration of Growing Places. Food and Art lovers will bid on the work, and all the proceeds from the silent auction will go directly to the Roots Farmland Fund.

To learn more about this fun and exciting project, visit the San Diego Roots Sustainable Food Project website by clicking here.

Are farmers' markets recession-proof?

Despite the recession, and indeed despite the cliches about people's economic behaviour during a recession, farmers markets are booming.

(Pic of dungarvan farmers' market, which is on every Thursday)

According to Stephenie Moe of Bord Bia �we had 135 on our books by mid 2008, we now have 149. Certainly there are slightly more opening a than closing� she tells me. �Anecdotally, the feedback from traders and orgnaisers is very positive. There is competition for traders stalls, which indicates that they are making money. A lot of producers are getting in touch.�

Organisers themselves agree: �we are creating a new market a month at the moment. There is more demand than there was during the boom� according to Sean McArdle, who runs farmers' markets in Dublin and elsewhere, mostly on the east coast of Ireland.

McArdle points out that he is being offered more sites than in previous years: �Of course, access to space may also be a sign of the recession� he suggests, in reference to closed premises, incomplete sites and other signifiers of post Celtic Tiger Ireland.

Jackie Spillane of the county council run CoCo markets agrees: �Buoyant is probably the word that best describes how the markets are doing. Several stallholders report increased sales, some report steady, and really it is only a small number who are feeling a general tightening. We're getting thousands of people at the markets.�

Spillane points out that the Dun Laoire local authorities have been extremely supportive, even down to locating and timetabling public events to coincide with the market. �Several local shops also now open on a Sunday because of the market�

There are now 45 stalls at the People's Park in Dun Laoire, with people travelling from as far as Cork with their own farmhouse cheeses. According to Spillane, about 1/3 of the traders are farmers at Dun Laoire.

In Cork, markets in urban centers are also doing well. Rupert Hugh Jones of Manon Point market: �The number of stallholders looking for stalls is absolutely crazy. We're getting 3-4 applications per day. We now have 50 stalls, and 300 on a waiting list. Customer numbers have increased with the stalls.�

All however point out that the recession is probably a cause of the increased interest in stalls:

�I've been inundated with applications from new vendors. Many are inexperienced, and may have lost jobs recently. We have 30 applications for cup cake stalls. Now, there's a place for good cup cakes, but its tricky to make a living from them. You need to be more innovative� according to Spillane.

Adapting to new consumer needs is important. Overall, it seems that people are eating out less, but are returning to quality home cooking. This benefits those selling staples in particular.

According to Tipperary farmer Joe Condon , who sells at Dungarvan farmers' market each Thursday: � my burgers are proving to be the real winner. It serves the purpose, it stands in in a meal instead of a steak�. Likewise Condon's mince is selling well.

However, he also points out that both his mince and burgers are made to a high standard:

�I provide a a democratic cross section of the animal. We make them from quality cuts, not off cuts, so the quality and flavour comes through.� Add to this the certified organic and grass fed upland Galloway dimension, and its clear that the consumer is getting a cut above the ordinary.

Stephen Baker of Listowel market has also adapted. He now sells hot dogs. However, these are no ordinary hot dogs, as the meat comes from Caroline Rigney's award winning rare breed pigs in West Limerick.

Another new development, in many ways connected to the recession, is the provision of space for produce from allotments and community gardens. Even Sean McArdle's privately run markets in and around Dublin, known for their significantly higher rents for stallholders, have integrated this into their set up.

It's not all kisses and handshakes however. Peri-urban markets are feeling the pinch. �I had to close both Bray and Wicklow recently�, Jackie Spillane tells me. Major job losses in the construction industry in satellite towns, coupled with small numbers of stallholders at the markets were cited by Spillane as the main reasons for this.

Indifferent or even belligerent local authorities are also causing problems: Due to the success of the Midelton Saturday and indeed other markets in the region, as well as numerous stallholders wanting a piece of the action, a Tuesday market has recently been established in Midelton.

However, according to Rupert Hugh Jones, � the town council wouldn't accommodate us, we've been hounded by them. They are trying to shut us down in every possible way. So we're on private land�.

Interest remains strong, however: �Within 5 days we had too many applications. So we prioritize local stallholders. Over 90% of the stallholders are locals in Midelton. The feedback has been great so far�.

Minister of State Trevor Sargent recently announced a new scheme for farmers' markets.

The 'Good Practice Standard' will be denoted by a Flag, which participating markets may display and which the Minister unveiled in the Food Market at BLOOM 2009.

According to the Department �Farmers' Markets signing up to the Good Practice Standard will under take to hold markets regularly; to source a substantial proportion, ideally 50%, of local produce from the county or neighbouring counties; to accommodate seasonal and local garden/allotment produce and to comply with food safety/labelling rules and criteria on good governance�.

When queried about this, most stallholders had not actually heard of it. While most I asked about it were cautiously positive, private market organiser Sean McArdle was initially very skeptical.

�It sounds impossible to do, they'll have no one. There is no grower in north county Dublin who could supply markets. There are a few heavily contracted to supermarkets. The last flower grower is struggling.�

He goes on: �North county Dublin has grazing land, we don't have the rich alluvial soils needed for for growing vegetables. We also don't have the tradition.�

�The real problem is that there is an idea that in a market, a farmer comes in in a tractor, puts down 10 bags of spuds and sells them with straw in his month. That Victorian image isn't there in reality. Growing is difficult, and it comes down to scale.�

All of that said �I would welcome a local grower in wholeheartedly. Any one producing from the land within a five mile radius comes in at half price already at my markets�.

