LOUGH BISHOP HOUSE & ORGANIC FARM

Seville Orange Marmalade and Oat Biscuits

2012-01-13T23:18:00.000Z

It's January, so as always its time to take advantage of the short Seville orange season and make marmalade.

I'm on batch number two of the 2012 season, but once all the slicing is done there is alot of hanging around in the kitchen while things boil, so today I decided to make some Oat Biscuits.

We use Pat Lalor's "Kilbeggan Organic Porridge Oats" for both porridge and flapjacks but just before Christmas we were at an event where the Lalor's were promoting their oats and had made biscuits. They were kindly giving samples and the recipe to all who were interested. They were delicious, so today was the day to make them at home.

Kilbeggan Porridge Oat Biscuits:

3ozs soft brown sugar

30zs plain four

4 ozs Kilbeggan organic porrdige oats

5ozs butter

half a teaspoon of bread soda

Mix all the ingredients together. Roll into small balls and place on a baking sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten them slightly, and then bake until golden - roughly 15 minutes in the Aga.

Once cooled the biscuits just about get onto a plate before they are devoured by family and friends.

At this stage the marmalade should have reached setting point! So its time to pot up before relaxing with a cup of tea and a Kilbeggan Porridge Oat Biscuit. Yummy!

New Year

2012-01-05T21:50:00.000Z

Leeks are the only thing left in the garden at this time of year.

But once the chores are done it is nice to sit by the fire in the evening and browse through the seed catalogues.

The Organic Centre, Irish Seed Savers. Brown Envelope Seeds, Heritage Bulbs and Mr Middleton

have all sent out their catalogues and somehow it is nicer than browsing on the computer. Pen in hand we mark all the seeds we think we might like, and then cut down our order trying to be realistic about the amount of time and space we have. Never enough of either!

A little bit sad

2011-12-29T11:02:00.001Z

"When loved ones die, you have to live on their behalf. See things as though with their eyes. Remember how they used to say things, and use those words oneself. Be thankful that you can do things that they cannot, and also feel the sadness of it" Louis de Berniere, Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Helen's father died at the end of October. He had helped us at every stage of Lough Bishop House's development. From the septic tank to the roof he was there with practical assistance and good humour.

He was diagnosed with cancer in February of this year and asked us if we would plant a tree for him. He particularly wanted a Wellingtonia and after much searching O'Mearas Garden Centre just outside Mullingar managed to source one for us.

We brought the tree home in October.

And in December we finally got around to planting "Graham's Tree". All who come to visit us at Lough Bishop House will now be met at our entrance by a Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron Giganteum). As its name suggests this tree will grow to be very big and I suppose we won't get to see that either.

John McCabe, from McCabe Contracters, was coming to do a little digger work, so we took advantage of the opportunity and got the machine to dig the hole for us. Christopher mixed in a bag of compost to the loosened soil and the job was complete.

In a few hundred years time it will look like this, and will probably be blocking the avenue if not the road!

Broken Fence Posts

2011-12-03T15:07:00.000Z

It's about fifteen years since this fence was put up, and some of the post have started to rot and break off which means the fence is sagging, and cannot be relied upon to contain livestock. Replacing intermediate post is not a big problem it's just a case of removing staples taking out the old post and banging in a new one either by hand or by machine.

King posts on the other hand, which have to take the strain of the entire fence, are a different story altogether

And it's a king post I'm replacing today, which has rotted off at the base!

It's been in the ground about 15 years which is good going for a tanalised post which is guaranteed for 10.

I used to go to all the trouble of removing every staple and untying all the wire, which is very time consuming and not worth it, so now I just cut the broken post out.

I'm replacing it with a new pressure creosoted king post which should last at least twenty years. If it's good enough for a telegraph pole it's good enough for me!

Mind you they are expensive but they do last, so for any new fence creosoted posts all round are best, but if you want to save money use creostoted kings and tanalised intermediates.

For high tensile fencing the king posts need to be driven in by machine.

To see more photos of this machine action click HERE for a link to an earlier post.

A new section of wire is then joined in using these ingenious joiners from Gripple, and the fence pulled tight.

As good as new and stock proof once again!

I've done 3 articles on fencing and never mentioned.... 'The American'.

An essential tool for fencing, the american fencing pliers is used to remove staples, cut wire, pull wire and if badly stuck can even be used as a hammer.

Basically if you don't have one you can't go fencing! Just what a farmer needs for Christmas, or in our case a wedding present!

Irish Beef

2011-09-30T23:11:00.001+01:00

Marvelous piece in the Farmers Journal this week entitled 'Where's the beef?' by Imen McDonnell about the quality and taste of Irish beef and how she has come to appreciate the taste and flavour of our grass fed beef.

From our own point of view, for quality and taste the traditional breeds are best whether it be Angus, Hereford, Irish Moiled etc.. We of course would be rather partial to the Irish Moiled, but basically if you want top quality beef buy Irish, buy it from your local butcher and preferably from a butcher who has his own abbatoir. They need our support and our beef needs them!

And speaking of local butchers, we have just come back from Flood’s of Oldcastle where we went to see our Moile bullock which has been hanging in their fridge for the past 3 weeks. It was a great opportunity to see it on the hook and to discuss with Johnny, Declan and Martin Flood the different cuts and options to make the best use of it from our freezer!

If you’re ever in Oldcastle be sure to call in, or alternatively look out for their market stall on Saturdays at Sheridan’s Cheesemongers warehouse in Carnaross.

The four quarters ageing nicely in the fridge, and a good covering of fat too, essential for flavour. I was relieved to see the carcass looking so well as I was worried he wasn’t finished properly, but Declan assures me that it’s looking really good.

Our own organic rare breed beef, butchered locally and into our freezer: a total of 25 miles from ‘field to fork’!

We will be using this Moile beef through our B&B, and may have small amounts for sale but essentially we envisage using most of it here, however we sold 2 bullocks to Clanwood Farm who own and operate The Organic Kitchen, which you may have seen at shows and festivals round the country.

As part of their business they also sell their organic beef to specialist shops in the Dublin area: Cavistons, the Organic Supermarket and Thomas’s of Foxrock to name a few. So keep your eye out for Irish Moiled beef in these establishments and better still, create a demand by asking for it!

Some of our Irish Moiled Cattle

Eco Label

2011-09-23T19:53:00.000+01:00

Stealing the phrase of a certain motoring journalist I suppose we have always been 'Ecomentalists', and now we have the certificate to prove it!

During the summer we did an Eco-Tourism course which was organised by Westmeath Community Development and facilitated by Neil Faulkner.

To find out more please click on the following link: www.greenhospitality.ie

From left to right: Maurice Bergin of Green Hospitality Ireland, Christopher, Helen and Joe Potter of Westmeath Community Development.

Nine businesses took part, all from Westmeath and all still committed.

A special thanks to Westmeath Community Development who ran the Eco Tourism Training Project which was funded under the Rural Development Programme 2007-2013

Autumn

2011-09-20T11:06:00.002+01:00

I'm not sure what happened to summer but it seems as if autumn is with us in the form of conkers at least.

The damsons and the crab apples are the last of the fruit to ripen, and while the recent windy weather and the birds have had their share there was still plenty for us to pick.

After much teetering on ladders we can return to the house and start processing the haul!

More jellies and jams - lets hope our guests, family and friends enjoy them as much as we do.

Home Made Ribena

2011-08-08T08:31:00.000+01:00

Summer is rushing by and the last of the blackcurrants have been picked, for the past few years having frozen lots of blackcurrants and made lots of jam we now also make a blackcurrant cordial - probably better known by its commercial name of 'Ribena'. It makes the taste of summer last all year, is so easy to make and so much more delicious than any shop bought variety. Everyone should give it a try.

Put two and a half pounds of blackcurrants in a large pan with four litres of water and bring to the boil. Boil for fifteen minutes.

Strain off the fruit. Add fifteen cups of the liquid, one cup of wine vinegar and thirteen cups of sugar. Allow the sugar to dissolve and boil for three minutes. Allow to cool and then bottle.

We keep some in the fridge and freeze the rest for use later in the year.

Dilute to taste with either ordinary or sparkling water. Cheers!

Summer's Bounty

2011-07-29T23:13:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again, and we have an abundance of produce!

