The farmyard at Ballymaloe was a hive of activity during Litfest 2016, thronged with celebrity participants and eager foodies. Pork crackled on spits and craft cider was swilled with an air of orgiastic revelry.
Just a stone’s throw away, the gardens remained an oasis of serenity and order.
The walled kitchen garden was a particular delight.
I was wildly impressed to see these cherries ripening against a wall. My mind is spinning with possibilities…if I only had a wall!
But then, these beauties took my breath away. I couldn’t resist rubbing my thumb against the, well, peachy skin. Wonderful.
A few links I liked:
I bought some seeds from Brown Envelope Seeds. http://www.brownenvelopeseeds.com/
They have a huge selection, beautifully packaged and their brown paper catalogue is a thing of beauty in itself. Their blog is fascinating.
They have some cute gift box ideas. I thought the idea of giving new parents the seeds to grow their baby’s first dinner was a sweet one. Wouldn’t this be a fantastic baby shower gift?
Impressed as I am by Teenage Son’s talent as a whittler (read here), I have been drooling over Hewn.ie. Eamonn has the embryo of a very well written blog and it’s just impossible not to like him. It’s quite shocking to the system when you come across a talented craftsman and your first thought is, ‘his mother must be very proud’.
Middle Girl went on a school tour yesterday to The West Cork Secret (http://www.westcorksecret.ie/) and had the time of her life. If you are looking for somewhere you can bring your kids to, literally, roll around in the mud, this is your spot.
Keeping it Local, I bought chocolate and cocoa husk tea from Clonakilty Chocolate . The chocolate is amazing. It’s not cheap but they deliver free in Ireland. The jury is split on the tea. I like it and have discovered that I can make the tea and then use the tea to top up an espresso, making a chocolate-hinted Americano. Now that is stupendous. I could start a new trend.
That’s my lot.
Enjoy your weekend,
Lynda.
sultanabun.wordpress.com 
Loving the whole brown envelope seeds ethos
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Me too. They’re blog is impressively genuine.
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This is just beautiful! I love the seeds and all of the beauty that you have shown us. The walled kitchen garden-wow! A lovely post as always Lynda! xx
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Thanks, Lynn. I hope things are calming for you. 🙂
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Thanks so much!
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Ballymaloe looks a magical kind of place. Brown Envelope Seeds – great concept and execution.
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It is very special. They are very determined about sticking to their ethos which is an unusual blend of quality and frugality. I find it agrees with me!
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Oh my – I need a stone wall with an archway too…I have a brick wall but I would give that up for a stone wall…what a beautiful, peaceful place….I have saved the chocolate information to revisit…LOL Love the seeds….what a great present for gardeners….we save our nasturtiums seeds and share with friends…they come off a strain my husbands mom planted back in the 90’s at the house…and come back every year….here’s my email if you send me your address I will send you some….atagoo@att.net only if you like….no pressure…LOL they would love the weather in Ireland…
I think you need a stone wall across part of your yard….wish we lived closer I would be happy to come help….LOL have a good weekend my friend…kat
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Kat, that is so typically generous of you! To be honest, I’m awash with nasturtiums already! They do grow fantastically well here and pop up all over the place. I put the leaves and flowers in salads. I also tried pickling the seeds. I’m still not sure whether I liked them or not!
You noticed my hankering for a stone wall!! One day my wall will come…
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I ADORE that place. And oddly enough I have just put a loaf of Ballymaloe brown bread in the oven for eating with supper. Your words and photos take me to a place that will always be welded to my heart in some way and it is SO good to see what is a-going on there now …. note to self: before next year is out you HAVE to take your husband there so he understand your witterings and eulogies!
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Me too! It’s like a magic bubble down there.
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