🇳🇱 Deze nieuwsbrief liever in het Nederlands ontvangen? Laat het ons weten!

Dear ,

Here we are, late in the summer season in the northern hemisphere. The earth is sharing her abundance with us and as the nights begin to lengthen there is a marked freshness in the air. This month marks 3 years since arriving at Terranu and what a journey it has been. The richness and learning that has crossed our paths when we said yes to this adventure only continues to deepen.

Today my gratitude was for the dampness of the earth as I lay for a moment in the grass to examine a shield bug with Kai. Water nourishes life and, even here in Ireland, over the past months rain has been scarce. 

The summer months have been sun filled and came with abundance from the land. We are excited about our first official Aronia harvest, introducing Bruno the ram, and to share a few snapshots of projects that we have been busy with, both on the farm and in the wider region.

Our first Aronia harvest

This summer we reached a milestone we have been working towards: our first commercial Aronia berry harvest. It was a lot of fun and hard work to pick the berries! Friends and neighbours joined in and together we managed to harvest over 630 kg, a huge leap from the 85 kg we picked last year. There was a moment of worry when the first storm of the season (or the last storm of last season …. ) was predicted to come through. We felt the tension and made peace with potentially losing half the crop. However, the winds passed around this part of Ireland and we only had some gentle rains. It really brought home in a visceral way how dependent growers, and all farmers really, are on the weather. 

We have sold the berries to Aronia Ireland and they will be pressed into likely the first fully Irish, fully organic Aronia juice — a health supporting juice we hope will benefit hundreds of people. 

Another fun side note is that we have collaborated with a researcher who took soil samples from our orchard to learn more about how Aronia plants contribute to soil health. Results will follow soon.

Certified Organic!

After two years of paperwork, inspections, and waiting, we can now proudly say that Terranu’s horticulture is certified organic. This means all our vegetables and small fruits are recognised as organically grown.

As longtime organic consumers, it has been eye-opening to experience what it’s like to produce under the certification system. The inspections are rigorous, and the rules can sometimes feel like a jungle of learning, often with steps we felt were excessive, and limiting to our creativity. However, we also feel proud to have made this step. It has been helpful to hear from the certifiers why they feel the need for such rigorous measures, primarily that they want to keep consumer confidence in the organic label.

Meet Bruno, our Shetland Ram

This summer we welcomed Bruno, our Shetland ram, to the farm. Volunteers and friends George and Corinna named this ram after his colour during their farm stay with us this spring. Our plan is to grow our small flock of sheep in the spring. We have chosen Shetlands because of their hardy nature, small size and ease of moving with mobile fencing — a good match for our landscape and rotational grazing system.

Orchard Cabin

During this past year we have hosted many people from around the world in our Orchard Cabin. It has been a lovely way to share the beauty and peace of the farm, while offering an opportunity for people to slow down and connect to nature in the area. 

We are now also listed on natuurhuisje.nl, and we are already welcoming reservations for 2026. If you are looking for a quiet place to rest and recharge, do think of us. The income from renting this out directly supports us to invest more time and resources into the various regeneration projects on the farm.

ORIS Funding for the Knockmealdowns

We are delighted to share that a local ORIS (Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Scheme) application was successful! A local working group we have co-initiated has received funding to take a first step towards improved outdoor recreation on the County Waterford side of the Knockmealdown Mountains.

The funding is not for Terranu directly, but will support the working group to create a management plan for rhododendron removal in the Knockmealdowns, carry out an ecological assessment of a historic, yet overgrown, picnic site nearby (Glentanagree Bridge), and develop a potential hiking trail network. Since this area directly surrounds Terranu, we feel strongly connected to this work and are glad to contribute both through the application and in the practical next steps.

Around the Farm

During the dry summer months we built the outside of the workshop area, which is going to be a great indoor workspace during the rainy months. 😀 As well as handy storage for hay and straw.

During the early spring we planted many native trees, both in shelter belts as well as along the berms boarding the farm. We will see how well they managed to root after the dry summer and now through the winter, as young trees struggle with weather extremes. We are excited to expand our mini nursery this autumn and hope to have hundreds of more self sown seedlings to plant out in the next year or two! We have been so excited to notice that our oak trees have acorns growing on them in abundance! The first time since we have been living here that there are so many! 

Our Ongoing Investor Community

Terranu has been privileged with a group of trusting investors who have made this project so far possible. We are now looking for one more push to attract €15,000 before December to help us follow the momentum into the next phase. We offer the opportunity to invest in Terranu and receive 3% financial return, or return in kind. 

Why we feel passionate about this model:  This model allows us to invest as much of our time and resources towards land restoration as possible, while offering investors the opportunity to know that their money is being put to meaningful use. We also enjoy knowing the people who are making it possible and being able to share our story with them.

In the meantime we are discovering more and more projects that are using this model.

This support will allow us to dig a wildlife pond, enhance habitats & improve the woodland by removing rhododendrons and planting native trees, and strengthen the resilience of the farm.

If you are interested in joining our circle of investors, or know someone who might be, we would love to hear from you.

With blustery greetings from the mountains,

Nakyta and Pieter