We always plant a few potatoes, these are Roosters, and it's impossible to beat freshly dug, boiled potatoes with a dab of butter.

Mange Tout are in full swing and cook really well steamed over the aforementioned potatoes.

Blackcurrants are also on the go and Helen has been busy making jelly as well as lots of summer puddings!

Helen also makes homemade Ribena using a Darina Allen recipe which is absolutely delicious and freezes really well.

Our earliest plums have just come ripe and Helen has made a wonderful jam this year which is really good on toast for breakfast and is also goes well with Moonshine Dairies organic natural yogurt.

The clover and blackberry seems to have yielded really well for our bees. This is some brace comb that I cut off one of the supers, packed with honey and our first taste of this years harvest. Eating it is a bit primative and is a case of biting off chunks, savouring the honey and spitting out the wax. Once the initial frenzy has worn off, it's really good spread on buttery toast!

Poppies in the Barley

2011-07-28T18:44:00.000+01:00

The barley will be harvested any day now, all it needs is for the rain to hold off. But in the meantime, is it possible to have too many photographs of poppies?

Westmeath Tasting Plate

2011-07-21T23:03:00.001+01:00

We are members of the Westmeath Slow Food Convivium, and on Friday last at the Hilltown New Music Festival we put put together a Westmeath Tasting Plate to showcase some of the local produce and producers in the County.

Beef from Joe Brady of Lough Owel Organic Farm

Our Lamb

Smoked Mackerel from John Rogan of Rogan's Real Smoked Fish. Tel: 043 76264

Gouda from Mary & Gerry Kelly of Moonshine Organic Cheese

Salad from Kevin Harmon (Castlepollard on Fridays, and Mullingar Farmers Market)

Breads from 'Just Baked' 29 Pearse St. Mullingar

All served with a delicious glass of Prosecco from Wines Direct in Mullingar

The Tasting Plates looked really well going out and we served over 70 music goers!

We were very fortunate with the weather, and everyone was able to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere.

The music got underway later in the evening.

The courtyard or castle keep to the rear of Hilltown House made a fantastic venue for the whole event.

Bailieborough Show

2011-07-03T10:05:00.001+01:00

It's an early start on show days, and yesterday, at Bailieborough, was our first show of the season. Shows are a great opportunity to showcase our stock and compare them to others, and of course if a rosette is forthcoming it's another string in our bow when it comes to promoting and selling our animals.
We are showing Derrynagarra Celeste today who is a 5 year old Registered Irish Draught mare in foal to Crystal Crest (RID), and since we're only showing the one, Helen is off by herself while I go to the bog to save turf! Click here to read last years post on Turf.

There is quite a lot to do to get a horse ready for showing. There is no point bringing her if she doesn't look her best, and so by 7am Helen has Celeste shampooed and washed and ready for plaiting!

Starting with tail....

...and finishing the plait by stitching it into place.

Onto the forelock....

....and then onto the mane.

The reason Helen goes to all that trouble is that with the mane neatly held up out of the way, the judges can see the shape of the neck much better, and it makes it much easier to get an overall view of the horse from a judging prospective.

Derrynagarra Celeste plaited up....

...and off to Bailieborough. She's looking well, now it's up to the judges.

All the work paid off and Celeste won her class!

The red rosette in it's prominent position!!

Home again and with the plaits out.....

...it's back to the field with the others.

Gooseberries

2011-06-30T15:48:00.001+01:00

Sticking with the elderflower theme of earlier this month, I decided to make gooseberry and elderflower jam.

First you have to find your gooseberries...

We must have been stuck for somewhere to plant our gooseberry bushes, they are all at the back of flower beds.

It is worth the search, but the fruit is not easily given up by the bushes.

Having picked a few pounds of fruit, and some elderflower heads it is time to head for the kitchen.

The recipe is three and a half pounds of gooseberries, five elderflower heads, one pint of water and three and a half pounds of sugar.

Top and tail the gooseberries put in your pan with a pint of water and the elderflower heads (tied in a piece of muslin).
Simmer until liquid is reduced by approximately one third.
Remove the flowers, add the sugar, bring to the boil.
Test for set and pot.

Et Voila! Gooseberry and Elderflower jam! The kitchen is positively fragrant after this.

Redcurrant Jelly

2011-06-25T07:53:00.000+01:00

The weather is still very unsettled, in fact so much so that I didn't have time to take pictures of the fruit bushes in all their glory before the rain started.

However I did pick enough to start on the redcurrant jelly.

After removing the currants from their stalks add two pounds of redcurrants and two pounds of sugar to a saucepan. Stir continuously until it comes to the boil.

Boil for eight minutes. Strain the fruit off and then pot. Couldn't be easier!

Enjoy with roast lamb, or on a slice of toast.

Elderflowers

2011-06-14T22:33:00.001+01:00

As part of Westmeath Slow Food we hosted an elderflower workshop on Saturday. Luck was with us and the weather held for the day.

The flowers are truly beautiful when looked at closely.

We walked down the fields and picked some of the high growing elderflowers from a ladder. Helen wanted to save the bushes nearer the house so that we can pick the elderberries in the autumn to make Elderberry Jelly.

A trug full of blossom.

It was nice to be able to take time to enjoy the view after picking some flowers.

Returning to the house we decided to make an elderflower syrup. I think this is the easiest of the many recipes we looked at.

700 g granulated sugar

18 elderflowers

1 lemon

Measure the sugar and grate the lemon zest into a saucepan. Add 600 ml cold water. Heat slowly until the sugar melts and bring to the boil. Add the elderblossoms to the pan. Push the florets down into the liquid and bring back to the boil. Cover and set aside until the contents are cold. Squeeze the lemon juice and stir into the syrup. Strain through a sieve and bottle. Store in a fridge. This will keep for eleven months and can be used as the base for elderflower cordial and to flavour batters, milk puddings, mousses, custards, creams and ice creams.

Elderflower vinegar was also made by bringing cider vinegar to the boil and pouring over the elderflowers. This was set aside to mature for a fortnight.

Another elderflower vinegar recipe just asked for the vinegar to be warmed gently with 2 or 3 elderblossoms in the vinegar and then removed and bottled when cold. Both will be a delicious addition to a summer salad dressing.

More information on the event can be found at the links below:

www.pix.ie/wmeathslowfood/photos

www.slowfoodireland.com/index.php/westmeath.html

With the Elder still in flower and inspired by Ella's McSweeney's blog we are off to pick some more to make Elderflower Champagne!

'Snip's' Big day Out

2011-06-05T06:49:00.000+01:00

We know that some of you do not use Facebook, so we thought we had better post this news on the blog as well......

Snip and Helen went to the local Fete in Castlepollard and entered the dog show.

Snip is now 14 weeks old. Leaving her mother and grandmother behind and wearing her brand new lead she conquered the hearts of many who met her.

When we got home with her second prize and all her winnings, she thought she should eat them.

Maybe red's more her colour!!

Stormy weather

2011-05-28T15:35:00.000+01:00

Cold, wet and windy. Not ideal weather for shearing, bees, or gardening and sadly all the storms have done damage to some of the trees.

The only upside is that after a morning spent with the chainsaw clearing up the fallen branches we have a trailer load of firewood to put away to season.

Most of the trees to lose branches were sycamore and ash. One damson tree split in two and another was damaged by branches falling from a sycamore.

There are lots of lichens on the branches as you can see from the above photos.
They are great bio-indicators of air purity and only grow profusely where there is no air pollution. Good, clean Westmeath air!

Update!

2011-05-21T14:56:00.002+01:00

I seem to have completely jinxed the weather with my previous post. Almost from the moment I hit the 'Publish' button the weather changed and it has been cold windy and showery ever since. Needless to say the bees are not best pleased and have not been able to take advantage of the wonderful hawthorn blossom.

May or Hawthorn Blossom taken on a sunny day last year!

Temperature and humidity play a very big roll in the availability of nectar and just because a plant is in flower doesn't mean the bees can get nectar from it. In fact I have feeders on the hives and am giving them ApiInvert as required.

It's that time of year again when we take up the meadow for haylage, so that we have fodder to feed to the sheep cattle and horses over the winter. I always chain harrow the field which pulls out dead grass and moss, much like a scarifier, and then roll it to level off any bumps and bed in small stones so that the mower does not hit them.

