Page 66 - Simply Veg 1 2024

2024 Spring Seminar
Join us on Saturday March 2nd, 12pm – 5pm in Moore Hall, South Roscommon N37 HT68 for our Irish Spring seminar. The venue is central and within easy access to the road network.
During the afternoon we will have several presentations covering the activities of our society including growing vegetables in the Irish climate and growing for shows. We welcome any donations to our plant sale area and prizes for our raffle.
We will make sure there will be plenty of time for refreshments and an opportunity to meet and greet. We also plan to have a table for members to place any merchandise orders, including branded polo shirts. Sean will be on hand to collect membership and 200 club tickets.
At the event we will officially launch our 2024 NVS Irish Championships which will be held in Moate Show on 25th August. We will also agree a date for our visit to Clare (Irish Seedsavers). All members are welcome to join for a tea, chat and the opportunity to meet up with friends again and share some tips for the new growing season.
Inaugural Irish Championships
Judges Exam
NVS Ireland, are delighted to have several members come forward to sit the judge’s exam in 2024.
The first part of the exam will include
a theory written which is scheduled for Saturday March 2nd, 9.30am – 11.30am in Moore Hall, South Roscommon (Prior to our Spring seminar)
The practical judging exam will be held later in the summer. It’s not too late to enrol to sit the exam. Candidates must have a good knowledge of the NVS judges guide and what it contains, along with experience of exhibiting/judging at shows.
To register your interest in sitting the exam or to offer your help with exam please contact Raymond Higgins.
Offaly. Winner of Best in Show for his dish of onions under 250gs. Medwyn said “They fitted all the criteria for judging perfectly and were a brilliant set of onions.
We are most grateful to our president Medwyn Williams, his wife Gwenda Williams and our Lady Chair, Sandra Hall for taking the time to travel such a long
way to see us. Your visit was just what we needed, and it meant so much to all of us Irish Members. We also wish to express
our sincere thanks to the Moate show volunteers who worked so hard on the field assisting people with car trouble, it was very much appreciated by all who attended.
In the evening, many of the exhibitors attended a meal in the Grand Hotel in Moate. We had a delicious three-course set meal with tea and coffee. The service and quality of the food was excellent and a wonderful end of the day.
We are delighted to confirm that we will return to Moate Show in 2024. The show will be held on Sunday August 25th. At our recent October meeting, we voted to retain the existing classes and add an additional 3 new classes for 2024 - 3 onions over 250g, 5 medium tomatoes and 3 stump carrots. “ The Chairman Challenge” will be confirmed in March at our Spring seminar when the show will be officially launched.
Raymond Higgins FNVS
It was our great honour to stage the inaugural Irish NVS Champions at Moate Agricultural Show as part of their 180th show. Visitors to the Vegetable Tent on Sunday August 27th were
able to enjoy the Irish Championships, where all the exhibits were grown
by NVS Irish members, as well as
the Moate Vegetable Show which
was open to all exhibitors. These
two shows came together as one to showcase beautifully grown vegetables.
The showcase of top-quality vegetables in our 8 Championship classes was
truly remarkable and a testament to the dedication and hard work put in by all involved. We are so thankful to Moate show committee for their support and work facilitating us on the day and in the months leading up to the show. A special word of gratitude to our Show Manager Reggie Mitchell, his sister Ethel, Show Secretary Kathleen Higgins and all stewards and volunteers for your dedication and hard work making the event such a success.
Unfortunately, on the morning of the show we experienced very inclement weather and heavy rainfall which turned the show field and marquee into a mud bath. The Child of Prague was not on our side. Undeterred exhibitors arrived in great form, from all corners of Ireland with cars full of quality vegetables. Entries had closed two days in advance of the show, so the show team has laid out benches with all the required staging boards and dishes in advance. Everyone supported each other in staging the exhibits between 7am – 10am before the Marquee was closed for judging. We are very proud to report that we had 108 entries and 107 staged.
Our esteemed judge was none other than Medwyn Williams from Wales. Accompanying him was his wife Gwenda who judged the Moate open show
(vegetable classes). Our lady chair, Sanda Hall also made the journey from the UK. Their expertise and experience made this event even more exceptional and inspiring for all exhibitors and visitors to the show. Gwenda also organised a very successful tombola on the day raising funds for NVS in Ireland which was greatly appreciated.
Class 1, Collection of three kinds, two of each, that carry 18 or 20 points showcased a wide variety of vegetables and was
very popular with 13 entries. The legume collection (beans and peas) class looked so impressive on the slates kindly supplied by Cedral. Kieran O’Keefe was the winner of both classes. The shallots class was won by Mary Boyan with her husband Pat in second place. We had a very competitive potato class which was kindly sponsored by Allo’s Bar Bistro Townhouse, Listowel. We asked each exhibitor to stage a dish of 5 white and 5 coloured. The under 250g onion class had 19 entries all staged on plates with dry sand.
We had 14 entries of Falco turnips
on display as part of Class 8 (Chairs Challenge). The seeds were kindly supplied by DT Brown free to each member last winter. The beetroot class was won by Margaret Prendergast Co. Mayo. There was great quality and variety in collection of 3 kinds of 15 points or under vegetables kindly sponsored by Lakesidefarm Shop. We had 16 entries staged with Patrick Casey winning the red card for his collection of two cabbage, two onions grown from sets and two beetroot. Congratulations to all exhibitors.
We are most grateful to all members who have supported us with sponsorship. Along with our generous prize fund, we had wonderful rosettes, and trophies for the winners of our eight championship classes which were presented by Medwyn at 3pm. Congratulations to JJ Mollon, Co.
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Both the Chair and the Vice Chair (Sandra Hall and I) entered our cucumbers in the open Moate Agricultural Show. It added a bit of fun to the day. No further words needed!