Seaweed Dinner

Seaweed, Photo: Donn Morrison

Seaweeds are edible. That is nothing new. But when you are going into a fine sushi restaurant and order six salmon maki wrapped in dried seaweed you probably don’t think of the brown and slimy aquatic plants attached to Ireland’s rocky shores. Nevertheless they are just as suitable for consumption as the marine algae from Japan.

A crowd of about 50 people all of them wearing colorful wellingtons are standing on the green field in Kinvara. Ireland’s west coast is fresh and sunny on this Sunday morning. Slow Food Galway invited members and visitors for a seashore forage and clam bake. Accompanied by experts, the people split into three groups and start looking for edible and harvestable seaweeds along the shore.

Slow Food Galway, Photo: Donn Morrison

The saltwater dwelling plants are not hard to find as the coast is covered with them. Still, the attention is first drawn to a much smaller organism. Periwinkles are tiny sea snails hidden in black shells and adhered to the rocks. The shy animals are collected and kept in white buckets while the group is walking in periwinkle-motion on slippery seaweeds towards the water.

“We have three main groups of seaweeds; the reds, the greens and the browns,” explains Jessica Ratcliff who is one of the experts in the group and who works for the Irish Seaweed Centre at NUI Galway. She pulls out a light green plant from the ground and people in her group try it raw. What does it taste like? “I think it varies from type to type. You obviously have the very salty taste and quite often a mineral taste. Especially, when they are fresh," answers Jessica.  She adds that seaweeds are very nutritious because they have a high mineral content, are low in fat and contain a lot of protein.

Seaweeds have a long tradition in East Asian meals. Sheets of dried Porphyra, belonging to the species of red algae, are added to soups or rolled with rice and raw fish to sushi wraps. Furthermore, they are used for medical purposes, like wound dressing or dental moulds, in cosmetics and as organic fertilizer. Seaweed is also considered a source for biofuels. Extracts of the algae appear in many different areas and you have probably consumed some of it every day without noticing. Chocolate, yoghurt and even beer could contain seaweed polysaccharides.

Collected Seaweed, Photo: Donn Morrison

“I add seaweeds to my baking quite a lot,” says Jessica who is originally from Suffolk in the East of England. The 35 year old moved to Ireland 12 years ago and is now finishing her PhD in cultivation of kelp for biofuel. She uses the sugar kelps, long brown algae, for biscuits. The Himanthalia elongata, commonly known as sea spaghetti, can be recognized due to its long brown thongs and is cooked in pasta dishes. Other kinds of salty kelps can be added to soups. "They are really versatile and they have quite a strong flavor. Also they are so high in minerals that you don’t need to use a huge amount. You use them more like a condiment," states the scientist.

 “Slow food is about trying to keep food traditions alive,” says Kate O’Dwyer who is the head of the local movement in Galway. The 45 year old has been involved with Slow Food Galway over three years. The organization was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1989 to counteract the outspreading fast food culture to preserve traditional food. Now it has more than 80,000 members in 129 countries. Community based groups, called Convivium, are spread out all over Ireland and try to engage in tastings and workshops.

The motto of the movement is to promote “good, clean and fair food”. The Word “good” stands for the desired taste and enjoyment while eating. The organization is following the concept of eco-gastronomy what stresses the connection between planet and plate. “It encompasses the idea of supporting local food producers in your area and making sure that they get a fair price so that they are able to make a good living,” explains Kate. Besides the economical security the social integration of producers plays a main roll.

Clam bake, Photo: Donn Morrison

After the forage, clam and shell fish are cooked in a big fireplace that is build out of stones. Layers of seaweeds keep the hot steam in the cooking spot. Everyone contributes a dish to all of the events organized by Slow Food Galway. The table is covered with creative salad variations, homemade breads, couscous, fish chowder and dark chocolate cakes. The rumbling tummies are filled up even before clams, mussels or seaweeds are cooked.