As soon as May arrives, thoughts also turn to shearing. If the April weather had continued, our sheep would all be sheared by now but as it is I'll probably leave them until next weekend or even the 1st week of June. Anyway, the shed is mucked out ready to go so that I can shear them dry, and I'm off to Whelan's Sawmakers to get the combs and cutters sharpened. (Click here to see last years post on shearing)

Comb (stationary) on bottom, Cutter (reciprocates) on top

I've said it before so I'll say it again, there is something fascinating about watching sheep shearing, so take advantage of the opportunity and mark your diary for the Sheep Shearing Championships in Kilkenny on 4th and 5th June.
And just to whet your appetite, this is my favourite shearing video, and no you may not turn off the music! Keep your eye out for the blue timer behind the shearers.

Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera)

2011-04-30T08:27:00.001+01:00

The weather is wonderful, and for the first time in about eight years it is coinciding with an abundance of blossom from which ours bees can get ample supplies of nectar and pollen. So far it has been a great year for bees, acres of dandelions which yields nectar at low temperatures and plenty of pollen from Pussy Willow etc gave them a great chance to build up numbers over the last month or so and now the hives are bursting with bees and they are taking full advantage of the opportunity, and so am I!

The Horse Chestnuts and Sycamores are both in flower...

..as is this tree in the orchard, an ideas as to what it is?

It's a Quince and sorry to go all flowery again but they really are spectacular.

Our native apples are also in flower.....

...and indeed this Ecklinville Seedling is only just about to start.

The only real way to tell what blossom the bees are working if you don't actually see them on it, is by the colour of the pollen, and in this case it looks like Sycamore. There is also brick red pollen going in which means they are also working Chestnut.

As you can see there are lots of bees in this hive, and these are probably only the house bees since the photo was taken on a warm sunny day (yesterday) and all the flying bees are out foraging.
You may notice a drawing pin on a frame on the LHS of the photo. There is also one that you can't see on the RHS, these mark the extent of the brood nest at the last inspection and in this hive there are 15 sides of brood which means that the colony is building up really well and could do with more room. It's time for a 'super' and we'll hopefully get some honey.

'Supers' on and fingers crossed for some honey. The whitethorn is about to flower so if the weather holds we should get a good crop.
The tall hive on the left is the strongest, and has already supplied 2 frames of capped brood to the colony on the right which was wintered as a 'Nuc', thereby allowing it to build up more quickly. Not only that but it has a second brood box on because I wanted to get some frames drawn, and they have drawn 5 frames in 4 days. Busy Bees!

We are members of the Midland Beekeepers Association whose help and training has been invaluable. If you are interested in beekeeping it's important to find a local association for help and advice particular to your area.

Moile Calves

2011-04-16T10:29:00.002+01:00

Two Moile cows were due to calve this spring.
The first to calve, last Saturday, was Derrynagarra Hilda, a lovely heifer bred by us. It was her first calf which is always an anxious time for everyone, but her mothering instincts are very strong and she had her calf licked dry and suckling in no time.

Derrynagarra Doreen

She is a beautiful heifer calf 1 day old in this photo, with Mum keeping a very close eye!

Two days later, Derrynagarra Gwen calved and had a nice bull calf. This is her third calf and so she is an old hand at this now and is an excellent mother.

He is only 20 minutes old in this photo. We haven't named him yet!

Any ideas?

All calves must be tagged and registered with the Dept of Agriculture within 20 days of birth. The Dept keeps very detailed individual records of all animals in the National Herd, and from the tag number can tell age, date of birth, breed, where it was born, where it is now, owners details, all movements, tag number of dam etc etc.

From a farmers herd number they can tell how many animals are in the herd and all their details, and from this they can calculate the amounts of nitrates and phosphates produced!

So, there is no option they have to be tagged and the longer I put it off the stronger the calf gets and the more difficult it becomes.

With the mothers safely restrained in the crush, the calves get an individual tag in each ear.

Fast asleep in the sunshine later the same day, none the worse for ware!

Both calves about a week old!

An Taisce National Spring Clean

2011-04-09T13:59:00.001+01:00

We tend to take the litter on the sides of our roads for granted, but in reality it is a national disgrace. Running a Bed & Breakfast as we do, it is only when you drive with the eyes of a tourist that you see how bad it really is, and so spurred on by An Taisce's National Spring Clean initiative, Helen organised to clean the verges of our local road (L5738), a distance of about 3 miles starting at 10 o'clock this morning.

An Taisce provided us with a Kit containing gloves, colour coded bags, green for general waste, yellow for plastic and blue for cans, as well as plastic vests telling people what we were up to. They also provided information on what to do with all the rubbish, and it looks like Westmeath County Council will come and take it away!

It took three of us about 2 hours to clean from one end to the other!

The clean up crew! All this from just 3 miles.

The National Spring Clean runs from 1st to 30th April. Good luck to everyone involved!

Spring Photos

2011-04-04T20:19:00.000+01:00

Ok, ok, I admit the whole job's going a bit flowery but it is Spring and I'm allowed! Anyway, a few late nights lambing and I should be back to normal!

Bull Rush seed head, an interesting shape!

Pussy Willow. This one was full of bumble bees making a tremendous racket as they went about their work. Our honey bees are also on pussy willow although I didn't see any in this tree, but there is lots of bright yellow pollen going into the hives.

The damsons in the orchard are also in flower!

Despise ye not the humble dandelion for it is a very important plant for bees. There is lots of pollen this time of year, but very little nectar available to honey bees, and dandelions provide the first significant source of the season and equally importantly, they yield up their nectar at low temperatures!

Our whitethorn hedge, planted 2 years ago and doing well, plus one of my favourite tree the Scots Pine, not yet magnificent but it will be some day. Interesting thing about whitethorn is that it flowers on last years growth, so if you clip it every year it can't flower!

"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows"

2011-03-25T21:27:00.002Z

Spring is well and truly here, the birds are all singing, the snowdrops are over, the daffodils are out and all the wildflowers are starting to bloom.

Primroses are in bloom along the lane and all around the banks of the farm.

The first of the violets are also starting to flower.

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly the wild strawberries are also in flower.

A magical time of year even without Oberon and Titania.

Fencing - Stage 2

2011-03-12T15:21:00.002Z

Another gloriously sunny day, absolutely ideal and so back to the fence. I need to get it finished so the sheep can go back into this field during lambing which is only about 3 weeks away!

The next job is to make an 'H' frame at either end of the fence to support the strainer and stop it leaning over when the tension of the fencing wire comes on it. And it's going to be under quite a lot of tension as you will see later.

Having secured it at one end, the sheep wire is then rolled out along the fence....

.....and attached to the tractor using my homemade sheep wire puller.

I asked a man once how tight the sheep wire should be pulled: "Well", he said "I have a Massey 165 and I just pull until the front wheels come off the ground and put on the handbrake. That's usually about right!" (Health Warning: do not try this at home!)

That's the sheep wire up, and the hedge is now safe! I'll put an electric top strand on later to stop the cattle and horses from leaning over and having a gentle nibble, but that's for another day!

Close-up of sheep wire strainer as requested by farmersimonk

Fencing - Stage 1

2011-03-06T09:53:00.001Z

Having planted our new hedge we have to put up a new fence to keep the stock away from it. There is nothing sheep like more than a nice tender, green shoot of new hedge even if they're up to their oxters in grass!

The quad is one of the most versatile machines we have, and having loaded the trailer, I drove along and put out the posts in the line of the new fence.

We have a tractor-mounted fence post driver, which makes very short work of putting in posts.

With a 7' straining post driven down to about 4' at either end of the fence, I run a line of wire between them and having pulled it tight, I have a straight line to follow when hammering in the intermediates.

Within reason, it doesn't matter what angle the tractor is at because you can adjust the post driver to suit.

Nearly all in!

Included this because I quite like the photo. It also gives an idea of how the machine works, and when you consider that the hammer weighs 380kg it's not surprising that it will drive even the biggest posts with ease!

Puppies!

2011-03-04T09:32:00.000Z

Smidgen on left and her daughter Iota on right

Great news! Iota has pups and Smidgen has grandpups! Born yesterday morning.