However, even McArdle started to warm to the flag idea when he heard about the details. The aspirational and vague language, with words like 'ideally', 'substantial portion' and 'adjoining', along with achievable 50% local target meant that, in his opinion, his markets were in that ball park anyway.

Others, such as Jackie Spillane of the CoCo markets, were more positive: �We'll certainly be applying. 50% is achievable, it could have been higher, but this is a reasonable set of goals for the pilot phase�

June Done & Gone!

Was gone for a couple weeks in June---everything still lookin pretty good. Here's the garlic above before I left...

Came home and harvested the garlic, and some shallots. Pretty nice yield (20 bulbs) for that marginal land strip. Garlic is like a 'free' crop---plant one bulb (a dozen cloves) in the fall, and by next June you've got a bulb for every clove you planted, that's 12x return, not a bad investment return in these dire economic times. Plus, it's pretty pest resistant and care-free. And, besides being the essential ingredient in nearly everything I eat, it's got natural anti-biotic and anti-viral properties. And...if that weren't enough, it'll keep vampires away too. Try some. At $5.00/lb. I'm doin well with this harvest. I grow the 'hardneck' strains because they keep the longest, that matters if you grow a lot more.

Two weeks later, and check the squash tub, wow. I have baby crooknecks already.

Remember the tomatoes with beans on the left and cukes on the right? They're climbing up the poles and growing like mad. Pretty sight to come home too.

The front of the main box again. I don't know about those potato bins (left). Everything is growing huge except for them. Won't know how they worked till I dig for the taters, nothing yet.

A Look at June

In 2 weeks, my sign is almost overtaken by the tomatoes! Check the small green mater lower right.

These photos were all taken June 15 at the community garden---the big box with heirloom tomatoes above, you can still see the tops of the cages but they're growing so fast.

I needed one more tub for my fave, Yellow Crookneck Squash, and got this for $5 at Home Depot, it's around 20 gal. and took a full 2 cu. ft. bag o dirt. Yellow Crookneck is an heirloom squash--if you pick em small, you can keep up with them. Plus the male flowers are dee-lish too.

At the other end of the box, more tubs---on left, tomato with pole beans at the back so they can climb up onto that arbor which now has peas, and they've been feeding me for weeks. On the right, another heirloom tomato with cucumber at the back to climb up the arbor eventually or hang down. That's another potato in between.

The front of the big box, with more tubs of potatoes (black) and tomatoes (green), looks pretty wild!

Celebrating the Fourth of July

Click here for tips from Earth911 on celebrating by adding a �green� touch to your festivities. Next, bop over to the Vegetarian Kitchen website and pick up the recipes for Grilled Eggplant Teriyaki, Tofu and Potato Kebabs and Grilled Ratatouille complete with Sweet and Savory Grilling Sauce, Olive Oil and Lemon Marinade, and Teriyaki Marinade!

People�s Co-op will be closed on July 4th, but will reopen bright and early at 8 a.m. on the 5th. Have a safe, �green� and tasty holiday!

ENNIS FARMERS' MARKET HINDERED BY TOWN COUNCIL

This weekend, the supposodly French Market is in town. So plenty of overpriced sugary gak for the nippers, plenty of plastic toys, and a few nice jumpers from Peru. Well it is the french market after all!

They've had all their signs up, they will have plenty of cooperation from the council- they will even have the site upon which the farmers' market usually sits. Who knows - maybe they will even have electricity provided.

Nothing like this sort of treatment exists for the Ennis farmers' market, the weekly market on each Friday...

(pic: me winning a hamper in a draw last year at the Ennis farmers market!)

Dave Smith is a cheese monger who sells cheeses exclusively from Clare and adjoining counties at Ennis Farmers' Market. He is also chair of the market. While there are now over 20 stallholders and business is solid, the market is being impacted negatively by Ennis Town Council, according to Smith:

�We've been asking for some basic facilities for years, but we're just banging our heads against a brick wall when it comes to the town council�.

Hot water, electricity, the space they trade in and advertizing are four key areas Smith claims the council have hindered the development of the market.

�Every one of these has been a no go� according to Smith. Smith points out that there is an electricity point located exactly where the market is, which is used for the Christmas lights. However, the council have refused to allow the market to use this. �The most frustrating thing is that at another market I sell at, in this county, the council go out of their way to provide electricity�.

This then leaves stallholders in the awkward situation of considering generators: �They are smelly, noisy, bad for the environment, but if we want electricity, that's what we have to do.�

�We have been asking for years for a source of hot water� Smith continues. �This would be really helpful for hygiene reasons, but up until last year, we're been stonewalled. When we came back in spring, a completely inappropriate cold water tap had been put in nearby, without any consultation with us. Its OK for people wanting to water plants, but those of us wanting hot water, its no use at all�.

An irony here is that stallholders and hassled on health and safety grounds to have hot water.

Smith also pointed out that the market had been fined for roadside signs whereas other markets across the country and indeed county have not, and indeed have been supported in their use of roadside signs.

�They charge us a rent for using the car park space we're in, but won't even put up a sign the night before the market saying 'no overnight parking'. It can be a nightmare on Friday mornings, we just don't know what vehicles will be here.�

�They've cited bylaws, and their written conditions for us using the car park are that we can't stop anybody using it. And yet, the trading bylaws also say that we can't be hindered in pursuit of our business. So there's a conflict between the bylaws between parking and trading rights. As usual, there has been zero response to the letter to the council on this�.

Zero response is also what I got when I asked Ennis Town Council for a representative to interview about the farmers' market.