 “You have to be careful where you pick them because they have such a great capacity to salt the water and absorb metals. You have to mind that you are not picking them in a polluted area," warns Jessica. Even though there are no poisonous seaweeds she recommends that you learn about the various types before picking them and to stay away from towns or cities. Remote areas in the countryside are less likely to be polluted. Furthermore, the plants should be still attached to the ground and not loose when you are collecting them.

Jessica’s impression it that eating seaweeds from Ireland’s shores is becoming less unusual and recognizes a greater interest in it. “Everything you remove from the shore you have to have a license for from the Department of the Marine,” says Jessica but adds that small amounts for personal consumption should be fine.

Slow Food Galway organizes mushroom pickings, promotes local producers like Killian cheese. Workshops on how to use apples and to make cider or jam are also part of the movement’s events. Kate O’Dwyer emphasizes the exchange of skills, traditional recipes and the promotion of local producers in the group. At the moment Slow Food Galway has 80 members but Kate expects number to increase to 100 until the end of year. Slow food is becoming more popular through word of mouth and seaweed dinner. 

Slow Food Galway by Tgold on Mixcloud

Taping the piano strings

This is an interview with the experimental and contemporay piano player and composer Hauschka. His real name is Volker Bertelsmann and he is currently living in Duesseldorf in the West of Germany. His music is a playful exploration within the piano. Hauschka transfers the traditional sound of the instrument into a mix of classic, modern and electronic melodies. He uses paperclips and tape to pin the strings together in the acoustic body, drops a chain into the instrument and lets tennis balls jump out of it while he is pushing the piano keys. Rattles and bells are shaking vigorously and create an electronic noise background. The combination of the traditional instrument and its transformation is very interesting and makes the artist outstanding. His music is unpredictable and fascinating at the same time.  

The interview has been recorded after his concert in the Sugar Club in Dublin on May 20th 2012. 

Hauschka by Tgold on Mixcloud

Ploughing the potato field

WWOOFing in  Ireland, Photo: Salomee Lacoste

When was the last time you put your hands into humid and lumpy mud? Today’s food production in greenhouses might trick you, but carrots, potatoes and their friends still like to sleep in the dark soil until they rise from their earthly beds. Traditional fertilizers like manure, slurry or worms are now partially replaced by superphosphates which have the side effect of accumulating soil acidity.

In 1971 secretary Sue Coppard found that she was spending too much time in her office and therefore went back to the roots of food production. She decided to help out on the bio-dynamic farm at Emerson College in Sussex on her weekends. Inspired by the idea four of Sue’s friends joined her shortly afterwards and Working Weekends on Organic Farms, WWOOF, had its first members. The initiative to pass on traditional knowledge about basic food production grew quickly and now farmers and WWOOFers are participating in the movement in 99 different countries around the world. 

“The whole idea is to go to somewhere to learn about organic growing and sustainable living in exchange for accommodation and food and for giving help to the people you are staying with. It’s really based on an exchange,” explains Annie King who is the manager of WWOOF Ireland. The 58 year old has been a host and a volunteer, a so called WWOOFer, for over 12 years.

Cats on the farm, Photo: Salomee Lacoste

In 1994 Annie moved from England to Ireland and started working in Community Arts. She had a smallholding and became a WWOOF host through WWOOF Independents. After a car accident Annie was unable to continue with her work as an artist and couldn’t take care of the farm all by herself. 

“The WWOOFers I had saved my life and my home,” says Annie. She was inspired by the people she met and recalls the vast cultural exchange she had experienced. “My longest WWOOFer stayed two and a half years and nearly became part of the family,” she adds. As soon as she had recovered from her injuries Annie travelled to New Zealand and volunteered on an organic farm. When she returned to Ireland Annie helped restarting the organization and included Northern Ireland on the host list.

The first time Mutsuki Ito experienced WWOOFing was on a Japanese orchard farm. “It was fabulous in the harvest season because you can eat peaches when you are thirsty,” says the 21 year old. The Japanese student got involved with WWOOF because he likes to be close to nature. In April he spent two weeks at a farm in Co Donegal and was amazed by the landscape and the people around him. Together with three other volunteers from France and The United States he ploughed fields, planted vegetables and fed animals.

