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What a great summer for fruit. And it’s only just getting started.
The strawberries are in full swing, the raspberries are about to begin, and the plums
will be ready by August. It’s definitely time to visit the farm, and a good time to read
the newsletter too. I hope that you enjoy it.
All of us at the farm are delighted to be associated with Cahir Farmers’ Market.
As well as offering us a place to sell some extra produce, it also affords us the opportunity to buy some
top-class foods.
A new stallholder has recently taken up residence there, so now there are two stallholders who make
the most delicious breads, cakes, and confectionaries.
As well as this, there are locally made cheeses and sauces, free-range eggs, a wide diversity of fresh
fish (including shellfish) and fish pies, organic pork, beef and lamb, and vegetables and fruits also.
And because everything is locally produced, you can rest assured that there haven’t been trucks criss-crossing
the country and creating all sorts of pollution to get your food to you. (This is known as the issue of
food miles, and you can read more about this in the next article).
Cahir farmers’ market is open every Saturday from 9am to 1pm.
Right now we have strawberries and raspberries, and by August we will also have
plums. While the strawberries will be gone by then, we will still have raspberries right through August, as our
new autumn-fruiting plot will be bearing by then.
As usual we have apple juice, apple jelly, and strawberry and plum jams for sale, as well as farm-made cider
vinegar.
Also, for those who like cider in the summertime, we have Willie Rost’s brew.
Fermented in Co. Clare, and sold as Johnny Jump Up, this is a medium-sweet cider that will appeal to many.
Finally, we have Bay Lough cheeses from Clogheen.
We were very pleased to get a front-page photograph in The Farmer’s Journal
edition of June 19th. Back in 1989 their photographer, Tony O’Gorman, called into our farm and took a picture
which made the front page, and he has called in every now and then since. We are delighted to be featured on
the front page once again, and perhaps we’ll make it once again in 2019. Hopefully the strawberries will be
just as good then.
Our farm had another good year in the
Bord Glas and National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) quality awards last year.
At the recent awards ceremony in Dublin, the farm won the outright award for Munster,
having scored 100% in the audit procedure. A special certificate was awarded by
Minister Noel Treacy, who noted that The Apple Farm had scored consistently well
over the years, having also won the National Award for fruits in 2000.
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