From a Galway farm to Saturday markets

The Product: Organic carrots grown over the winter by Cait Curran and sold at her stall at the weekly Galway market at St Nicholas Church on Saturdays. These "earlies" are described by Cait as one of the most nutritional and tasty carrots that people can buy.

Getting Started: Organic farmer, Cait Curran, orders her "early narts" online via a catalogue provided by UK seed supplier Kings every October. The seeds are inevitably dearer to buy in the UK, given the currency involved, but as Irish seed suppliers simply import seeds, growers enjoy increased choice and variety if ordering directly from the UK.

The Growing Process: Seeds are delivered by standard mail, after which thousands are sewn by hand in one of Cait's six indoor polyester tunnels. The soil has to be well prepared in advance, with all stones and lumpy textures removed before trills are created. "If there is no severe frost, which is generally the case in October, the carrots will start to spring up after two to three weeks. Then you have to keep a stern eye on slugs, because they can ruin a whole crop overnight," explains Cait.

Uprooting for sale: In April, the largest carrots are pulled by hand and up to a dozen carrots bunched and tied for sale in local shops and local markets. "The carrots emerge very clean and aren't washed. They are like gold dust from April and June, as not many people grow the earlies. Often, people would be prepared to pay any price to get their hands on them but I tend to charge around €1.80 per bunch which I think is very cheap."