One dog and two bitches, they are one day old in these photographs.

Eyes closed and constantly suckling, you can almost see them putting on weight. We'll get some better photos once they are up and about and their eyes have opened.

We found that Iota settles much better in a box where she and her puppies cannot be seen, hence the lid, and usually a pair of beady eyes keeping an eye out for danger!

Chickens & Eggs

2011-02-24T10:21:00.000Z

During the winter we have enough eggs for ourselves, but as the days begin to lengthen and spring approaches the hens start to lay again in numbers.

We use them in all their forms, boiled, poached, scrambled and fried. Transformed into omelettes and pancakes. We make lemon curd and bake; for ourselves, our friends and our guests.

We have about thirty hens of mixed breeds.

We also have alot of foxes, so our hens live in a large fenced off area, and have a house to go into at night.

One of the hens will go 'broody' as the season progresses and she will sit on about a dozen eggs which will in due course hatch and join the flock.

The eggs range in colour from off white, through to brown, speckeldy and even green depending on who laid them.

Hedge Planting

2011-02-20T17:41:00.000Z

As part of our participation in the Rural Environment Protection Scheme we have to plant hedges. So far, over the last ten years, we have planted 560m of hedge. It is mostly whitethorn with a mix of guelder rose, holly, beech and blackthorn. We have also dotted some trees within the hedgerow, mainly oak and Scots Pine.

This year we had a further 215 meters to plant.

First of all an old fence had to be removed.

In the background you can see a hedge we planted about 8 years ago.

Then it was out with the Weed Dragon, to burn off any dead vegetation, and kill grass and weeds where the new hedge is to be planted.

The hedge was supplied and planted by Ramor Landscaping and all 215 meters was planted in a day.

It was planted on a nice bright day in February and was well watered-in by a down pour the following day!

Potholes!

2011-02-13T09:58:00.001Z

From the dizzying heights of our Radio debut last week, it was back to earth with a bang yesterday when we spent the morning filling in potholes!

The avenue, which serves both the farm and the house, has taken a severe pounding this winter and if we don't get to them in time the potholes get bigger and bigger!

With Helen driving the tractor......

........ and me on the end of the shovel ......

...... we had it sorted out in a few hours!

Job done....for another while at least!

Irish Moiled Cattle Photographs

2011-02-05T11:10:00.000Z

If you heard us on CountryWide this morning, with Ella McSweeney, talking about Moiles and were wondering what they looked like, here are a number of photos taken on the farm throughout the year!
Our animals are all DNA typed and parentage proven. As we mentioned to Ella they are all named, and carry our registered prefix 'Derrynagarra'

Derrynagarra Patricia

Derrynagarra Gwen

Derrynagarra Viola

Gwen with here calf Patricia, 4 weeks old

Helen's favourite photo

'The Bull McCabe' wishing he was in his field!

Christopher's favourite Moile photo

Derrynagarra Hilda

Twelve day old calf

Chewing the cud

Derrynagarra Viola

Two day old calf.

The snow and freezing temperatures were of no concern to 'The Bull'

McCabe drinking through the ice

Gorse

2011-02-04T11:29:00.001Z

We have a patch of gorse in the field at the back of the house. It surrounds what we believe to be the quarry where the stone for our house and buildings originally came from. It has been gradually encroaching into the field, as gorse does, but now the EU have decided that it is ungrazable land, and therefore must not be included in land area calculations.

And so it has to go. It's not the end of the world though, gorse being gorse it won't be long before it starts to come back, and we have left a band of blackthorn and trees, so after we have reseeded with grass it will look pretty good.

And so digger driver extraordinaire John McCabe, of McCabe Contractors arrived on a cold dry day in January and took it all out, leaving the ground ready for a quick harrow and reseed once the ground temperature warms up.

We had considered doing it by hand but were very glad we didn't!

Countrywide

2011-01-28T23:38:00.002Z

Ella McSweeney who presents Countrywide on RTE Radio 1 and Ear to The Gound on RTE Television came down to see us this morning to talk to us about Irish Moiled cattle and to record a piece for Countrywide. It should be broadcast tomorrow morning, time permitting, otherwise it will go out the following Saturday, 5th February.

To give you bit of a preview, click on Helen to hear an audioBoo of her naming our cattle!

Raspberries

2011-01-28T19:48:00.001Z

Well where else would your thoughts stray other than to raspberries at the end of January?

This may look like a particularly weedy patch of ground, but it is actually where our raspberry canes live.

I'm not sure if this is the correct time of year to cut back all the dead canes from last year, but as it was a dry day it seemed like a good idea.

The large wheel barrow is ideal for carrying all the canes away.

Perhaps this year we will have a more orderly raspberry patch. It's certainly not a row of raspberries! They are an autumn fruiting variety, though I don't remember which one, and carry on fruiting until the first frost finishes the season.

Slainte!

2011-01-22T11:21:00.001Z

Way back before christmas we picked sloes and started to make sloe gin.

Having just remembered that the bottles were in the back of a cupboard and having checked that all the sugar had dissolved it was time to decant and taste....

The sloes are shrivelled and rather unpleasant to look at, but the gin is now a glorious colour.

This should cheer us up, on a damp January evening.

New Avenue Gate and Cattlegrid

2011-01-17T22:55:00.000Z

Previous guests and friends alike will remember, without affection, the old red five bar gate at the top of the drive that had to be opened and closed, come hail rain or shine, to get down to the house. When there were animals in the front field we had no choice but to keep it closed. We used to tell people they were lucky, because originally two sets of gates had to be opened and that, even for us, was a gate too far.

Such was the effect of our gate on people that John McKenna mentioned it in his review following our first entry into the Bridgestone 100 Best Places to Stay in Ireland back in 2008, saying: "Okay, so you have to open a big red farm gate to get in, but that is the only problem with this delightful new destination."

And so it was that back in March of last year I trundled off to our local farm supplies with the tractor and trailer and returned with numerous lengths of steel with which to make a cattle grid, or to be more precise 83m of 100 X 50 X 3 RHS and 2 boxes of welding rods! Without a cattle grid any replacement gates would still have to be kept closed to keep the animals in.

Two days later after much cutting measuring and welding the grid was ready. At 4.2m wide and 2.6m long it looked absolutely enormous, but I was determined that no animal would get across it! It is of course extremely heavy and I would never have been able to make it without the tractor!

A mighty hole was then dug into which I poured a concrete base and then built up walls to carry the grid.

It was then a matter of putting the grid on top, building up the walls at the sides and then back filling the rest of the hole.

We took out the 'big red farm gate' and fenced round the cattle grid.

The new gates came from Ardagh Fencing and Gates and, I'm sure John will agree, are a big improvement. And because there is a cattle grid we can now leave them open when people are coming! Such a joy on a wet day!

Feed the Birds!

2011-01-11T12:31:00.002Z

When we're feeding the hens a row of birds from crows down to the wagtails and wrens sit along the chain link fence waiting to swoop down and share breakfast. It is almost impossible to get a photo of them since they fly away as soon as we move amongst the hens.

However the bird table made by a friends son some years ago (thank you Lukas) has come into its own, and it didn't take the birds long to discover the feeders once they were tied on.

Other birds wait on the ground to pick up any bits that are dropped.

Our native birds are perhaps not as colourful as some from warmer countries but most birds remind me of this poem by Bai JuYi. It's one of my favourites.

The Red Cockatoo

Sent as a present from Annam—

A red cockatoo.

Colored like the peach-tree blossom,

Speaking with the speech of men.

And they did to it what is always done

To the learned and eloquent.

They took a cage with stout bars

And shut it up inside

Seville Orange Marmalade

2011-01-07T09:00:00.002Z

Strange but true: 'tis the season for Seville oranges. They don't look very nice and they are very very bitter with lots of pips, but when it comes to making marmalade there is simply no substitute! If it's not made with Seville oranges then it's just not marmalade!
And so, as we speak, Helen is busy making marmalade for both ourselves and our Bed and Breakfast.

The oranges are not always readily available and you may find that you have to order them specially from your local fruit and veg merchant. However if we don't continue to buy Seville oranges and make marmalade more and more farmers in Seville will stop growing them until eventually there will be none and then there will be no more marmalade and we will have to have jam for breakfast and that would be a travesty!

