This recipe came to me via Germany.
 
A young lady travelling to Ireland from Bavaria, let’s call her Monika, had a fennel stashed in her suitcase. Perhaps a bit unusual but she was coming for a few weeks and did not want the fennel to go to waste. Our luck, it was soon transformed into this simple yet delicious creation.
 
No vinaigrette, no lemon juice or oil …  I was very pleasantly surprised on how nice it tasted.
 
Recipe
 Enough for 4 servings.
 
INGREDIENTS

• 1 Fennel
• 1 Orange
• A few mint leaves

 
METHOD

1. Trim the fennel then chop it into chunky bite size pieces.
2. Peel the orange, separate the wedges then cut them into small pieces. Use half the orange to start, it may be enough.
3. Tear up a few mint leaves as you see in the photo.
4. Give a good toss and serve. 

​Voila, that is all it takes and let me tell you, it is very good.
 
Bon appétit !
 
Jacques
 
@HungrySoulVegan_  - Changing the Culture

Customers are loving this new product and here are two of the reviews we received:

I recently tried the Vitamin C Elixir oil; it has worked wonders in helping my skin heal and regain its natural moisture. Review by Margaret Power
 
I had surgery on my face and the Vitamin C serum has helped soften the skin and remove blemishes. Review by D Chambers 

 I am using it myself and find it absolutely amazing, my skin glows after using it. My teenager has also taken to using it too! Review by Geraldine​

​ Let us know which of our products are your favourites and why
Email Geraldine [email protected]

What to do with your extra lemons and limes?

Lemons helped to keep me sniffle free all winter.  Every morning add about 1 to 2 inches of sliced ginger, 1 teaspoon of honey and juice from 1/2 a lemon to my water bottle, then I top it up with slightly cooled boiled water. I drink this every day and it also helps keep me warm on the very cold days.

I have been known to go overboard and buy too many lemons! Below are some of the tips on how to use your excess. My favourites are number 1 and 2. I hope you find some of these useful. 

1. Preserve with Salt: Preserve lemons or limes by packing them in salt. This traditional method not only extends their shelf life but also infuses them with a unique flavour that's perfect for adding depth to dishes like tagines and salads.
   
   
2. Quarter and Freeze: Freeze the quarters separately (no water) or in your icecube tray with water, then add to your gin and tonic.
   
   
3. Zest and Freeze: Freeze the zest in small portions to add dishes like soups, salads, and marinades.
   
   
4. Make Citrus Vinegar: Infuse white vinegar with lemon or lime peels to create a natural citrus cleaner. Put the peels in a jar, cover with vinegar, and let it sit for a few weeks. Strain and transfer to a spray bottle for an eco-friendly cleaning solution.
   
   
5. Homemade Citrus Scrub: Mix lemon or lime juice with baking soda to create a natural scrub for cleaning surfaces, removing stains, and freshening up the kitchen and bathroom.

Geraldine Fitzpatrick

I am sticking with the simple recipes to tackle the glut of flat leaf parsley I have at the moment.

Flat leaf parsley is prolific and nourishing. Enough said. Time to move over as a garnish and take centre stage.

Some ways to use it!

1. Make a pesto. Blend with olive oil, garlic, pinenuts and lemon zest with some parmesan cheese and black pepper. Seriously good!
2. Just blend with leftover oils and pour into ice cube trays to freeze as an addition to stews later.

 
 Ingredients 

• 1 cup buckwheat seeds
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped into quarters
•  1 cucumber, diced
• 2 large handfuls fresh flat leaf parsley finely chopped
• 1 large handful of mint finely chopped
• 1 lemon (juiced and grated)
• ¼ cup red onion or spring onion, chopped fine
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil on medium heat.
2. Add in the buckwheat and cook for 10 minutes with the lid off, until most of the water is absorbed then turn the heat down to low with the lid on for a few more minutes until all the water is gone and the buckwheat is soft.
3. Fluff the buckwheat up with a fork and set to cool while you prepare everything else.
4. Add the remaining ingredients to a large bowl, transfer the buckwheat to the bowl and toss well until all ingredients are combined

Note: The original tabbouleh uses bulghur wheat. 

