Bare Necessities Ireland

30/04/2026

Got asked this week how I manage to eat zero waste and for once my answer has a thing. My pressure cooker and I are BFFs. It lets me cook my brown rice in 17 mins and I can batch cook beans, quinoa, stews etc for use during the week or to freeze so I can have instant microwavable meals. Meal prep like this streamlines my week and takes pressure off too. I have chronic illness and some days can't stand to cook or just plain old too tired to make even a decision to eat. But breakfast is made- chia in this case, lunch is sorted- carrot salad and tofu, grain is on standby and there's an already cooked legume that I can use like canned. Some of this will top up the freezer and in general just one thing off the to do list so that I'm not looking at dry beans when it comes to dinner time.

26/04/2026

A reminder that biodiversity solutions don't need to be high tech or pretty. Just like us our insect life needs access to water. Make sure they can access water easily without risking falling in. My model here is being very dramatic as there is a very graduated slope to the water on the other side of this metal lid but it does make for better photo angles. You can add marbles to a bowl or gravel if you wanted either. For ponds rocks and plants that give a platform rather than a sheer insect cliff are also great!

25/04/2026

Opened the news to doom and gloom, planted even more potatoes. At least we'll be well fed at the end of the world.

17/03/2026

It's that time of the year again- what's more Irish than kicking off my self sufficient garden with some potatoes? These are an Irish variety that I save every year. My earlies will be ready by August and the 15 potatoes I used instead of eating last year will be 15 kilos in a few months. It's really that easy. Just grab a potato you like and shove it in some soil and you get all the potatoes! I do my earlies in containers like this because the weather can be unpredictable and a frost would set me back. This way I can keep them in the tunnel when the weather threatens to be frosty!

03/01/2026

The annual Black stairs new year hike was a little late this year but after 2025 a win is a win! The plan was to do a little plant hunt in my favourite SAC and take some photos for my Blackstairs Biodiversity class but the weather had other ideas. I'll try my other SAC -the Barrow- tomorrow and (as always) get it in under the wire!

https://bsbi.org/take-part/activities/new-year-plant-hunt

22/08/2025

It's that time of year again for me to process the nettles in my garden. The rest of the year all of insects get to enjoy them but I'll be making pesto, freezing some greens and drying seeds to powder. The pink bowl is for making liquid fertilizer for the garden. This year I'm going one more step. I'm keeping the stalks and I'm going to try spin, probably cordage but maybe one day for fabric. I've been keeping up with the nettle dress and so ideas floating around in my head have an outlet after years of wondering where to start!

11/08/2025

Reminder that if you want visitors like these next year now is the time to pick the seeds! Seeds can be harvested without damaging the ecosystem plans plant but always remember to leave enough for nature!

31/05/2025

Having been washed out and washed away on previous walks, huge thanks to and for inviting me to be part of opening the new Scaldwood walk. We even had sun! Can't wait to come back!

28/01/2025

Book your ticket - Tolka Valley Biodiversity Walk - Mill Road to the Royal Canal, 2.30pm Sunday 2 February,
Blanchardstown Village Tidy Towns presents our third Tolka river walk, supported by Fingal County Council and led by a botanist from Bare Necessities Ireland to explore the riverside flora.
Enquiries to Blanch Tidy Towns [email protected]
Tickets available on Eventbrite
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/tolka-valley-biodiversity-walk-mill-road-to-the-royal-canal-tickets-1221176314229?aff=oddtdtcreator
92.5 Phoenix FM Billy Linehan

21/09/2024

See you all tomorrow!

Join Us! Royal Canal Biodiversity Walk
3pm Sunday, 22 September
Organised by Fingal County Council's Active Mobility Unit with support from Blanchardstown Village Tidy Towns.
After a big turnout for the Tolka Walk to Waterville Park organised by Blanchardstown Tidy Towns and Fingal Council, get ready for the next walk on Sunday 22 September.
Featuring talks on canalside flora by 2 botanists.
This walk is part of European Mobility Week .
For more info contact [email protected]

92.5 Phoenix FM Royal Canal Clean-Up Bat Conservation Ireland Fingal Heritage