Registration

An Tairseach Organic Farm & Ecology Centre presents ‘Preserve the Seasons’ with Moira Byrne

WHEN:            SATURDAY 19th OCTOBER 2024

PRICE:              €60

TIME:               10:00 – 16:30

VENUE:           AN TAIRSEACH ORGANIC FARM & ECOLOGY CENTRE

BOOKING ESSENTIAL

ABOUT THE COURSE
Following on our successful “Plot to Pot” courses, come join us at the An Tairseach Organic Farm & Ecology Centre as we explore the food we eat, growing it ourselves and eating it all year round in light of climate change and the biodiversity crisis.

Preserving our homegrown and locally sourced produce is one of the key elements of successfully growing your own and feeding yourself nutritiously year-round.

Capture the best of the season as Moira guides you through different preserving techniques, inspired by the organic produce from our garden and farm, the fruits from our orchard and the hedgerows surrounding our 70-acre organic farm.

This class is tailored to the season giving you an opportunity to jam, chutney, pickle and ferment a delicious selection of the items we produce here at An Tairseach. By the end of the day you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to preserve the produce from your own garden, local markets, orchards or hedgerows.

COURSE CONTENT

Your day will start by settling in with a tea or coffee.

Moira will set the scene with a discussion around organic gardening, growing your own food and biodiversity. She will review what you should be growing at this time of year, how to prepare your garden for the upcoming season, and will provide you with extensive tips on how to manage your plot.

We will then learn how to make a seasonal jam. Moira will explain how pectin works and how to make jam out of pretty much any fruit you have to hand. We will also explore the world of chutney making.

Pickles and brining are the easiest ways to preserve the glut of produce you may be harvesting from your garden. Moira will show you how to make pickles with a salt brine and with vinegar. You will learn how to tweak and tailor recipes so you can harness your skills at home using seasonal produce throughout the year.

Fermentation is one of the oldest and healthiest forms of preserving food. Get to grips with gut-friendly ferments, starting with sauerkraut. Moira will also guide you through how to make delicious sourdough bread, starting from the choice of flour and creating and maintaining your starter.

A delicious lunch will be served incorporating organic vegetables and produce from our organic farm.

There will also be time to explore our organic vegetable garden and farm shop.

You will take home the jars of jam, pickles and sauerkraut you and Moira will have made, as well as a recipe pack full of guidance so you can get preserving throughout the seasons.

ABOUT MOIRA BYRNE

Moira worked as Environmental Awareness Officer with Wicklow County Council for over 20 years. She has a background in medical science, geography and environmental management… as well as growing her own food all her life. Moira will discuss tangible ways of understanding climate adaptation through growing and eating food, getting in touch with nature and enhancing biodiversity.

Moira believes that we can all live sustainability through trying to live differently. Growing your own food is a tangible means of understanding the food we eat and climate adaptation and mitigation. It also provides a route to get in touch with nature and enhance general environmental awareness. Your garden becomes a supermarket from which you get most of your food for the week along with preserving for year-long use.

WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP FOR?
This workshop is for anyone who wants to learn or develop their knowledge of growing their own food organically and preserving produce.

All materials, tea/coffee and a light lunch are supplied.

Payments can be made online when registering or by credit card – telephone 0404 61833

Please allow yourself plenty of time to get here. Free parking is available in our car park.

We hope you can join us!