food | My Food Odyssey

Oct 22

Cricket (Tettigonia Viridissima) & Caterpillar | www.myfoododyssey.com

(Extra)ordinary

When does the ordinary become extraordinary? When you see it up-close and personal for the very first time. I spent a lot of time in my garden over the summer and, apart from the hard work, I got to see some amazing sights. I began to see mundane things like dandelions and insects in a whole new light. I began a love affair with crickets when I first saw a nymph on my tomatoes way back in May. It was not love at first sight but later, as I was bemoaning the destruction of my beautiful cabbages by caterpillars, I was very happy to have those crickets on my side. I was lucky enough to capture a kamikaze caterpillar munching its way closer and closer to the waiting jaws of a hungry cricket. You might wonder how the caterpillar could miss the ominous presence of cricket until you see the reverse angle and are reminded how good their camouflage is. Extraordinary. Read more

Oct 16

Blue Mountains, Australia | www.myfoododyssey.com

10 Comments

These Boots Are Made For Walking

I’m pretty easily pleased, really. My needs are simple – good food, love, laughter and an occasional open road. Give me a pair of walking boots, a walking companion and some decent terrain and I’m in my element. These photos were taken in Australia’s stunning Blue Mountains. The vast mountain range provides walks for all levels, from a few hours to a few days long. There are sheer cliffs, waterfalls and lush green forests. Add one beautiful husband and it’s a place just made for taking photographs. Read more

Oct 10

Stone Walls, Northern Spain | www.myfoododyssey.com

9 Comments

Boundaries

One of the many things I love about travelling is the diversity to be found across our planet – diversity of people, language, culture, food, weather and landscape. So often, our food and culture is influenced by the landscape around us. If you are surrounded by sea you will likely eat lots of fish and seafood, if you have boggy earth you will burn turf. And if you have fields full of limestone, you will build walls. Travelling through northern Spain, close to the border with Portugal, we encountered these stone walls. I was immediately reminded of the stone walls found across the west of Ireland and which I thought were unique to our fair isle. The Spanish construction is a little different – I don’t think I have seen walls constructed around big stones in such a uniform way in Ireland. But the resemblance is striking. Amidst all the diversity there are always similarities. We’re not all that different, really. Read more

Oct 6

Zucchini / Courgette Soup | www.myfoododyssey.com

22 Comments

Creamy Zucchini/Courgette Soup [Recipe]

On my recent trip home I got to catch up with some old friends, but I also got to meet new people. I love meeting new people, especially in rural Ireland where they seem so characterful, so full of laughter and stories. Meeting new people invariable results in being asked two questions – where do you come from and what do you do. These seemingly innocuous questions always fill me with dread – because I don’t have a straightforward answer to either of them. Read more

Sep 30

26 Comments

Change

A change is as good as a rest. Or so they say. As my limbs were weary and my bones heavy from a summer of growing, harvesting and preserving, I took myself home to the motherland for some much-needed rest and recuperation. Read more

Aug 31

And so she woke up | www.myfoododyssey.com

29 Comments

Running to Stand Still

There was a time when my life was dedicated to music. Every spare minute was spent writing songs, singing, playing guitar and listening to music, either recorded or live. I went to at least one live gig a week, often more. I rubbed shoulders with an eclectic bunch of troubadours, some of whom have gone on to become international stars. Music pulsed through my veins. Lyrics framed my philosophies & my thinking. Read more

Aug 20

Cabbage Caterpillars | www.myfoododyssey.com

31 Comments

Things that Tried to Thwart me

Ants, birds, biting insects, blackfly, cabbage caterpillars, cats, cows, crickets, dogs, frost, heat, moles, moss, pea maggots, rain, weeds. Since the start of the growing season a catalogue of hindrances has tried to come between me and my vegetables. The latest to appear are caterpillars on my brassicas – my beautiful cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts. Read more

Aug 14

Green Cabbage Head | www.myfoododyssey.com

23 Comments

Beneath My Feet

What a joy it is, a vegetable grower’s delight. Take some seeds, put them in the earth, tend to them, nurture them; watch empty spaces become dots of green, watch tiny leaves unfurl and grow, watch flowers, heads, roots and fruits emerge. It’s August and my bones are tired from weeding and watering, but the beauty of the ground beneath my feet makes it all worthwhile. Read more

Aug 8

Cinnamon Raisin Soda Scones | www.myfoododyssey.com

22 Comments

Cinnamon & Raisin Soda Scones [Recipe]

There are few things as welcoming as the smell of freshly baked bread when you walk into a home. It’s so effective at putting people at ease and making them feel at home that estate agents actually recommend you bake bread when showing your home to potential buyers. Throw a pinch of cinnamon into the mix and you have a smell so warming and soothing it’s almost like a hug when you walk in the door. Read more

Jul 15

How to Sprout Lentils | www.myfoododyssey,com

12 Comments

How to Sprout Lentils (and other Legumes)

I get frustrated when I see simple things made complicated, especially when the complication is added in order to sell gadgets. Overpriced, unnecessary gadgets. Sprouting lentils, and indeed most legumes, is really easy and requires nothing more than an empty jar and a bit of patience. Read more

Jul 9

View from Taronga Zoo, Sydney| www.myfoododyssey.com

15 Comments

Alive & Kicking

Well, I made it. Sydney and back in two weeks. In the past when I’ve travelled to Australia I’ve gone for at least 4 weeks to allow for recovery from the long flight. This time, however, I was squeezing the trip between weedings in the garden and couldn’t afford to take longer than two weeks Read more

Jun 12

Sydney Fish Market | www.myfoododyssey.com

30 Comments

Sister Golden Hair

The question people most often ask me about living in Lithuania is whether or not I miss Ireland. My answer is always the same – it’s not so much Ireland that I miss, but my family and friends. There are other things I miss occasionally, like the music and craic in a good Irish pub or living near the sea and the abundance of fish & seafood that the sea provides. But mostly it’s my friends and family that I miss. Read more

Jun 5

14 Comments

On the Way

I love a good road trip. I love wide, open spaces and diverse scenery. I would far sooner be in a car travelling through stunning countryside than on a city tour, no matter how beautiful the architecture. Some of the most surprising and spectacular sights are between places of interest rather than in them. These are some of my favourite “on the way” shots from our European road trip two summers ago. Taken in Rioja, Spain, within a 15 minute period, they demonstrate the enormous variety of landscapes in the region. Think we might be due another visit. Read more

Jun 3

25 Comments

New Cock on the Block: Introducing Casanova

When you keep hens for eggs you learn to read your eggs for information on the well-being of your flock. You begin to notice variations in the colour, shape and thickness of the shell, the consistency of the white and the yellowness of the yolk. Shortly after the fall of Beelzebub I noticed something very strange about my eggs – something that should no longer be possible. Most of them were fertilised. Read more

May 31

11 Comments

Garden Update – First Cucumber

Digging new garden beds is hard work, especially when you’re turning over a field that hasn’t been used in years. On the one hand, the weeds were deep, making breaking down the sods a back-breaking chore. On the plus side, the soil is in wonderful condition and, as it has been rested for several years, I suspect it is rich and fertile. Read more