Veg boxes remain staple diet of organic farm

Ballinasloe farmer to feature on TG4’s Mná na Talún tonight

CURLY KALE can be deceptive.

On first viewing, it could be mistaken for broccoli, and it is indeed a member of the same vegetable family called Brassicaceae.

It is perhaps not the most obvious vegetable one would expect to see growing in a field in Ballinasloe. That is where the Beechlawn Organic Farm bucks many perceived norms, and where Úna Ní Bhroin and her husband Padraig Fahy grow up to 25 different types of vegetables.

Úna is a Gaeilgeoir, from Clondalkin in Dublin originally, who appears on tonight’s maiden episode of Mná na Talún on TG4, a four-part series that follows four women in farming.

Aside from the curly kale, Úna and Padraig have dark kale, garlic, brussels sprouts, cabbage, beetroot, salad leaves, spinach, lettuce, red chard, French beans, tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, and others growing between the polytunnels on their farm and the 44 acres of land they own and rent. They supplemented this by importing some food items, such as citrus fruits from Spain.

“We have a staff of 25 full-time workers in summer and about 20 in winter,” said Úna…

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