Castlefarm Shop Newsletter
30-Jan-2010
Castlefarm Newslettter, December 09
Castlefarm Shop Newsletter December 09
Email jenny@castlefarmshop.ie to receive this newsletter by email
Castlefarm diary for December
• Sunday 13th December 3pm. Free workshop. Festive Table Decorations, ideas, inspiration and practical advice from local plant expert Sally McCaffrey. Sally will also be selling wreaths, fresh herbs and plants for winter including colourful winter shrubs.
• Sunday 20th December 2pm and 3pm. Children’s Christmas Craft Workshop. €5 per child or free place with every €50 spent. Please email us to let us know your child will be participating. Also from 12-5 Ribbons and Bows, a specialised hamper wrapping day. Free mulled wine and lots of Christmas music! We will be on hand to help you stick to a budget and select and wrap hampers to suit the recipient. Free facility to store perishable hampers in the Castlefarm coldroom until you need them.
Special offers/Product news for December
10% off farmhouse cheese and wine
To make room for our Christmas stock we will be offering 10% off our farmhouse cheese and organic wine on the weekends 27th, 28th, 29th Nov, 4th, 5th, and 6th December and 11th, 12th and 13th December
Marmalade oranges and fresh cranberries ordered for first weekend (4th, 5th, 6th) in Dec
Just in case anybody is thinking of making fresh cranberry sauce or marmalade!
Late opening comes to an end for the time being
Due to the short evenings we have decided that for the time being we will be closing at 6pm on Fridays. We hope this does not inconvenience you.
Recycle last year’s hamper basket with us
We love recycling...so if you have last year’s hamper basket in storage please bring it to us, fill it with goodies, wrap and ribbon it and hey presto you will have saved in the region of €5!
The value of Castlefarm organic duck eggs
Just to let you know that the secret to many a home bakers light scones or fluffy sponges is....duck eggs. Ours are certified organic and cost €2.50 for half a dozen. Interestingly we recently recycled a Glenfin free range box of six – the price on the box was €3.95 proving that we can offer great value as well as organic freshness.
Possibility of Castlefarm appearing on Living Lightly RTE Christmas special
At the end of November RTE spent an afternoon filming with us, they were specifically interested in our Christmas veggie box (details next item) and our children’s Christmas craft workshops. So hopefully we will be on the telly on 15th December.
Castlefarm Christmas vegetable box
We will be putting together Christmas vegetable boxes for €15. They will include enough vegetables to feed a family of 6 for 3 days of dinners. Our emphasis will be on seasonal, local veg that you will use with small amounts of lots of variety. We all cook at Castlefarm ourselves and our selection will ensure that there is no leftovers and no waste (do you know that the average household throws out 30% of what it buys every week).
Whats in season in the Castlefarm garden
It is the season of the root vegetable. We are harvesting our own leeks, carrots, parsnips and turnips. We also have our own cooking apples for sale in the farm shop. The summer’s harvest of onions is still on sale.
On the farm
Our fields are sodden – but we realise how lucky we are in comparison to so many people who have had their homes, businesses and farms destroyed in the recent floods. Most of our stock is in now by day as well as by night.
Last Castlefarm Organic Angus beef boxes for 2009
Our last organic Angus heifer has been slaughtered and will hang in Laz Murphys butchers in Tullow for 21 days. The meat will be divided into 10 boxes and will be sold on the weekend of 18th December. Three boxes are already sold and so if you would like to order one you need to do asap! As usual each beef box contains a mix of steaks, roasts, mince and stewing beef. The boxes cost €12/kg and the boxes normally cost from €140-€160 depending on the size of the roasts.
Castlefarm organic allotment packages for 2010
Castlefarm organic allotments were launched in 2009 with 30 allotments rented for the year. Our allotments are rabbit proofed, set up with regular water outlets and farmyard manure is supplied free of charge. Allotment holders also have access to a shed, picnic tables and toilet. Set off our quiet road beside our own organic garden and the pig and duck pens the allotments are pollution free and tranquil.
ALLOTMENTS – All Ploughed, rotavated and ready for sowing!
Starter plot (5ft x7ft) – €125. The perfect size for beginners or people that don’t want to take on too much. Last year these plots produced bountiful amounts of produce.
Double plot (10ft x7ft) - €200 – Ideal for the people who want a bit more of a challenge and have a little bit more time to tend to their plot.
Treble plot (15ft x7ft) - €250 - For the more advanced grower or someone who wants to put time into producing a lot of their own produce for the year.
Large areas available for community plots – You don’t have to go it alone. Last year saw the first community allotment where four families joined forces to grow. The benefits include sharing the work, planting larger areas and not to mention the social interaction.
ORGANC POLY TUNNEL GROWING
Some people have expressed an interest in indoor growing. If there is adequate interest we are looking to put up a poly tunnel so please contact me - Jenny if you are interested.
CASTLEFARM GARDENING CLUB
Castlefarm is starting a gardening club. It’s a new idea that is aimed at helping anyone who is interested in gardening. It could be anything from designing your garden with flowers or shrubs to those that want to grow their own fruit and vegetables. It is aimed at supporting everyone from the novice to the experienced gardener and is a chance to meet people with the same interest.
The benefits of being a member of Castlefarm gardening club will include
• Monthly meetings giving advice on growing and gardening
• Monthly advisory newsletter by email
• Bulk buying of seeds and garden equipment to reduce your costs
• Organised seed swap day
• 10 % off all Castlefarm courses and events
• 5% discount at Castlefarm Shop
• Special organised day trips to interesting gardens and growers as the club develops
The cost is €40 for the year or a special family membership of €50 to allow you to get the whole family involved. Special €30 euro price for allotment holders who pay before 1 January 2010. It’s an Ideal Christmas gift for anyone that is interested in gardening
6 Organic turkeys left!
At this stage we have 6 turkeys left 4 16lb and 2 18lb. They are Colchester’s Drumeen farm certified organic turkeys and cost €11.70 per kg or €5.30/lb. Anyone who has already ordered deposits of €50 per bird are now due.
Recipe
Blue cheese pate
This is not my recipe but Michelles. It is a great way to use up old bits of blue cheese. In a food processor mix 8 oz pressed blue cheese, 2 oz unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons brandy, 2 tablespoons double cream. Press into ramekins and refridgerate for an hour. Garnish with walnuts and parsley and serve with hot toast.
Opening hours Friday 10am – 6 pm, Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 12-5pm