Commodity watch by senior policy officer Patricia Erwin
Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) committee members in partnership with RUAS Healthy Horticulture have programmed four engaging days of activity with something for everyone.
The UFU are supporting their apple, vegetable and potato sector committees progressing plans with exciting new informative exhibits. Our growers look forward to welcoming visitors into the Healthy Horticulture marquee (located in H1) discussing the power of the potato, the importance of veg and the rich cultural history of the Armagh apple. Kids will have the opportunity to plant up and take home, and a new feature for 2023 veg plugs supplied by Trevor Gabbie will be sold each day between 3pm and 5pm for charity.
The UFU growers will be joining Cookery Demonstrator Joy Roulston each day to discuss and share handy tips for growing, preparing and cooking fresh seasonal local fruit, vegetables, and potatoes.
Cookery demonstrations by Joy Rollston
Will run each day at: 11am, 1.30pm and 3pm
Joy is no stranger to Balmoral. Living in Killylea, County Armagh, on a dairy/poultry farm, she decided to reskill as a Chef with a passion to create DELICIOUS recipes and to see the expression on faces who try them, with the ambition to encourage everyone to have a go and shake off any cooking nerves.
Other demonstrations over the four days include:
Local, seasonal and sustainable flowers with One Small Seed Flower Farm
Wednesday: 11.45am and 4pm
Susanna will be sharing the importance of connecting with the seasons and how truly local and seasonal flowers, can be grown in a sustainable way in the heart of County Antrim. Susanna from One Small Seed Flower Farm will talk you through what is blooming on the farm and demonstrate a hand tied bouquet.
Sustainable floristry techniques for seasonal cut flowers by Sow Grateful
Wednesday: 12.30pm and 2.15pm
Sow Grateful grew out of a passion for horticulture and for environmental issues. Identifying a need for more NI grown produce in 2019 they decided to turn a hobby into a business, establishing Sow Grateful in 2020.
Their growing methodology is with nature in mind growing under natural condition promoting strong soil health and encouraging a broad range of wildlife.
Esker Farm Daffodils
Thursday: 11.45am
Delightfully Different Daffodils: Demonstrating the variation within different daffodil divisions; what makes a good show flower and how to stage a bloom for a competition.
Dave and Jules Hardy, based in West Tyrone – growing and showing exhibition daffodils since 2015, selling award winning blooms across the world.
Hummingbird Meadow and Design
Thursday: 12.30pm and 4pm
Carly is excited to be returning to the show and will be sharing tips on how to do a seasonal hand-tie designs whilst discussing what’s in season now. Carly is passionate about promoting sustainable arrangements and will demonstrate a sustainable arrangement and discuss the benefits.
Gardening the Royal Way
Thursday: 2.15pm
Tips and hints from Claire Woods Garden Manager at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens, sustainable gardening, improving biodiversity whilst creating interest in your garden all year round to make your garden fit for a King .
Claire Woods is the Garden Manager at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens previously she taught horticulture at CAFRE – Greenmount Campus, her special interests are in sustainability, biodiversity and growing fruit and vegetables. As a regular contributor to BBC Gardeners Corner and the Irish Garden magazine Claire will share her lifelong experience with gardeners throughout Ireland and beyond.
Island Flowers by Sarah
Friday: 11.45am and Saturday 12.30pm
Edible Kitchen Wreath Making: Sarah will be demonstrating how to make an Aromatic Culinary Wreath decorated with herbs and other edible materials.
Sarah McQuaid is a Fermanagh Studio based Florist at Island Flowers by Sarah in Enniskillen.
Garden with Mary – Grow your own vegetables for beginners
Friday: 12.30pm and 2.15pm
Learn the basics on how to grow your own vegetables. Mary has been gardening for almost 25 years and running gardening workshops and classes for over ten years, and a regular contributor on BBC Radio Ulster's Gardeners Corner with a passion for growing edibles and working in harmony with nature and wildlife.
Rural Support – Social Farming, caring for our communities
Friday: 4pm and Saturday 2.15pm
The demonstration will tell the story and impact of Social Farming across Northern Ireland. Social Farming is a service delivered by farmers, providing the opportunity for individuals with support needs to get involved in farming in a supportive way. Rural Support deliver the Social Farming Support Service for Northern Ireland through funding from DAERA. Both Aoibeann Walsh (Head of Social Farming and Innovation) and Elaine Conlon (Social Farming Support Service Co-ordinator) will lead the demonstration with input from active Social Farmers.
Growing at Home for Health and Biodiversity
Saturday: 11.45am
Staff from TCV will share the benefits of growing fruit and vegetables at home and how to make your garden and veg patch wildlife friendly. Tips will be given on varieties of vegetables to grow, containers to grow in, when to sow and how. The demonstration will highlight how to make a small planter for food growing. The session will end with a Q and A session with experienced staff.
College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)
The CAFRE display within the horticulture marque aims to highlight sustainability across the various horticulture sub-sectors which includes landscaping, sportsturf, floristry and production of ornamental crops, apples, soft fruit, mushrooms, and vegetables.
For each subsector, a message related to sustainability and the work ongoing at Greenmount Campus for students and industry will be highlighted.
Horticulture education courses and the work of the advisory and technology teams to support the ongoing development and growth of the industry will also be promoted.
UFU vegetable committee chair Trevor Gabbie helping to coordinate apple, vegetable and potato exhibitions at Balmoral Show. You will find us in Healthy Horticulture, H1!
