...fresh, local, traditional and wild."
That's how Slow Food Ireland are describing the Wild & Slow Food Festival 2012 which is being held in Macreddin Village (80 km about a 1-hour drive south of Dublin) this weekend, the 10th & 11th November.
The Slow Food Ireland movement have been educating local communities and reminding people about the traditional skills used by their forefathers in gathering and preserving wild foods. Skills such as pickling, drying, curing, smoking, and preserving in oils, sugars and salts have been passed on, in detail, as well as information about the spectacular array of wild foods available during the Summer and Autumn months.
All those who took part in the information classes (adults and school kids) have been invited to gather and prepare their own wild food products and encouraged to present them for sale at what is being billed as Europe’s largest wild foods harvest market! Market Stall Holders, from all over Ireland, have being invited to provide and sell produce with a "Wild & Slow" twist over the weekend and the cream of Ireland's flourishing artisan Food Producers are taking part.
 |
| Made from the fruits of the Irish Forest |
The Wild & Slow concept is a celebration of all that is wild and naturally available in the garden of Ireland. The Slow Food mentors in the movement, want to help educate people of all ages, community based organisations, groups and clubs to gather and preserve, using traditional preservation methods, our wild herbs, leaves, berries, nuts and mushrooms.
Ireland has an abundance of wild and natural produce available to us throughout the seasons, if you know where to look and what to do with them! Wild Game, Fish, Mushrooms, Wild Garlics & Greens, Berries, Nuts & Fruits are to name a few. Check out this list of Irish Wild seasonal produce on the Wild & Slow website.
The members of Slow Food Ireland have also produced a brilliant collection of Wild & Slow Food Instruction Booklets (in PDF format) that can be downloaded from their website by clicking these links: Wild Garlic, Wild Elderflower, Wild Bilberries, Wild Sorrell, Wild Rowanberry, Wild Elderberry, Wild Ceps, Wild Crab Apple, Wild Rose Hip & Wild Sloe
 |
| The central concept of Slow Food Ireland is to cultivate enthusiasm for fresh, local, home prepared wild foods. |
Over the weekend of the Wild & Slow Food Festival, the organisers have set up a series of workshops and events presented by some of Ireland's top chefs, foragers, food producers and experts. They include Derry Clarke, Darina Allen, Ross Lewis, Sally McKenna, Evan Doyle, Ed Hick, Biddy white Lennon, Tim Daly, Gregory Alken, Enda Conneely, Mick Murphy, Oisin Davis, Mick Healy, Bill O’Dea, Clothilde Walenne, Philip McCabe and Frank Doyle. Click here at the Wild & Slow website for their full Workshop and Event details.
For complete details of the Wild & Slow Food Festival see: http://wildandslow.com/
Zack
