Green Bites Ellie O'Byrne

In ancient China, it was believed that the nutritional power of the mighty, protein-rich soy bean needed to be "tamed"....Tempeh, the Indonesian soy-based protein food, might be lesser known than Tofu, but it's one way of taming the golden bean. Vegan chef James De Burca launched De Burca's Tempeh in 2022, the first commercial Tempeh producers in Ireland. Using beans from France to produce Tempeh is one way of keeping food miles down while going plant-based, he says. James whips up a Thai Larb, Tempeh and Aubergine Involtini and Tempeh Bacon to prove its versatility.

Fionnuala Harkin runs a wine workshop in her husband's toolshed in West Cork. What is a sustainable wine: how is it grown, and what does it taste like? Join Ellie and Fionnuala to taste three organic and biodynamic wines from vineyards in Europe that are going the extra mile to protect their environment and farm in harmony with the natural world.
 

"Bigger farms and less farmers is where we’re heading; when you’ve no control over the price, all you can do is get bigger.” Meet Sinéad Moran of Gleann Buí farm in Co Mayo. Sinéad and her partner, Mick McGrath, started selling raw milk from their microdairy in 2021. Is there a model here that produces milk sustainably, supports a family and provides quality local food?

A visit to East Waterford Beekeepers' Association with Donal Lehane and a honey tasting in East Cork with Hanna Bäckmo: this episode is as sweet as it gets: beekeepers farm the skies and protect pollinators and their food sources.
But what's happening to the native Irish Black Bee, and why is only 8% of the honey consumed in Ireland Irish honey? 

What does a frozen avocado or a palm weevil grub taste like? Meet UK-based, Kerry-born chef and nutritionist Sadhbh Moore, whose book, Sustainable Kitchen, is out this year. What do we mean when we say "sustainable"? And where's the line when it comes to individual responsibility versus corporate or state level environmental actions?  

Green Bites is back! In the first episode of Season Two, we meet Jason Horner, a market gardener who turned to growing seed in 2021 and became the Gaia Foundation's Irish Seed Sovereignty advocate: this episode spans two seasons of Jason's change in career. How has growing seed commercially worked out for him?