The Vaccine Booklet: Pregnancy, babies and children up to 5 years
by Health Freedom Ireland
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A comprehensive overview of pregnancy and childhood vaccines in Ireland.

This is a new publication by Health Freedom Ireland encouraging you to become fully informed about vaccines and the associated illnesses. This educational booklet contains primary sourced unbiased scientific information and data with graphs, statistics and data derived from government sources along with the manufacturers' patient information leaflets. At 122 pages it is comprehensive and a great reference for informed choice. 

Anne Maher

I was at Annah's recent talk on Acacia Fibre and I have been using it since.  My gut is sensitive and I suffer from IBS.  Taking Acacia Fibre has helped ease sensitivities, and has me more regular and less bloated. I add this Acacia Fibre to my yoghurt or smoothie every day. Also following Annah's advice to start with a small amount and to be consistent.  Thank you Annah for creating this amazing product, I feel so much better even in this short time. Tess

Other reviews:
I was recommended the acacia fibre by a friend. I have no gut issues but added it to my diet because I don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. Then one day I was talking about psoriasis to someone who is affected by it and realised that my psoriasis patches had reduced quite substantially. I then searched the internet to find out if it had something to do with acacia fibre and discovered that dietary soluble fibre does help with psoriasis. I came across a book on the subject: Healing arthritis and psoriasis by restoring the microbiome. There is a section about the acacia fibre. I keep using it every day and doubt I will ever stop using it. My skin looks so much better for it. Claire

After three weeks I have noticed that I have more bowel movements and that my stomach feels more settled. Kate, England
 
I am so glad that I have bought your product. It has been of great relief for my IBS flare ups. Corinne, France
 
"I have been using this prebiotic powder for weeks and feel like I have more energy.” Mary, Ireland
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Let us know which of our products are your favourites and why
Email Geraldine [email protected]

More farmer protests in Germany as I write. Reduced subsidies and increased taxes put the squeeze on farmers. Meanwhile, at the latest World Economic Forum meetings farmers and fishers are sitting in the same sentence as ecocide. I seriously doubt many of the decision-makers have worked the land themselves to understand what is involved. There is solidarity in protest but selective broadcasting will keep the news off the radar for most possible recipients. Again we are distanced from the source of our sustenance. Despite the phenomenal amount of media we have access to, we have little idea of what actually truly is happening. Fear of contagion possibly justifies a media silence in power circles. Protests though suggest the end of a tether. Like a volcanic eruption, the lava eventually comes to the surface spewing forth the fury. It’s the tsunami afterwards that causes the widespread chaos. Be prepared to get to higher ground folks…

Anne Maher

Giving Your Plants a Caffeine Boost with Used Coffee Grounds
 
Coffee grounds can be repurposed as a natural fertilizer, a sustainable gardening hack and a green ritual for both you and your plants. They are a great addition to compost, providing nutrient-rich soil for plants to thrive. Coffee grounds have a high nitrogen content, wet organic matter, potassium, and phosphate. They can be safely used in gardens by adding them to compost containers or worm bins.

Composting is essential for good soil and plants, and coffee grounds are an excellent compost ingredient when mixed with dry and woody waste. A balanced mix is essential for good composting, and the nutrients from coffee grounds are recycled back into soil when used as mulch or compost.

Coffee grounds are suitable for acid-loving plants like hydrangeas and nutrient-hungry plants like roses. They are also known to repel slugs and can be used around hostas. However, caffeine in coffee grounds can stunt plant development and prevent seedlings from germinating. Dogs may become poisoned by caffeine, so it is recommended to place the grounds in compost bins or bury them underground instead of spreading them on the ground.
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Geraldine Fitzpatrick

​Our tote has made it to Rio De Janeiro lately and for security reasons had to be left at home!
 
The Tote that wasn’t allowed out
 
We heard many scary stories as we approached Rio De Janeiro. One more colourful and dramatic than the last. So we arrived in Brazil with a little trepidation and a long list of do-s and don’t-s:

• Wear no jewellery, not even your wedding band.
• Don’t carry a phone – bring a map instead and write down any addresses or bus schedules in advance.
• Book an Uber directly to your apartment and drop your bags.
• Don’t carry any money or bank card – only bring a bit of small change.
• Ok, we understood. Have absolutely nothing on you that would make a robbery worthwhile. Sorry Tote, you’re staying at home.
• There was more…
• Leave the beach before nightfall.
• Stay in Copacabana. It is well protected by security personnel.
• Don’t stay in Copacabana, it is very touristy and therefore gets targeted by criminals. Wait… which is it?!
• Be very careful. We are from Brazil, but we have left because it is too dangerous.
• Don’t worry. It is safe. Just be vigilant.

Oh no! Which piece of advice should we pick. Are we going to survive this?
 
Well, I am happy to report: we survived!

Some of the worst situations we found ourselves in were, when a foreigner asked us in English to buy him food and got very offensive, when we didn’t. “Sorry, we carry no money”. Walking through town in 35 Degrees Celsius with no money to buy ice cream was pretty bad, too, we thought. Or listening to Christmas music, blearing out of cheap speakers, while getting sunburned on the beach. That just doesn’t feel right. And, of course, the experience of being charged 10.- Euro per person at several points on the way up to the “modern wonder of the world”, the Christo Redentor Statue. That was robbery alright. But not of the kind we had feared.
 
On the other hand, there were some really good situations, too, which are unique to Rio de Janeiro and well worth experiencing. The views from Christo Redentor for example were truly spectacular. By the time we visited, we had made a connection with several points in the city, and we could spot them all: this is where our ship arrived! Over there is our apartment. This point here is where we took the paddle boat out onto the lake. And we walked those beaches to the right at sunset (not after dark, though!). The best part of the view is seeing the huge rocks – jungle covered mountains, really – dotted all over the city. They give Rio its famously pretty skyline and butt right up against the city skyscrapers in so many places. 
 