Mutsuki Ito, Photo: Salomee Lacoste

“In general hosts are quite traditional. Having stayed with them under the same roof I noticed many cultural differences,” comments Mutsuki on his WWOOF experience in Ireland. The young Japanese who is studying Business in the Galway recalls conversations he had with his host family and emphasizes how much he had learned through that. “At first it seemed to be difficult to integrate into their culture but after spending so much time with them I started to understand it more and more. In that way I found a new part of myself,” adds the tall and dark haired student from Tokyo.
Volunteering on organic farms is unpaid work. To make that clear the name of the organisation was changed into Willing Workers on Organic Farms because the term work caused problems with some countries labour and immigration authorities. In the year 2000 another renaming took place and the network was finally called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. All of the hosts have to ad hear to the conditions of the organic growing principles of WWOOF and present a sustainable lifestyle. Firstly, it means that farmers should not use any kind of chemical or artificial fertilizers in their food production.

A WWOOFer in Ireland might end up in small holdings or gardens, dairy farms or even centres for alternative healing. Therefore the tasks volunteers might face range from planting, sowing, seeding, milking and harvesting. Furthermore, alternative building techniques might be part of the farm training.

Farm view, Photo: Salomee Lacoste

The minimum stay for volunteers is usually two weeks. Though, Annie King recommends staying longer at one farm or to return to the place for another season. A €20 charge for a WWOOF membership allows the search for hosts and WWOOFers in both the Republic and Northern Ireland. The organisation administers the network, has a complaint procedure, helps to sort out visa inquiries, participates in international conferences and tries to get additional funding for WWOOFing projects. 

“This time of the year we have hosts looking for WWOOFers. I know in August it will be WWOOFers who are looking for hosts. It tends to balance out,” says Annie. There are no restrictions on who can be a volunteer in the organisation. Annie King remembers an American couple who have were 84 and 79 years of age respectively when they send their request to become WWOOFers. Even families with young children apply for farm stays. At the moment there are about 2000 WWOOFers and 600 families and over 350 hosts subscribed to the network.

Annie King confirms the number of volunteers and hosts has been increasing in recent years. “There is a stronger interest in people growing their own vegetables and having their own garden”, she states. “I think organic is recognised far more widely as being a healthy alternative to eating mass produced food,” continues Annie.

Mutsuki and other WWOOFers, Photo: Salomee Lacoste

The network doesn’t want to be an exclusive experience only for people who are travelling. “We are trying to encourage Irish people to WWOOF in their own country,” says Annie. The organisation has visited the Dublin Institute of Technology to encourage students to go engage with WWOOFing on the weekend or on their holidays. The manager of WWOOF Ireland stresses the importance of learning how domestic food is produced within the country. “It is not just about travelling and going abroad really,” continued Annie. She is convinced that the organisation has received more recognition in the last couple of years and that the promotion of sustainable living and organic growing is increasing world wide.

Mutsuki Ito found WWOOFing a good way of meeting people and improving his language skills. “My host didn’t have an internet connection so there was no choice but talking with people,” says Mustuki with a bright smile; “Most importantly, I met a French girl there.” His next stop for WWOOFing is going to be in Italy over the summer before he goes back to Japan. He chose Italy because he loves pasta. “I just want to try the real taste and learn how to cook it properly,” explains Mutsuki. But maybe he will change his mind look for an organic farm in France. WWOOF is everywhere.

Interview WWOOF Ireland by Tgold on Mixcloud

Gone to the racing dogs

Greyhound Racing in Ireland by Tgold on Mixcloud

Dog racing is still very popular in Ireland. This documentary looks at the enthusiastic side of betting, the art of breeding and what happens with the racers once they are too old to run any longer. Many of the old Greyhounds are brought abroad for re-homing. Pro Animale is an organisation that is based in Germany and Ireland what takes care of old or homeless animals. The documentary takes you to the Greyhound sanctuary Avalon in Woodford into the big farming house that is only occupied by jumping and barking dogs which are going to stay there until the end of their life.