Anne Maher

Caffeine how coffee and tea created the modern world
by Michael Pollan

I love a recommendation from customers and this one is an audio version. I guess, it’s not difficult to see why it caught my attention. Our lives are fairly dictated by coffee and tea.
​
It makes a change for me to get off the subject of sugar! This audio book has given me pause for thought though. How a plant can change the world etc. It really is quite amazing to consider this from a wider perspective. Addictive performance enhancing legal drugs of choice eh?

If we extrapolate from coffee and tea it makes me wonder about the natural plants around us that have the potential to help us do great things for humanity. I’ll ponder as I pour myself another cuppa.

https://michaelpollan.com/books/caffeine-how-coffee-and-tea-created-the-modern-world/

Anne Maher

Lots of conversations in side these weeks on a nostalgia for times gone by when things were simpler. My lateral brain goes from the news that Amazon fresh  is beginning to go off. The novel idea of just picking your scannable items and walking out the door as the cost is taken out of your account is perhaps a step too far for us. Maybe just maybe we need people to interact with along the way. I am remembering being a very young child looking at the high shelf behind the shopkeeper where the tall glass jar with the black lid held the desired apple drops. Perhaps you will remember the time too when you had a human gatekeeper behind the counter who required you to point and request the desired item. Penny sweets in white paper bags. They tasted so good. I do remember wanting to be a shop keeper. How glorious that job appeared to my 5 year old eyes. A wonkaland of possibilities….Little did I know.
 
Back further I remember the infamous shop in Portlaoise called Boylans. Eddie and his brother wore the brown overalls, typical of service to a local community that has not forgotten their impact. As children we were not able to grasp the importance of those conversations as people were traced and stories told while groceries were collected. Shopping was a slow process. My mother would write out her list there and they discussed the latest news of births deaths and marriages. No money changed hands but the list was held on account until the farming harvest came in when the bill was paid.
 
I can still smell the place in my memory. It remains fresh. Unlike Amazon business plans.
 
Fast forward to today and those  many gatekeepers are being made redundant with technology and the promise of progress. Self-service check outs are monotone and quite frankly annoying. There is no conversation. When it doesn’t work in the streamlined time saving way it promises, I feel like a scolded child leaving the supermarket. Unidentified item in the bagging area…
 
Our world is enriched with opportunities to connect and communicate. Accessing food and groceries is one regular way to get that connection back and we see more people acknowledging this benefit. It is prompting those conversations again of the good old days. Memory lane is interesting and fun. Imagine trying to have those conversations with Alexa and Siri? The unfortunate price of progress seems to be disconnection. Is it worth it? 

Anne Maher

Spring time though late after a long winter is more than welcome. As nature bursts forth its latent potential the growth of the grass will be eagerly welcomed by the farmers eager to get animals fed outside again. 40 shades of green or the green green grass of home? Either way this is real food for many animals that we rely on in our food system. We need reminding regularly that our farmers are our source of food. It seems ridiculous to state the obvious but alas as the years move on we disconnect with the reality that we rely on them. Pardon me for being the harbinger of doom here but imagine if the supply lines were cut off to our island and trade routes were interrupted. Let’s say through adverse weather or conflict. Apparently we have three weeks of food supply available. Forget the toilet paper supplies! How resilient are we to cope with a major shock? This is a question I often ask. Our consumption patterns of UPFs signal our rising risk. On the plus side we have embraced gardening and growing with more enthusiasm than ever. If nothing else it reminds us how much work is involved in getting food to the market and justifies an appropriate value of the food. We have a lot to do. Building our networks of local supply again. This is not a tick box exercise on circular economy. This could be life or death. 

Anne Maher