On a visit to the botanical gardens we read that these jungles, are home to 20 000 species of plants, 990 species of birds and 270 species of mammals. That’s a bit overwhelming for someone who is only slowly coming to know Irelands 27 native mammals and 440 species of bird. But it is definitely very exotic, beautiful and incredibly diverse. It seemed pretty amazing to us, that we could pick up the most fragrant and flavoursome, little mangos under a tree, then look up at the squawking above to discover it came from a pair of toucans. We also saw a lot of jackfruit, which we had never seen before. Jackfruit is a huge spikey oval which grows on a stem straight out of the trunk of the tree. When it is fresh, it has a faint smell of pineapple, but as it rots the smell becomes rather unpleasant. This smell is inescapable in Rio, as the fruit lies on the ground uneaten everywhere. If only we knew how to eat it. After our mangoes, some more free, exotic fruit would be just perfect, since we didn’t carry money to buy snacks. As we looked around us somewhat helplessly, a very obliging family of monkeys appeared very close by, and practically taught us how to eat the fruit. They certainly seemed to like it. We were able to observe and video them for a long time, as they dug into the outer skin, then pulled away the unwanted pieces to reach the yellow flesh which was evidently very tasty. This may have been the highlight for us. We marvelled over the kind of environment, where it was normal for monkeys to climb around green forest so near the city’s jungle of concrete blocks and traffic. A city of contrasts, and extremes, which has definitely broadened our conception of what is normal and which has hopefully released us again with our horizons extended that little bit further.

Intreprid Traveller
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Here’s a recipe I found in the Delicious magazine and it appealed for a few reasons. The Italian influence (Gianni will love it…) but also the concept of using up leftovers. I love a tray bake.

Ingredients

• 500g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 3 shallots, quartered
• ½ tsp caraway seeds
• 4 tsp olive oil
• 150g bacon lardons
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 thick (3cm) slices sourdough bread, torn into bite-size chunks
• 200ml chicken stock
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp nonpareille capers
• 2 jarred roasted red peppers, cut into strips

 
Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C fan/gas 7. Spread the sprouts and shallots out in a large deep roasting tin. Season with a pinch of salt and scatter over the caraway seeds, drizzle over 1 tsp oil then top with the lardons. Put the (unpeeled) garlic cloves in a corner of the tin. Roast for 10 minutes.
2. Stir up the contents of the tin, pour the chicken stock into the base then scatter over the torn bread. Bake for another 10 minutes until the lardons are crisp, the sprouts have browned and the bread is golden on top.
3. Remove the garlic cloves from the roasting tin and squeeze the flesh out of their skins into a small bowl. Mash the garlic with a fork then whisk in the remaining 3 tsp oil and the vinegar. Tip this into the roasting tin along with the capers and peppers. Toss everything together, season and serve hot.

Anne Maher

©Recipe and photo credit to the Delicious magazine

Winter Pickle Soup
Polish 'Cucumber' Soup

I was often asked to make this soup around Christmas time, so it has now become one of our family’s winter food traditions. A day or two before the big day, lots of preparations and this is quickly made, gives one energy, and warms the insides nicely.
 
When I travel, my great interest is always the local food. If you express interest in someone’s culinary culture, they are very happy to share it with you.  This soup was made for me, and I left with a satiated smile and the recipe.  As is my way, as soon as I was home, I made it for the family, and it was an immediate success.
 
Of course, I needed to make a few changes. Instead of the traditional cream or sour cream, I used the amazingly tasty Hungry Soul, vegan cream cheese.  I was asked to second and third helpings…
 
Dill is a fresh herb that is good in everything – salads, pickles, potatoes and of course soups.
 
Makes Enough for 4
 
INGREDIENTS 

• 1 medium onion - finely chopped
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic - sliced
• 2 large carrots - grated
• A pinch of dried thyme
• 1 cup dill pickles  - grated
• 6 cups of water
• 3 large potatoes - cubed
• 4 tbsp  ‘Natural’ Hungry Soul vegan cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 5 tablespoon pickle juice or more if you like it tangy, taste at the end and see
• ½ teaspoon salt, then taste it, you may want a little more
• A good grind of black pepper, and more on the table for those who want it.
• A handful of fresh dill - finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon vegan butter, or vegetable oil

  
INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine flour, the Hungry Soul cream cheese and the pickle juice and set aside.
2. Sauté the onion in the melted vegan butter for a few minutes, then add the garlic and the grated carrot.
3. Once the onion has softened add the grated dill pickle and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring from time to time so nothing sticks to the bottom.
4. In a separate pot, bring the water to the boil, add the potatoes, reduce the heat, then simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add in sautéed onion and carrots, salt, pepper, the Hungry Soul flour mixture and cook for another 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
6. Mix in the fresh dill before serving.  Have a little more for the garnish.

 
Taste it before serving, if you would like it a little more tangy add another tablespoon or two of the pickle juice.
 
 
We ate it with a heavy dark sourdough rye bread, perfect!

Bon appétit !
 
Jacques​

One of the real joys with working at The Urban Co-op is seeing the progress of customers who learn that food can have healing properties. That slow awakening to the power of nature provides the answer we are looking for. Repeatedly the theme is the same. Food is usually the last chance saloon option after medical answers are pursued. But when there are positive results from food there is a period of disbelief followed by stages of awakening. It reminds me of the Kubler-Ross stages of grief. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance appear to be more subtle and possibly not in the same order. I could suggest it is in the following order Denial / Depression / Bargaining / Acceptance / Anger. It is worth discussing this because there is an energy that builds in this process and harnessing this energy is having an interesting impact! 

​Anne Maher