The Lake has frozen over!

2010-12-08T18:32:00.000Z

A lovely sunny today with temperatures soaring all the way up to minus 2ºC, positively balmy compared with the minus 11º we started off with this morning. I've only included these figures because our friends in Winnipeg scoffed somewhat at my efforts to suggest that things were cooling down in the Post "Clipping Clorin"! It may not be as cold as Winnipeg but it's still ear tinglingly cold!
With clear blue skies, frost in the trees and snow on the ground I headed off round the farm with the camera and got some more nice photos:

The house from a couple of fields away!

At the avenue gate.

Two views of Bishop's Lough.

Bishop's Lough which is about ten acres in size has completely frozen over. It's only the second time we can remember this happening, the first being in February this year!

Snow!

2010-12-07T08:00:00.001Z

It is unusual for us to get much snow this side of Christmas in Ireland, but we have made up for it this year. Westmeath has not been hit as hard as some parts of the country and we only have about three inches.

Knock Eyon with a light dusting of snow.

Once the fields are covered with snow it is important to get feed out to the animals still outside.

Christopher puts out the round feeders and then places a bale of haylage in each for the ewes.

Iota feeling very small in the snow!

Iota and Smidgen following the quad tracks up to the bull.

McCabe and two weanling bullocks are still out, and quite happy as long as they have food and water.

Water does become a problem as all the troughs and pipes freeze. McCabe knows how to break through the ice and get to the water, however after a couple of days we have to break out all the ice and refill the trough. For the last fortnight the daytime temperature has not got above freezing, and at night our wall thermometer has read as low as minus 10 Centigrade.

The only outside tap still working is at the front of the house in this wall. Christopher has to bring a barrel in the quad trailer and fill it from this tap,

the water is then decanted by bucket into the various troughs. Alot of extra work!

Some of the ewes being picturesque.

Knock Eyon, and the ewes eating their haylage.

The weather might be hard work, but it is really beautiful.

Grandma Sale's Mincemeat

2010-11-24T20:18:00.000Z

Lots of cooking apples mean trying to think of lots of different ways to cook and store them.

We always make mincemeat, and at this time of year we are often polishing off the previous years jars before making some more.

Recipe:

3/4 lb currants, 1/2 lb sultanas, 1/2 lb raisins, 1/4 lb mixed peel, 2 oz flaked almonds, 2 oz glace cherries, 3/4 lb suet, 2 1/2 lb apples (grated), 14 oz demerara sugar, 1/4 of grated nutmeg, 1 lemon rind and juice, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp mixed spice, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 cup whiskey.

Put all the ingredients in a bowl, and cover. Leave in a cool place for two days, stir several times. We use vegetable suet now, but I'm sure Grandma would have used beef suet.

Pot and cover. Not sure what we'ld do without a certain brand of mayonnaise jars. They are a great size to recycle and use for pickles and mincemeat.

The mincemeat easily lasts twelve months but it is unusual to have very much left by the following year.

So, with some we'ld made earlier the mince pies are cooked, iced and quickly devoured and it's not even December!

The Farrier

2010-11-19T16:38:00.001Z

The farrier has just left having trimmed the hooves on 3 Irish Draughts of various ages and re shoeing Clorin, who had a loose front shoe. Four years as an apprentice and a lot of practice makes it look very easy!
The farrier would come about every six weeks depending on how fast the hooves grow. It's particularly important for young stock that their hooves are trimmed regularly.

First of all the old shoe is removed.

Then excess hoof growth is taken off.

We had a query following our post about clipping Clorin, wondering how she stayed warm without her hair. In this photo you can see her in her outdoor rug which is wind proof, water proof and insulated, so no need to worry.

And then smoothed off with a file.

Still holding the hoof between his legs, the new shoe is beaten into shape.....

..... and nailed on. This is why they serve a 4 year apprenticeship!

He then curls over the end of the nail and crimps it down so that it won't come out.

All that's left then is to tidy up the front of the hoof....

.... and Bob's your Uncle!

Irish Moiled Cattle

2010-11-13T07:02:00.002Z

Sweetheart calved last Monday morning, a lovely heifer calf. This really is a stroke of luck because firstly heifers are what we want, and secondly she is by our previous bull and is completely unrelated to our current bull Damhead McCabe. (but I'm getting slightly ahead of myself! She has a long way to go before that.)

Moile calves are quite small initially, making them relatively easy to calve. But their mothers have plenty of milk, so they grow on very quickly!

Only four days old and very photogenic, particularly without her ear tags.

By law she has to be tagged within 20 days of birth and then registered with The Department of Agriculture

We haven't come up with a name for her yet, any ideas?

She is out of Springfield Sweetheart and by Glassdrummond Iceberg.

Red Cabbage

2010-11-09T17:12:00.003Z

The easiest pickle in the world has to be pickled red cabbage, and luckily it's one of our favourites too!

First find your cabbage! ...or buy one from Kevin!

Slice to a thickness of your choice. You do get beautifully stained thumbs doing this part of the job.

Sprinkle with salt and leave for a day, then rinse and dry.

Pack into clean jars and cover with distilled malt vinegar. The cabbage is quite sharp but is delicious with cold meats and fish.

Muck Spreading

2010-11-06T11:31:00.000Z

With the 1st Nov rapidly approaching, it was time to get the farm yard manure spread on the haylage field. In Westmeath you cannot spread dung or store it in a heap on the field between 1st Nov and 15th Jan, farming by strict calendar date makes no sense but 'thems the rules'!

In the organic farming system it is our most important way of replacing nutrients, and this has rotted down nicely over the summer.

Christopher is the tractor driver in this photo, and you can see the spreader throwing the manure out onto the field.

A section of field with manure spread on it, and behind a piece that has yet to be done.

Christopher unhitches the spreader and then fills it from the pile with the grab on the tractor.

Imagine how long it would take to do this by hand!

The finished field. The well rotted manure will now disappear into the field over the winter and will hopefully give us better grass next spring.

Extracting Honey

2010-10-29T18:58:00.000+01:00

We thought that a few quotes from 'Pooh's Little Instruction Book' might be appropriate:
"When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you're coming"
"When carrying a jar of honey to give to a friend, don't stop and eat it along the way."

We have been keeping bees now for about 5 years. It has been a very steep learning curve and indeed would not have been possible without the help of the Midland Beekeepers Association and Jim Donohoe in particular. Disease, weather conditions and man have all conspired to make it very difficult to keep bees. For the past number of years it has been a case of trying to keep colony numbers up, rather than trying to produce honey.
This year, however, we had about 2 'supers' of honey to extract. It is mostly clover honey, which would be our favourite!

A frame of honey ready for extraction. We uncap the frames using an electric paint stripper! sounds a bit vicious but it works and is much less messy than uncapping with a knife.

It works because our native bees leave an air space between the honey in the cell and the wax cap, so you can melt the cap off without damaging the honey!

We use National Supers which contain 10 frames. When the Super is on the hive there is a queen excluder underneath so that the queen cannot get in to lay, so that only honey is stored.

The extractor takes 3 frames which are spun around, in this case manually,

and centrifugal force flings the honey out of the cells.

The honey is then drawn off through the tap at the bottom.

It really should go though a strainer and be allowed to settle before being put into jars, but this is for our own consumption, and is delicious just as it is!

The colour and consistency of this honey would suggest to me that it is clover.

I'm sure Winnie-the-Pooh would approve. An essential part of anything to do with honey is regular sampling, just in case... and because...

"Always be aware of how many pots of honey you have in the cupboard; it's nice to be able to say, "I've got fourteen pots of honey left." Or fifteen as the case may be."

Clipping Clorin

2010-10-24T17:50:00.004+01:00

We had the first decent frost last night with the temperature dropping to -0.4ºC. The first picture which has nothing to do with clipping, was taken this morning just before sunrise and Christopher thought it was worth including!

So...over to Helen, and Clorin, and clipping:

Early morning mist over Bishop's Lough with Knock Eyon in the backround.

As autumn progresses the horses all change their summer coats for something more substantial to see them through the winter.

Clorin was starting to get too hot for comfort when we were out, so here she is clean and fully coated ready for a change.

Starting to clip.

