Eldamar Farm – polytunnels and a milking cow
From Cork city we awoke early so that our bus journey would land us in Kenmare during the weekly Wednesday market, where we’d planned to meet Susan: our next host and proprietor of organic veggies and beef.
Susan, an American, and her Dutch husband William have a 30 year old organic farm. On it they raise lettuces and veggies for themselves and the market year round, and beef to sell at the market sometimes. They have a wonderful view from their hillside of the Kenmare bay/river and across it, the Beara peninsula.
They are vegetarians but everyone tells them their organic beef is superb. The main reason why livestock such as cattle are so popular in Ireland is because the boggy, stone-laden soil isn’t good for much else – so they sell beef because it’s a reliable profit. They’re also fortunate enough to have a milk cow, a Jersey named Milka who had just calved a few weeks before our arrival. This meant two milkings a day and that Jonathan could learn how to use an old model milking machine as well as milking out by hand, which he successfully accomplished around week four.
Another job, which we both loved, was to give some attention to Michelle the sweet and good tempered young Jersey calf, Milka’s daughter!
Having a well-cared-for milk cow meant being able to make organic dairy products. One unique thing about Jersey milk is that it is sooooo creamy you’re able to make butter by hand simply and without a churn. It was super easy and fun! We’ll take you through it step by step.
Step 1: The cream is poured to fill 1/4 of a mason jar with the lid sealed tight. Then the fun begins. Start shaking and shaking and shaking until you don’t hear sloshing anymore…the cream has thickened. (note in the background, the cheese mould in use)
Got the idea?
Step 2: When the cream is thick and no longer shakeable (and your arms are starting to feel like jelly), cold water is added little by little along with the shaking. Continue with a bit of cold water, shaking, cold water, shaking until about ten minutes later…poof! It suddenly magically separates into butter solid and buttermilk.
Step 3: Now that you’ve taken the butter lump out of the buttermilk (a liquid which is delicious to use in your porridge the next morning), the butter is gone through with a fork and more cold water to “clean” it, extract the rest of the buttermilk and make it as pure butter as possible before dishing out.
Step 4: Dish out and enjoy! And believe us, there are few things more enjoyable than fresh homemade butter on fresh homemade bread!!!
Making butter, observing and assisting William make cheese, making cookies and muffins…all the things we did in their lovely kitchen we had this fantastic view to set the scene out the kitchen window…
Most of the time here was spent in the polytunnels planting out lettuces for the market. Ireland has a very wet but mild climate which means that frost is rarely a problem. This makes polyurethane-covered tunnels ideal for keeping plants warm by retaining the limited solar energy (much like a greenhouse) while controlling the amount of water the plants receive. Here’s Christine as she plants out the baby lettuce seedlings into their new beds.
On Tuesdays we harvested veggies and lettuces for the Wednesday market. The market brings regular local producers along with out-of-towners (only during summer) together with the residents and tourists (often arriving on big coach buses) for an easy-going morning shopping experience. In addition to the veg and occasional beef, Susan also bakes and sells delicious cookies and muffins. Needless to say she has regular customers.
During our month long stay one highlight was a bicycle day-trip we took on the Ivereagh peninsula and along the Ring of Kerry. The beauty was breathtaking and as we rode along the narrow road enjoying the absolute solitude. But suddenly out of nowhere Christine heard a very loud, very American voice behind her…and wouldn’t you know it but an American couple was driving up alongside us in their rental car (as we were riding on a very narrow stretch of road) leaning out the window, holding up traffic and shouting “Excuse me, is this the Ring of Kerry?” *cringe*
Here we are by the bay (see how there’s no shoulder on the road- it’s a national road and it doesn’t get any wider).
But it was oh so beautiful! Here’s the appropriately named Blackwater river – which actually looks more like a big river of Guinness when you’re there.
And speaking of Guinness…we shared a nice refreshing one at the end of our cycle trek. As you can see we weren’t the only ones enjoying our day!
We took in beautiful views on this magical ride and were even able to visit a piece of Christine’s past! Here’s the story:
In 1989, when Christine was only 14 and in her freshman year of High School a trip was offered to the students to go to Ireland and England for some weeks in March for a cultural experience and hiking trip. The tour was school sponsored, and some thirty kids and teachers went in collaboration with a company called The English Wanderer, a professionally led hiking group.
Christine says:
I have spotty memories of the trip, but all of them wonderful. I knew I had been somewhere in the Kerry area but didn’t have a clue to how absolutely close we were until, during a casual conversation with Susan one day I mentioned that I remembered being at Tahilla Cove. She said she didn’t know of a Tahilla Cove specifically, but the town of Tahilla was a short bike ride away! A few days later we took our bike trek and planned it to go through the small town of Tahilla to see if I recognized anything. When we had ridden about halfway there we saw a sign for a B&B called Tahilla Cove and, since something about the bend of the road and the overall scenery rang familiar, we turned down the lane and ended up at the very lodge we’d stayed in twenty years ago during our trip! I recognized it immediately and found it very exciting to walk on the same ground and have memories spring up that I had thought were long gone. We went around to the front, knocked on the door and were greeted by a nice Irishman – the proprietor. I began by saying “Hello….I was here 20 years ago on a school trip and we were in the area and so we thought we’d stop by…” Oh yes of course please come in! Have a look around! The Irish are so hospitable, and as he was showing us around he started telling me all about the very trip I’d been on, remembering more about it than I did! He said, “oh yes I remember it well, about 28 kids right? And ye were from the Boston area? And your tour guide was Danny? Ah yes, and remember when the local school came in and did an Irish dancing show for ye? Ah and then one night ye went to the local town for a bit of music….” He went on and recounted so many details I was absolutely astonished (and a little embarrassed that I didn’t remember them until he’d reminded me) that this man who’d seen so many customers in his time would remember such details. Anyhow, here’s a picture of he and I on the porch of good ‘ol Tahilla Cove.
On another day, thanks again to the trusty bicycles Susan and William let us use, we took in an old-fashioned music session outside the local pub. We arrived during the tea break when families of young and old were chatting and laughing on a rare dry Saturday afternoon. Before long the music started back up and one after another, musicians started appearing out of nowhere to join in the group.
Lots of great sounds made with the accordion, fiddles, guitars — all with the music of lilting Irish conversation on top.
But as we know by now, all good things must come to an end. We really enjoyed our stay with Susan, William, and constant companion dog Burton (pictured below). We learned so much about being self sustainable in the context of running and entire farm (as opposed to just veggie growing as we’ve done a lot of in the past). Susan and William work hard, but live well. We hope to model their style in our future.
We were leaving Eldamar Farm but not the town of Kenmare. We still had Jonathan’s cousin to visit (the whole reason we found Kenmare in the first place), and a Virgo Ireland Birthday Bonanza to plan and execute. We were off to help, and be helped by, a very deserving woman in Kenmare and to make some local friends. But that is all yet to come. For now…
….Jonathan, Christine and Burton wish you well from Kenmare, Ireland!
“Of all the places we’ve worked, I’ve liked the work there the most” – Christine
Tags: 2009-August, Kenmare, Tag Index
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