I have been harvesting cabbages, cauliflowers and broccolis all winter and now it’s time to start clearing it out to prepare it for the summer growing season.
I only use three things on my skin; witch hazel, olive oil, and natural unscented olive oil soap. That might sound rather limited but there are so many different ways to use olive oil that you’ll never get bored. I make my own lavender oil as a treatment for my skin, as a massage oil for tired muscles, and as an insect repellent in summer.
Not many people know that the artichoke is from the same family as thistles, so I learnt from the plants already in abundance and have had much success growing artichokes. However, artichokes can be difficult to prepare for the dinner table if you don’t know what you’re doing. Here’s my recipe for a baked artichoke dip that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
I have put my rescued Guinea Pigs to work on the farm, helping them to help us help them more!
For three years now, our farm has remained unploughed. Whilst neighbouring farmers continue to pulverise their soil into dust up to four times a year we have followed a different path allowing the weeds and grasses to grow.
This year has been a very dry year and possibly as a result I’ve noticed a surge in butterflies flitting around and depositing their eggs all over my garden. Big fat juicy caterpillars have been munching their way through my broccolis and cabbages to the point where I have had to take action.
For €3 a month you can help us to support the local bird population.
The first thing you see when you enter the Freedom Farm veggie garden are the Cardoons and the Artichokes. These spectacular plants are not only delicious to humans but also a very necessary part of the diet of insects. Every year I always leave a few Artichokes for the beetles and the Cardoons too, not just for beetles but for bees also. Right now there’s not a huge amount out there for bees and you can see many of them enjoying this rare treat.