The clippers are electric and not too noisy, but some horses are not keen on the whole operation. Clorin, true to her Irish Draught pedigree was calm throughout.

Nearly finished.

Clorin, cool and composed ready for off.

Georgina Campbell Awards 2011

2010-10-20T07:37:00.005+01:00

We got an email from Georgina Campbell Guides a couple of weeks ago inviting us to attend their 2011 Awards event at Bord Bia's Headquarters in Dublin on Tuesday 12 October. Being slightly innocent and because Christopher was going to be away and Helen would be holding the fort on her own, we emailed back and said we were really sorry but we wouldn't be able to make it! They replied that they completely understood, but it might be in our interest if we could arrange for somebody to be there! Suitably intrigued, and wondering what on earth was going on Helen agreed to go.

And so it was, on Tuesday morning, armed with Morag, Helen set forth for Dublin!

We were absolutely thrilled to be presented with not one but two awards!

Irish Breakfast Award (FarmHouse Category) and Farmhouse of the Year 2011. click on the links to read the citations

Helen being presented with the Farmhouse of the Year Award by Georgina Campbell

Georgina Campbell:

Georgina Campbell is one of Ireland’s leading food and hospitality writers. Her practical and down-to-earth approach has earned many fans for her cookery columns and cookbooks, and the same honesty has applied to her comprehensive and critically acclaimed, independently assessed guides to Ireland’s best places to eat, drink and stay.

Commenting on this year’s winners, Georgina said; “Excellence is always the top priority, of course, but our award winners this year share a quality which goes beyond that. Given the difficulties posed by the current economic situation, it takes a very special kind of determination and skill to confront the situation head-on, take control and come up with innovative ways to attract customers. Today’s winners represent those people in the hospitality industry who have got real grit and, by putting customer requirements first - and keeping up their marketing - can continue to provide a combination of excellence and value for money that brings in business, even at this dire time for the industry.”

Sponsors include: Bord Bia, BIM, Fáilte Ireland, and Waterways Ireland.

Winter Barley

2010-10-19T18:40:00.004+01:00

I have been away in the Highlands of Scotland for the past week and so have got a bit behind with updates to the blog! (I will post some photos later.)

Time keeps moving on, as they say, and the field beside our farm where we got straw for the winter has been ploughed and sown with winter barley for next years harvest.

Two tractors pulling 9 furrows between them make short work of the field.

The forecast is for rain, so the seed is sown directly after the plough, and the ploughs will never get more than about 4 passes ahead of the seeder, so that even if it rains there is always dry soil to sow into.

Just to prove that it is a neighbouring field!

The weather has been so mild this autumn, that within a week the barley was through, and well on it's way to being a good crop for next year.

Irish Independent, Weekend Supplement

2010-10-17T14:36:00.005+01:00

We were delighted when, following an overnight stay, Gemma O'Doherty, Irish Independent Travel Editor, wrote the following piece which appeared in the Weekend supplement on Saturday 25th September:

Derrynagarra Clorin

2010-10-09T16:01:00.008+01:00

After eight Irish Draught foals, and about ten years since she was broken, Derrynagarra Clorin is back under saddle. It's early days yet, but we are both really enjoying it.

I don't remember it being such a long way down from 17 hands, or indeed up for that matter! And so we have ordered a mounting block, and Christopher has made a start putting riding latchs on some of the gates as you will see later.

We decided not to put either of the mares back in foal this year as the market is so flat, so Clorin and I thought it would be a good chance to get fitter!

not as graceful as I might be!

'Super Clorin' surveying the surroundings

Off up the drive

Checking the lambs as we go

the new gate latch makes exit much easier

A blustery saturday afternoon, but we are very happy to be out and about again.

Slow Food Pig & Lamb Roast

2010-09-26T12:16:00.007+01:00

All the hard work paid off and we had a great day yesterday at the Westmeath Slow Food Convivium Pig & Lamb Roast. Hilltown turned out to be a fantastic venue, many thanks to Fionnula for allowing us to be there.

We supplied the organic lamb, and so it was up early to be at Flood's Butchers in Oldcastle for 7:30 to collect both the lamb and Morag's pig ready for TJ Crowe to start roasting.

The lamb ready to go onto the spit, having been hung for 2 weeks.

The lamb on the spit.

And some time later, cooked to perfection and ready to be carved.

TJ Crowe and his assistant preparing the pig

On the spit ready to roast

Spit roast pork with lots of delicious crackling

The scent of pork & lamb is in the air and the crowd are getting hungry!

The meat was served in delicious baps made specially by Louis Peppard of Lilliput Loaf Co.

Following the meal Una gave a talk on The Slow Food Movement, it's intentions and ideals, and Terra Madre which is the world network of food communities.

She then introduced the 2 speakers for the event.

First up was Morag Newman who gave a very interesting and passionate talk on Rare Breed Pig keeping especially the Mangalitza from Hungary, and keeping pigs on a smallholding.

Next up was Christopher who gave a talk on conversion to organic sheep farming and an insight into what's involved in producing a lamb.

Eating their roast pork and lamb, and enjoying the talks.

Paddy Keogh from Wines Direct very kindly supplied some very enjoyable Prosecco

Not much was left at the end of the day!

Autumn Fruit

2010-09-18T09:46:00.003+01:00

All around us the year is winding up and reminding us to lay down stores for the winter.

In the orchard the last of the fruit ripens.

Medlars

Asian Pears

Quince

For the first time the Sweet Chestnuts we planted some years ago on the drive have fruit.

In the hedge rows the elderberries are ripening

and the blackberries

the rosehips

and the sloes. Must buy some gin!

So much to preserve, so little time.

Westmeath Slow Food Convivium

2010-09-12T18:31:00.005+01:00

We are members of the Westmeath Slow Food Convivium and are supplying the lamb for the above roast!

It should be an interesting afternoon, with TJ Crowe spit roasting one of our lambs and a rare breed pig from Morag Newman. It will be an opportunity to find out more about Slow Food and meet some like-minded people.

You will also be able to enjoy two talks, one from Morag on Rare Breed Pig Keeping and the other from Christopher on Sheep Farming and what is involved in producing lamb!

If you are interested please pre-book tickets for yourself and friends in advance (as spaces are limited) by contacting one of the numbers above.

See you there and fingers crossed for a sunny day!

Haylage made at last!

2010-09-11T10:21:00.008+01:00

We have been waiting since the beginning of August for a 5 day weather window to cut our meadow and make haylage. To decide on when to cut we use a combination of crossed fingers, the Countryfile Weather Forecast on Sunday, Met Eireann's Weatherdial and finally The Irish Weather Network which has a recording station in Killucan about 15 miles away, and is a great website for local weather.

Monday 30th August turned out to be a bright hot breezy day. Ideal weather !

We tedded it out twice,

and then rowed it up on Wednesday evening.

Smidgen and Iota can be seen checking that the rows are straight!

The haylage was baled on Thursday afternoon.......

......and immediately wrapped.

The bales need to be brought in straight away or else the crows perch on them and puncture the wrap.

All safely stacked in the yard ready for winter, and most importantly, saved without rain.

It will be used to feed the cattle, the sheep and the horses.

We have had 3 inches of rain since this photo was taken!

Pickled Shallots

2010-08-26T18:24:00.004+01:00

We lifted the shallots from the garden ten days ago and left them to dry in a shed.

Then we peeled them, and put them in brine for 24 hours.

Rinsed and sorted by size, they are now ready for putting into jars.

The spiced vinegar had been cooled and left with chillies, cinnamon, all spice, mustard seed and bay leaves to infuse.

The vinegar is poured over the shallots, and now we have to wait for a while before we can taste the fruits of our labour!

We haven't had much success with shallots for the last few years due to the wet weather, so it is all the more satisfying to have managed a good harvest this year.

The Orchard & Apple Pressing

2010-08-22T17:33:00.004+01:00

We planted the orchard in 1993 (the trees were a wedding present). At the time there were very few Irish varieties available, and we spent quite some time looking and eventually found 3.

About a year after we planted we saw an advert from the Irish Seed Savers Association, looking for 1/2 acre sites on which to plant Irish varieties. Oh well!

