Honey and the Hiltons

I'm thinking of temporarily changing the blog title to "Invert This Plate".

How do you make biscuits, cookies and sweet things without sugar? Answers please. Would like to make some form of cookie/oat bar that still tasted like a cookie/oatbar, sans sugar. Must get some honey. There are a good few Irish honey farms (according to their websites, enquiries in the mail; bunratty fine foods, mileeven) kelkin also do one, but they're a UK company so that probably means double the millage. Obviously when it comes to luxury foods like sugar, chocolate and honey, it's purely a matter of limiting my own demand than any sort of criticism of industry (not that that's what this is about...ish).

Things are starting to grow. Lettuce is of edible size as are a few herbs, potatoes and peas survived the ridiculous winds. Random hint I learned; snails don't like walking over broken eggshells, scatter them around the base of plants. Other thing I was told recently. Grow Calendula Officinalis, it can be eaten as a herb with nutritional benfits similar to tumeric. It's a type of marigold. not the african or french variety that you use in companion planting to keep bugs away. Mine's just sprouting;



Spent the weekend volunteering at Flatlake festival, with the delightful Eilis Een, who saved me after my food rations ran out, arriving with a pocketful of hard-boiled eggs. Fantastic idea. In saying that, it being the hippy side of festivalia, there were a few home grown veg on offer. Oh, and mint tea from the Eco Bus Cafe (runs on its own vegetable oil). There were many great acts. Saw the Amazing Few twice, cause they are that much fun. Henrietta Game, four-piece bit of an Amiina/Mum vibe (though one of the singers verged uncomfortably close to Damien Rice territory from time to time), "ou"s, "aa"s and twinkly sounds, but some nice solid songs. Playwright and poet Tom McIntyre, just one of those voices that fills the air with meaning and stories that make you nostalgic for an old Ireland. His recital of "Miscarraige" was particularly poignant. And The Strypes, four very young boys who played as tight a set as any other act that weekend, with an absolute killer song choice. Possibly the only time I've heard a covers band do Summertime Blues justice.

Of course, I just have photos of trees and houses... I don't try to be this uncool.





I'm awful talkative these days, hope you don't mind. Will start putting together food-related lists later in the week, make this ranting some way useful.