Permaculture and skill sharing

This years Permaculture gathering will be held near Strokestown. Co Roscommon. This is to be a three day event. - - - - - - - - - - - -
All-Island Permaculture Gathering
Strokestown, County Roscommon
3rd-6th August 2012
http://permaculture.ie

The past couple of months has been a hive of activity in preparation for this event, including skill share. This has covered many things, making a bee hive, sheep shirring, dry stone walling, and last weekend bread making. One person demonstrated making bread that needs no kneading , this is not a quick bread to make as it requires you to make a mother culture the day before, you then keep back a little of the culture to make further loaves, it was interesting, although not to our taste. We demonstrated just how easy it is to make 'normal' bread, one loaf we made entirely by hand and the second one we used our Kenwood chef for the Kneading. We use three different types of flour in our bread of equal proportions, Organic strong white flour, spelt and wholemeal, all Organic of course. I don't normally like reading other peoples recipes, I also find recipe books boring, there was however one bread that was demonstrated that was quick, easy and delicious, it can also be made gluten free.
Soda Bread.
So, breaking the habit of a lifetime, this is the recipe.
!
1 500ml carton of yogurt ( soya yogurt can be used.)

2yogurt carton full of oats.

2 Tbs of oil, good quality olive oil or rape seed is best.

2 Teaspoons of bread soda.

Salt.

Mix all together using a spatula or wooden spoon and pour into a greased and floured tin. Bake at 190 for about 45 minuets. It should be baked immediately.
This is a very simple and quick bread to make and delicious.
Unfortunately there are no photos of the soda bread, by the time it was cooked we were all very hungry so it was devoured, straight from the oven with lashings of organic butter.

Despise the best efforts of our large slug population the garden is producing well for us. We have a bumper crop of broad beans, so my evenings are spent preparing them for the freezer, we have had a very good crop of calabrese and a lot has been frozen, also mange tout peas. Hopefully next year I will be able to add Blackcurrants and raspberries to the list.

The local hedgerows are now full of wild flowers, amongst them, Meadow Sweet, good to make wine from, Lady's bedstraw, makes a good substitute for rennet for cheese makers, also gives a lovely colour to the cheese , Common Valerian, the root was used as a sedative, and Yellow Rattle, useful to grow in areas that you wish to control grass growth. Nature is wonderful, and finds it own balance and I can not understand why people think that by spraying their land with glphosate they are improving the look of their land, not to mention the damage they do to the environment and wild life.