Features
A family affair
If you've ever popped down to the farmers markets in Carrick-on-Shannon on Thursdays, Longford on Fridays or Boyle on Saturdays, chances are you'll have met one of the Kearns sisters.
Catherine and Rosaleen Kearns' father grew vegetables on a mixed 30 acre holding in Rooskey, Co. Roscommon, during the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Rosaleen remembers from her childhood that he "used to grow basics - carrots, potatoes and the like, which went to shops in local towns. We used to help out with the planting, weeding, harvesting, packing, everything really".
While he wasn't a card carrying member of the organic movement, he "never used much by way of sprays. He had his own remedies, and did a lot of hand picking of caterpillars".
Back to the land
The sisters went off, got married, had families and other careers away from the farm. Then, twenty years later, they came back: "Our families had almost grown up, we just wanted to work for ourselves and get back to growing," Rosaleen tells me, when I spoke to her about the enterprise.
Having done a course in the Organic Centre, Rossinver in 2004, they acquired two and a half acres from a brother on the same site they grew up on. The sisters are fulsome in their praise of the Organic Centre where Dolores Keegan was of immense help to them and also the Western Organic Network and Roscommon County Enterprise Board who helped them with planning and mentoring as well as grant aid.
They immediately opted for conversion to organic and I asked the sisters why they went organic: "we believe that the chemicals used in farming and growing are harmful," I was told matter-of-factly. As well as that, as she was a chef in Carrick-on-Shannon previously, Rosaleen "could see that there was a trend that way too" with consumers.
The pair have been certified organic since 2006, and have increased productivity each year. Having put in a roadway and entrance, their first two tunnels went up in February 2005. They have increased the number of tunnels each year since, and now have six.
"We sell forty different lines. From June to October, we buy in very little for the stalls. When we do buy in, we get as much Irish as possible".
Early crops
Early in the year, leafy green growing dominates. They grow chard, kale and cabbage outside and salad leaves, herbs and lettuce indoors. "Salad leaves are great early in the year, as they don't get many pests compared to the summer," according to Rosaleen.
Their salad leaf bag has everything from the spicy - rocket and mizuna - to the mild - purslane and lambs lettuce. Other early treats include Orla and Colleen varieties of early potatoes and purple sprouting broccoli. The latter is a saviour for many a vegetable consumer, after a hard winter of hearty roots. Because their mossy, peaty land has a ph of 5.8, it is good for growing berries. Last year, they put in fifty blueberry bushes. This compliments the soft fruit orchard they planted in their first year. They have also planted twenty-five apple trees, as well as plum and damson trees.
Girl Power
As the business is expanding, Catherine's husband now works with the sisters, while Rosaleen's helps out occasionally too.
While it may be unusual to have the main farmer or grower as female, in organic farming, the figures are slightly more skewed towards women. So I asked about the gender dimension: "A lot of women are health conscious, and are concerned about what they are putting into their bodies and their family's bodies too," Rosaleen pointed out to me.
Speaking of family, how is it working with a sister, husband, and brother in law, on a two and a half acre holding? "We all have different strengths, and it is nice to have the support," the ever diplomatic Rosaleen informs me.
Loyal Customers
It has become de rigueur these days to talk about Ireland's dire economy - changed, changed utterly - especially in relation to organic. As is the case with so many others who sell direct, the Kearns sisters have found that things are holding up well. "We're surprised at how good the farmers markets are doing for us. Our customers are very loyal; they keep coming back week after week.
They are a bit more careful, and are buying less of the more expensive imports. But it's not necessarily that expensive to buy many of the staple organic vegetables. Our carrots are only 30c per kilo more expensive than conventional".
Times may be tough for consumers, but, it seems, direct sellers with good local organic produce are not just surviving but sometimes also thriving.
During the summer, customers sometimes call to the farm gate. And recently, a bus load of prospective organic practitioners came over from the Organic Centre for a study trip.
That's where it began in a way for the sisters - the Organic Centre. But then, it also began many moons ago exactly where they are right now - growing great vegetables in Roscommon.
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Dad had a dance band in the 40/50;s called the jerome kearns swingettee maybe your dad will know of this and maybe he is my late fathers cousin?
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