Community gardeners (from left) Máire Brehony, Deirde McGinn, Helen Mooney and Eileen Kerr checking their tomato crop at the community polytunnel at Eagle Ridge Gardens, Drumillard Castleblayney.

The local Shows such as the recent one in Castleblayney was an opportunity for locally produced food and craft to be exhibited. As well as the competitions for horticultural and food produce there was the new Food Village – ‘From Field to Fork’ with stalls where  producers of a wide range of  local foods,  ranging from jams to sausages, displayed and sold their produce.  Castleblayney Community Gardens had a stand there displaying their fruit and vegetable produce from their community gardens. Some of the vegetables and herbs at their stand were using in the cookery demonstration in the Food Village. Elsewhere at the Show there were a number of stands of interest.  One of these was that of the cross border chapter of the Irish Woodturners Guild. They had a wide range of locally sourced and crafted wood products ranging from a fruit bowls to a traditional spinning wheel. Local sustainable produce has always been a feature of these annual Shows and it is great to see this element being further expanded this year by the committee of the Castleblayney Show Society.  Tydavnet Show takes place this Saturday 15 August at the showgrounds at Drumshevra, Scotstown. Why not go along and see the range of local produce on display.  More details are available elsewhere in this newspaper and at http://www.tydavnetshow.ie.