We live in the middle of a 100 acre organic farm close to the sea near Ballycotton in East Cork. It's a mixed farm with some cattle, a few heritage pigs, several flocks of hens and three Jersey cows which we milk every morning so we can have fresh unpasteurised milk for ourselves, our children, grandchildren and the students who come to the Ballymaloe Cookery School from all over the world. We also buy some organic milk for those who'd rather have it pasteurised.
We feel very strongly about the importance of raw milk from a clean well managed herd for our health so we sell a small quantity of milk and our natural yoghurt from our farm shop just outside the village of Shanagarry as well as freshly picked organic vegetables and herbs from the gardens and greenhouse. It's a fantastic time of the year on a farm and despite the extraordinary weather we have an abundance of vegetables, salad leaves and herbs - broad beans, tiny beets, ruby chard, spinach, radishes........
The first crop of carrots are almost finished and the peas came and went in almost ten days, we simply couldn't keep up with them. We ate them raw and cooked in every possible way, in risottos, salads, soups...... The grandchildren had wonderful time in the green houses picking them straight off the vines a joy to see.
We feel very strongly about the importance of raw milk from a clean well managed herd for our health so we sell a small quantity of milk and our natural yoghurt from our farm shop just outside the village of Shanagarry as well as freshly picked organic vegetables and herbs from the gardens and greenhouse. It's a fantastic time of the year on a farm and despite the extraordinary weather we have an abundance of vegetables, salad leaves and herbs - broad beans, tiny beets, ruby chard, spinach, radishes........
The first crop of carrots are almost finished and the peas came and went in almost ten days, we simply couldn't keep up with them. We ate them raw and cooked in every possible way, in risottos, salads, soups...... The grandchildren had wonderful time in the green houses picking them straight off the vines a joy to see.