We orginally planted Irish Peach, Ecklinville Seedling and Ard Cairn Russet which are Irish varieties, and then any trees we have lost over the years have been replaced with Irish apple varieties from the Seed Savers, namely: Sheeps Snout, Uncle John’s Cooker, Yellow Pitcher.

We also planted James Grieve, Bramley, Lord Derby and Worcester Pearmain. So that we now have about 16 apple trees.

The rest of the orchard is made up of pears, plums, greengage, damsons, 2 medlars, 2 quinces and 1 cherry which does fruit but we never get them because the birds always beat us to them!

We were taken a bit by surprise on Saturday as the first of the apples were ready about 3 weeks ahead of last year, and so we had to get set up for pressing our Worcester Pearmain and James Grieve. Four trees in all. Apologies to Ella who wanted to come and see the process, but we will be doing it again!

From blossom in May ............

..........to fruit ripe for picking in late August.

Onto the quad bike, which carries the crates to where we are set up.

And with unparalleled concentration, the apples go into the crusher...........

.....which chops and macerates them into small pieces ready for pressing.

We have a small screw press which takes about 1/2 a crate of crushed apples at a time, and depending on the variety produces 2 to 3 litres of juice per pressing.

We then bottle up the juice, and freeze it. Nothing added! And the juice keeps perfectly for up to a year.

Our afternoons work yielded up about 35 litres of delicious juice from 4 trees. Much better than letting them go to waste.

The first of the plums!

2010-08-02T22:36:00.003+01:00

In the orchard the fruit is starting to ripen. The first fruit is always this small delicious purple plum.

The variety is 'Early Rivers' and it is great to eat straight from the tree, or stewed, or made into crumble; it also makes good jam.

As it is the first to ripen we eat lots and lots as it is at least another two weeks before any of the other varieties are ready to pick.

Irish Draught Horse Breeders Association National Show

2010-08-01T11:22:00.006+01:00

Where to start! We had the most fantastic day out, as you can probably guess by the sash sported by Derrynagarra Dash. He was 4th in the mixed two year old colt and gelding class. It is always difficult for a gelding to compete against the colts so we were happy with his placing in a class of 10 animals.

We then took part in the 2 & 3 year old gelding championship.

Derrynagarra Dash Champion Irish Draught Gelding being presented with his sash and cup !

Our yearling filly Derrynagarra Bliss awaiting her turn to trot up in front of the judges.

Trotting away. The yearling filly class had 13 competitors. We finished 4th in the class and were very pleased with that. For anyone who is interested the full results are available on the Association's website www.idhba.ie

The end of the day!

Harvest & Thoughts of Winter

2010-07-29T06:52:00.008+01:00

Farming like most of life is cyclical. So while we are picking summer fruit and enjoying being outside in the back of our minds are preparations for winter. This week saw barley harvested in the neighbouring field.

Modern machinery is enormous. This combine is 350hp and cuts 24 feet at a time and given our weather you need to be able to cut as much as possible when the sun shines.

The number in the window indicates that this combine took part in the 'Combines for Charity' event last year which broke a world record and raised over €300000 for 4 Irish charities.

Barley being unloaded into the trailer.

This is feed barley which along with most of the grain grown in the area goes to a local pig producer who has his own grain handling and feed compounding facility where he makes a feed ration for his pigs and cattle!

All the straw is bought by local farmers, including us, for bedding animals in winter!

Gone are the days of small square bales. These round bales are the equivalent of approximately 10 small bales and have to be handled by the tractor.

Bales stacked up in the shed ready for the animals in winter, alongside turf and logs ready for us and the B&B.

A buzzard surveying the scene from his new perch. They have only been in the area about 5 years and are a wonderful sight soaring effortlessly in the sky.

Lambs

2010-07-25T08:41:00.005+01:00

We check our livestock every morning, to make sure everything is the right way up and that all is well! So this morning I took my camera with me and photographed some of the sheep.

The cold spring followed by a very dry early summer has meant that grass growth was well back on previous years. Consequently lamb growth has been slow, but as you can see they are looking well!

We weighed a few to check on progress. This fine specimen weighs 40kg, but at the moment he's the only one, with the rest averaging 34 to 35 kgs. So we should have lambs fit in another 3 to 4 weeks!

Our lambs this year are Full Symbol Organic Lambs, and we hope to start selling some of them direct to the consumer ready for the freezer. So if you are interested drop us a line!

Longford Show

2010-07-24T17:50:00.003+01:00

Derrynagarra Patience surveying the scene, before getting out of the trailer.

Patience and Helen waiting for their class.

The small agricultural shows need all the support from exhibitors that they can muster. If the breeders don't attend the classes will be lost, and young horses won't have the chance to get the experience they need.

We had a lovely day out, met lots of people we knew and were home in time for tea!

Trip to Wicklow

2010-07-23T18:38:00.006+01:00

Borrowed a Sat Nav and headed off to Ashford with Derrynagarra Dash in tow, last Sunday.

Derrynagarra Dash

Helen & Dash concentrating like mad!

He is a two year old Irish Draught gelding, and he qualified for the gelding championship that is to take place at the national Irish Draught Show in Mullingar on the 31st July.

Field Mushrooms

2010-07-16T18:35:00.003+01:00

We have been finding mushrooms in the fields for the past week. Conditions must be right this year, as we have had none for the past 4 or 5 years.

So we have been having mushrooms on toast, Helen has made up batches of soup for the freezer and we're having spinach and mushroom lasagne for supper tonight!

Bring Home the Turf

2010-07-16T12:22:00.003+01:00

The good weather in June meant that we were able to save the turf in record time, and get it home before the weather broke. It is a very labour intensive operation, and each sod will have been handled at least three times before it's safely in the shed.

The area of bog where we get our turf is not in an SAC, and has been cut for home consumption for generations.

All rowed up, ready for loading onto the trailer.

As the saying goes, turf warms you more than once!

Taking a well earned break

Bog Cotton growing wild in its natural habitat.

I grew up on the edge of the Bog of Allen, when it was unspoiled bog as far as the eye could see. Now it has all been drained and is all gone, except for those areas that are still in the hands of 'non-commercial turf cutters'. The rest having been compulsorly purchased by the State and used, as our only natural resource, to fuel our Power Stations!

The Minister for Environment John Gormley confirmed the ending of a ten-year derogation from an EU ban on non-commercial turf-cutting in certain Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

Thirty-two raised bogs, where flora and vegetation continue to grow, are immediately affected with a further 24 next year and 75 heritage areas in 2013.

Bailieborough Show

2010-07-05T07:23:00.005+01:00

We won our Class at Bailieborough Show yesterday with our yearling filly Derrynagarra Bliss.

Washed, brushed and plaited-up ready for her class.

This was her first show and she took all the new things in her stride - the loudspeakers, the ridden horses, the cattle, the very blustery day.

The judges considering their verdict

Bliss in every sense of the word! Helen and Bliss with their first prize rosette.

Red Currants

2010-06-23T17:52:00.004+01:00

All of a sudden the first of the summer fruit is ripe. We have red currant bushes in a fruit cage, and others planted in odd spots around the place. Normally the birds strip all of the bushes that are not in the cage, but this year all the bushes are laden. I suppose that means that the harsh winter killed more of the wild birds than we were aware of. Not that you would realise from the singing in the morning.

Time to start making jams and jellies, and crumbles and summer pudding!

Shearing

2010-06-07T11:59:00.009+01:00

Now that the weather has warmed up it's time to get the wool off the sheep. Christopher does the shearing himself and does them in batches of 20 to 30.Shearers charge €2 to €2.30 per head, but the fleece is only worth about €1.50, so the price of wool does not even cover the cost of shearing.

Close-up of the handpiece.

Quite a vicious looking piece of equipment, anything that goes between the teeth will be cut. Shearing therefore involves controlling the sheep in such a way that you present a smooth flat surface to the handpiece.

The preferred technique was developed by Godfrey Bowen in the 1950's. Hand piece held in right hand, left hand keeps the skin tight, feet, legs and left arm manoeuvre the sheep around so that the fleece comes off in one piece ready for rolling and packing into the wool bag.
When all goes according to plan I can shear a sheep in roughly 2 minutes. However I was at the Shearing Championships in Portlaoise yesterday and saw Ivan Scott from Donegal shear 10 sheep in 8mins 2sec. He also holds the World Record for shearing 736 lambs in 8 hours. Quite a feat!

