South Connemara based organic farm, An Garraí Glas, battles the mercurial temperament of the west coast to produce delicious and fresh produce to customers across the county.
Founded 10 years ago by Connemara native, Aonghus O Coistealbha, An Garraí Glas grows over a dozen different crops across one acre of land, with smart and productive usage of the land being a core tenet of the farm. Modelled after personal farm systems which are somewhat popular in the US, an Garraí Glas uses practices like successional sowing to make sure that there is something growing at any given time.
Born and reared in Connemara where it was common for families to grow their own food, Aonghus regularly assisted his father with planting potatoes, carrots and onions for the family, a practice which has since largely died out in Connemara as produce diversified in local shops in the 1990s.
Aonghus's love for farming came later, renewed by a desire to get out of 'the rat race' of his working life in Australia, he turned to permaculture. Coupled with land waiting for him back in Connemara, Aonghus returned to his roots and the rest is history.
A decade on, An Garraí Glas has grown into a place of learning for those like Aonghus, who want to build a kingdom of organic, homemade produce in even the smallest areas, chefs who emphasise locally grown produce in their cooking and interns, who like Aonghus, want to work the land and come out of the 'rat race'. The farm opened a roadside shop in 2016, offering ingredients so fresh they might as well have been plucked out of the field in front of customers. An Garraí Glas's status as a market garden means that the highly sought after crops made it's way into local markets as well as partnering with supermarket giant Tesco.
With salad items like lettuce, spinach and kale among the biggest sellers from An Garraí Glas, there has never been a more appropriate time to make sure you have some of their exceptionally fresh produce in your basket.
You can purchase An Garraí Glas produce in Galway Tesco Stores.
