I went to Ballyvaughan last Saturday to the Farmers Market. If you don't live nearby you'll enjoy the drive; looking out over the wild karst landscape, and navigating some incredibly windy roads! It's roughly about an hour from Ennis. Ballyvaughan is a small village so the Farmers Market is well sign-posted.
It's comparable to French village fêtes, which attract visitors from all over their localities and further afield. The market supports locally sourced produce ranging from fresh seasonal veg, fruit, herbs, cheeses, and preserves, to homemade relishes, crafts and a vast array of baked goods. It was a sunny day in North County Clare, and I was greeted with the sound of a local guitarist singing an unexpectedly diverse repertoire (everything from ballads, Elvis and contemporary Irish, to satirical and nursery rhymes!). I couldn't help but smile! There was a raffle for a hamper of produce from the market: carrots, cupcakes, eggs and turnips among other delights. I see smiling faces all around, I overhear many people complimenting the price, quality and variety of produce.
I met Barry, one of the main organizers of The Knitting Club, surrounded with intriguing gadgets and some very excited children. On display was a bicycle-powered generator which powered two big PA speakers (one sure way of expelling excess kiddie energies, and recycling an old bike!). I asked him what T.K.C is all about and he simply says " it's a open to anybody, our goal is to de-mystify electro-mechanics and technology". Axel Shannon speaks enthusiastically about T.K.C, "when you understand it, you can make loads of cool stuff!", Jessica Kelly agrees, "I thought science was OK at school, but T.K.C. is really interesting". T.K.C is based in the Enterprise Center in Ballyvaughan. Read more about T.K.C here
Buttercup Cakes invited me to take the Taste Test Challenge: of course I preferred the home-made buns! The cupcakes are light and fluffy and you an taste 'real' ingredients, as opposed to that awful chemical-y aftertaste from mass-produced ones. The whole 'cupcake' scene is booming, but hopefully, like good coffee, the independent and more attentive producers will come out on top.
The award-winning Aillwee Cave/ Burren Gold specialty Gouda cheeses are available in Plain, Cumin, Garlic and Nettle, Smoked, Piri Piri, Black Pepper and Fennugreek. Mary Ellen (pictured right) told me you can watch the cheese being made in the workshop. For info about the Aillwee Caves and workshop click here.
Finola Costello, the secretary of the Farmer's Market, explains her main aim is to make sure families who visit can afford a light lunch for as little as €3.50 each. She sells a really decent-sized portion of biscuit-marshmallow cake for just €1.50 and a wide choice of coffees and preserves.
Local historian, researcher and author Seán Spellissy was also there, selling his publications, and imparted some interesting facts about the local history. He and his partner Detta set up next to Monk's, where I bought broccoli and half a dozen fresh eggs for €2.50!
The traders are friendly and knowledgeable. The variety is outstanding and very affordable, despite the popularized 'organic' designer price-tag myth. Aside from the superior quality of organic and locally sourced foods, it is important for the economy on both a local and national scale. If you pay a low price, expect a low quality product, unless of course, you want random crap spuds and moldy tomatoes from the backarse of nowhere...
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Very enjoyable read!
ReplyDeletethanks Aidan! :-)
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