New Calf

2010-05-29T14:12:00.006+01:00

On a thoroughly more positive note, another Moile calf was born (Derrynagarra Edward) and as you can see from the following photos, he is a lovely bright active calf!

Having his ears washed

His mother (0001) was the first Irish Moiled calf born on this farm.

Bad things seem to happen in threes

2010-05-29T11:57:00.004+01:00

We wondered whether to include some of the more depressing aspects of farming on this blog, and then decided it would a bit unrealistic not to.

We have had a run of bad luck recently:

We were expecting another foal this year. The mare started to foal, but it soon became apparent that events were not progressing quickly enough and by the time she finally foaled with considerable veterinary assistance her filly foal was born dead.It was the mare’s first foal, and while it took about a week for her to recover from the physical ordeal, she didn’t really know what happened and so did not miss the foal.She has now recovered and is out grazing peacefully with the others.

That same weekend one of our Moiled cows gave birth to a dead calf. Calving progressed normally, and she is a very experienced cow so there was no obvious reason which is frustrating. The calf was full term and born bang on it’s due date.This cow has had a lot of calves, she knew exactly what had happened and would not leave the calf.

Each morning I would open the door of the shed and leave it open all day. She would have one or two mouthfuls of grass and then go back to sit with her calf.On the third morning she got up, had one last look back at her calf, and walked off to join the rest of the herd. She too has recovered and is out grazing peacefully in the sunshine.

The following weekend having hatched 10 chicks…..

….our broody hen and her chicks disappeared. We think the fox must have taken them, but there were no tell tale feathers strewn around, just no hen and no chicks.

There is an expression in farming which says that ‘where you have livestock you will have deadstock’. This sounds a bit callous but it is more a way of pointing that, even with the best will in the world, these things do happen and some things are beyond our control.

New Recommendation for Lough Bishop House

2010-05-16T08:21:00.008+01:00

Exciting news on the Bed and Breakfast front!
Following a successful recent independent assessment, a recommendation for our house has now gone up on the Georgina Campbell website.

Follow the link and see what she has to say about us!

Hens

2010-05-07T17:47:00.009+01:00

We keep some free range organic hens which produce eggs for ourselves, the Bed & Breakfast and some for sale. We always have a glut of eggs in the summer, and just about enough in the winter when we might manage one or two eggs per day.
Egg laying is governed by day length. As the days get longer egg numbers increase, and as they get shorter egg numbers drop.
As the days get longer, hen thoughts also turn to producing chicks and one or two hens will go broody.
When they go broody nothing will get them off their eggs and they can get very defensive. We found this one tucked in tight under the drinker, when I was mucking out the cattle shed. Tractor and loader working in the shed right up to her never disturbed her.

They usually sit absolutely motionless, only getting up very occasionally for a drink etc. They are so motionless that on another photo like this one I used a 3 second shutter speed and the only blurred area is her eyes as she blinked!

Lambing almost over!

2010-05-01T09:18:00.004+01:00

Just 12 stragglers remain. Actually make that 11 as one is lambing as I write!

We have been extremely fortunate with the weather, just 2 or 3 wet days at the the beginning then dry for the remainder, and at long last the grass has started to grow.

Quad bike and trailer, essential kit for lambing!

The trailer can carry 4 ewes. Their lambs go in the front section so they don't get squashed.

Then it's off out to the field.

They have quite a nice view!

Lady's Smock

2010-04-30T22:22:00.006+01:00

This year there seems to be even more Lady's Smock than usual.

Perhaps it was the hard winter.

There are drifts of these beautiful little pale pink/purple flowers in all of the fields this spring.

Rhubarb

2010-04-25T16:51:00.010+01:00

You probably can't call rhubarb a fruit, but whatever it is, it's the first sweet thing to come in from the garden! We have one early variety whose name we have forgotten, but which is ready now for a light picking over.
Apart from gently stewing it with a bit of orange juice and some sugar to taste, this is our favourite way of preparing it:

6oz sweet shortcrust pastry

Bunch of your own fresh rhubarb

1/4 pint cream

2 of your own fresh hen's eggs

4oz sugar

Line a flan dish with the pastry, chop rhubarb into chunks and arrange on the pastry

Beat eggs sugar and cream together and pour over the rhubarb

Cook in a hot oven until filling is firm and the top is golden brown

Cook in the top oven of the Aga until done!

DELICIOUS!

Our Moiles finally go out to grass.

2010-04-17T18:07:00.004+01:00

We had our annual herd test last Monday. This is a compulsory Dept of Agriculture test carried out each year in order to eradicate Bovine TB and Brucellosis. The results are extremely important, because if you fail, our herd is locked up and no live animals can be sold. A real headache!.
Thankfully our herd is clear for TB and we are awaiting the results for Brucellosis.

Our stock bull Damhead McCabe

We just call him "The Bull" for short. (obvious I know, sorry)

Oh, and just to say, he's not behind bars for any particular reason!

So, with the winter fodder all used up, and straw reserves at an all time low, it was time to let our Irish Moiled Cattle out to grass. And as the following photos show, they didn't take much persuading.

I think thats called 'High Tailing It'

Lambing is progressing nicely!

2010-04-14T16:55:00.012+01:00

I am frantically searching for a piece of wood to touch because a statement like that usually spells disaster!

The improved weather means that grass is starting to grow and the sheep are lambing in warm sunshine, an ideal start for young lambs. Long may it continue.
We lamb our sheep outdoors. I drive round the lambing field on the quad bike every 2 to 3 hours during the day depending on how things are progressing. The last round of the day is at 10pm. I do one check during the night at 3am, and then start again at 7 or sometimes 8 if I don't hear the alarm and Helen doesn't wake me!

Any ewe that has lambed is brought inside to an individual pen where she can bond properly with her lambs. This means that I can check her for milk and ensure that her lambs get adequate amounts of colostrum. We also spray the lambs navel with an iodine solution to help it dry up quickly.

A warm bed on a cold morning

After about 24 hours inside the ewes and lambs go out to fresh grass. We always put numbers on so that we know which lambs go with which ewes, if there is a mix up or if something goes wrong.

Who ever said sheep are stupid? The above photo is not an uncommon sight, especially on a cold morning or, if it is very windy, you will often find lambs tucked in tight against the leeward side of their mother, warm as toast and completely sheltered.

Right, it's 11pm and time for some shut-eye before the 3 o'clock alarm.

Return of the Swallows

2010-04-07T18:47:00.004+01:00

The swallows have made a welcome return to our farm yard from their winter migration. It's an event we keep a close eye out for as winter turns to spring, and their darting flight in and out of the stables, refurbishing their nests and catching insects is a real pleasure to see.

I have been out with my camera to get a shot for this post, but sadly,as you can see from the following photos, neither I nor my camera are fast enough!

Lambing 2010 has started

2010-04-03T19:00:00.006+01:00

A rather Hicks-esque photo of the first ewe to lamb! Had the wrong lens on and couldn't get far enough away!

The average gestation for ewes is 147 days, which means our official start date is tomorrow (4th April), but we always expect one or two to lamb 2 to 3 days early, and so true to form at 11:30 last night the first lamb arrived safely.

A nice big healthy single, and mother has plenty of milk. All we need now is some fine weather and for the grass to grow! And of course lots more lambs.

Spring at last & a new arrival!

2010-03-20T10:07:00.010Z

The first of two foals due this year has landed safely.

So introducing to you Clorin's purebred filly foal. She is by the RID stallion Sir Rivie, and was born on the 11th March at 2.30 in the morning. We watched the whole event on the foaling camera from the comfort of our bed without disturbing the mare. (that's our excuse!)

No name yet, but this always takes some time.

We are not due to start lambing for another fortnight, but another sign of spring is that the hens are now laying like mad, so we are baking and making lemon curd and doing all the things we can think of that involve egg consumption.

Smidgen & Iota enjoying the Spring sunshine.

GETTING STARTED

2010-03-04T09:16:00.001Z

We have just set up this blog and now need to gather our thoughts and learn how to use it. So, please bear with us!

In the meantime, this is Gwen one of our Irish Moiled cows.

For more information and in case blogging is a step too far into the cybermire check out our website www.loughbishophouse.com