‘Lets Go Green’, Midlands 103 9th May 2022
Chatting with @aislingmakesstories about locally grown flowers, flower farming, and the Flower Farmers of Ireland.
Anna Browne
About Anna Browne
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Sushi making course, Jan 2022
In the middle of January and while still concerned about Omicron infections, we had a heartwarming but socially distant sushi making class in Mullingar.
We began with some discussion of the equipment and materials, and then Anna proceeded to demonstrate mixing sushi rice and rolling some Norimaki.
Then it was over to the participants who had lots of practice rolling several nori maki. As it happened all the participants were vegetarians, and we had a wide range of cooked and raw veggies to fill the rolls.
Favourites on the night were the beetroot & sesame seed and the avocado and cream cheese with spring onions and 3 cornered leeks.
To accompany the sushi, we made a ginger miso dressing to toss a seasonal salad, and some miso soup using a konbu stock. It was delightful to sit and sample all the combinations, slurp the hot soup, and practice eating salad with chopsticks!
There were lots of leftover for the participants to bring home for a very portable lunch the next day. We finished up with Green tea and pumpkin sourdough cake with a peanut icing.
I’ll be running this course in Dublin over the Summer, and again in Mullingar if there’s interest – sign up for my newsletter to hear about what’s happening in the gardens monthly and upcoming courses.
Big Sky Artisanal Workshops for 2022
Our Sustainable Living Workshops are the perfect way to get a gentle introduction to skills that you can use in your day-to-day life.
Bread & Jam might seem like a simple treat, but it’s so much better when you’ve made that bread and preserved that fruit yourself! Go with the classics like Blackcurrant or Raspberry, or invent your own combinations. Growing fruit is one of the easiest ways to begin growing your own, but what to do with the all the fruit you’ll harvest? Of course you can leave it for the birds and the bees, but it’s lovely to remember the taste of the summer, eating fruit that you have preserved yourself.
Fermented food is a great way to treat your gut well, and using sourdough to bake bread is a great way to get into fermentation. Using a no-knead technique, time does the work of aligning the gluten. The result is bread that is both delicious and better for you than bread made using commercial yeast. My no-knead sourdough course finishes up with a ‘Pizza night’ where the whole class makes and eats pizza.
For something REALLY different, give home-made sushi a try. Sushi is about more than fish, in fact it’s a really good way to make an exciting and impressive vegan dinner. It’s not that tricky once you understand the basic ingredients, and we’ll spend plenty of time practicing rolling ‘maki’ rolls to give you the confidence to make them at home.
Learn how to grow your own flowers – we believe that everyone has ‘green fingers’, if you just give yourself a chance to exercise them! Whether you’ve got a window-box or a whole field to fill, learn about what works best for your space, when to plant it and tips to improve your chances for success. Growing from seed gives you more control over the varieties and quantity and you know that the plants you grow yourself haven’t been treated with systemic pesticides.
Handmade soap is a lovely gift – either for friends or for yourself. It’s a little tricky to make – but you don’t need a degree in Chemistry as long as you follow instructions carefully and measure everything precisely. In this full day course, participants will watch Anna make soap, and then they will get the chance to try for themsleves. Using everyday, easy-to-find items as moulds, and an assortment of essential oil and botanicals to scent and colour, you’ll personalise your own soap. Finally you’ll get a chance to unmould some soap that Anna has made and cured previously, and experiment with cutting, wrapping and labelling it to bring home.
A bit of a change!
As the Winter months roll on and my non-floral offerings seem to be getting more popular, it seems only right to change things up a little! So thanks to some talented friends (you know who you are!), we’ve come up with some new branding, to better reflect that I’m about more than ‘just’ flowers. Check out my NEW Logo!
Flowers are still a huge part of what I do and always will be, but a quick look at this page will show you that I’m passionate about sustainability on all fronts, and I really love to share that knowledge. Check out one of my courses below – if you’re not interested yourself there’s a good chance you know someone who would be, and these would make a great ‘green’ Christmas present!
I’m also really enjoying writing my new newsletter, about all things sustainable but particularly my own environmental escapades. I’m in the middle of getting two gardens ready for 2022. If you want to find out more about how my plans are coming along, or see what I’m doing wrong 😁, why not subscribe? It’s free and I promise there’s no catch or ‘hard sell’!
Welcome to Big Sky Flowers!
As we’re heading into the colder months, there’s a bit less colour in the fields so it’s time to look to indoor activities. My dried flower wreaths are available from The Refill Mill in Mullingar and House of Craft in Ballymahon, and dried flower arrangements in Nuts & Grains but I’ve also got some lovely cosy courses coming up to help you to take the chill off the Winter evenings as you learn new skills in good company! Scroll down a bit to see the full list.
Tips on how to achieve the rustic-chic wedding theme
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Your guide to an intimate elopement ceremony
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Booking your next destination wedding
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Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?
At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.
Planning a wedding amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.
Achieve your fairytale wedding at one of these dreamy venues
At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?
Deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.