The Acme Farms + Kitchen 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day

In celebration of our 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day box, we wanted to take a look at each item in the box and explore its connection to Ireland. Make sure to order your 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day box before orders close so you don't miss out on this exclusive box and these festive recipes!

Day 1: Rachel's Ginger Beer (add your own Irish Whiskey to enjoy an Irish Whiskey Ginger cocktail)

Rachel's Ginger Beer - Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick's Day Box or as an add-on item to any Acme order

If you aren’t a whiskey aficionado, you might not be aware of all the different kinds of whiskies that exist in the world (some spelled “whiskey” and others “whisky” depending upon where they are produced.) You also might not know that the word “whiskey” comes from the Irish (or 'Gaelic' to be precise) “uisce beatha” meaning “water of life.”

But what makes Irish whiskey different from other whiskies? First of all, to be labeled as Irish whiskey, the whiskey must be distilled and matured on the island of Ireland. This article does a good job of breaking down other differences between whiskies. The most famous brand of Irish whiskey is Jameson, but there are hundreds of different Irish whiskies out there to try, each with its own unique flavor profile.

There is nothing particularly Irish about ginger beer, but Rachel’s Ginger Beer makes an excellent mixer, and who couldn’t use a healthy dose of ginger in these winter months? If you aren't a drinker, Rachel's Ginger Beer served straight makes a more than suitable "water of life".

Day 2: Boxty - Irish Potato Pancakes with Bacon + Eggs

Boxty - Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick's Day Box or as an individual meal kit

Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake made with grated potato, flour, baking soda, and buttermilk. Traditionally made with ¾ potato and ¼ other ingredients, all ingredients all mixed together then fried in a pan like a normal pancake. This gives boxty a texture between a pancake and a hash brown.

The Acme Boxty kit comes paired with Jack Mountain Meats uncured bacon, eggs, and fresh scallions to top your boxty.

Day 3: Shepherd's Pie with Ground Beef

Shepherd's Pie with Ground Beef - Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick's Day Box or as an individual meal kit

Perhaps a contender for ultimate comfort food, shepherd’s pie is essentially a ground meat pie with a crust or topping of mashed potato. Seriously, you need to make shepherd's pie on a cold or rainy day. If you think mashed potatoes couldn't get any better, wait until you try them baked until crispy on top of a bed of delectable seasoned meat and vegetables. There is apparently some contention about if shepherd's pie is of Irish or English origin.

The Acme Shepherd’s Pie kit features grass-fed ground beef, kale, and tender root vegetables covered with mashed potatoes and parsnips.

Day 4: Irish Beef Pasties

Irish Beef Pasties - Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick's Day Box or as an individual meal kit

Like shepherd’s pie, there are many variations of pasties across Ireland and the UK. Pasties became popular as a grab-and-go meal for tin miners in Cornwall, England in the 17th and 18th centuries. The flaky crust of the pasty safely contained all the other ingredients, keeping them warm for a long time. If the pasty got cold, the miners would put on a shovel and heat it with the heat from a miner’s headlamp. You can think of a pasty as a pot pie minus the pot.

The Acme Irish Beef Pasties kit features grass-fed ground beef cooked with cabbage, potatoes, onions, and a savory sauce wrapped in buttery, flaky pastry, served with a light green salad.

Day 5: Guinness Stew

Guinness + Beef Stew - Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick's Day Box or as an individual meal kit

There are few things associated more with Ireland than Guinness beer. Guinness is a stout beer and remains the best-selling stout beer in America. Guinness traces back to Arthur Guinness’s brewery in Dublin in 1759, and yes, it did create Guinness World Records—funnily enough, after the Managing Director of the brewery got into an argument with friends about the fastest game bird in Europe and failed to find the answer in any reference book.

For the Acme Guinness + Beef Stew kit, you will have to supply your own Guinness (or other stout beer) but we will provide the grass-fed beef, mushrooms, carrots, celeriac, potatoes, and other fixings for a complex, stout-spiked gravy, served with a swirl of freshly grated horseradish root.

Day 6: Irish Apple Cake with Vanilla Custard Sauce

Irish Apple Cake with Vanilla Custard – Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day Box or as an individual meal kit

Apple harvest season has historically been a big deal all across Ireland, and the smells of different household’s take on Irish Apple Cake would fill the homes of the Irish farmlands. Irish Apple Cake is most traditionally served with a custard sauce and a streusel topping.

Staying authentic to the recipe, the Acme Irish Apple Cake kit comes with the makings for the soft, moist cake along with the traditional streusel topping and a vanilla custard sauce.

Day 7: Homemade Corned Beef + Irish Soda Bread

Cure your own corned beef with brisket from Carman Ranch – Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day Box

For the last day of our 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day box, we bring you the St. Patty’s day classic done up in the Acme locavore style: high-quality grass-fed beef brisket from Carman Ranch along with everything you need to cure your own corned beef, paired with a kit for Irish Soda Bread.

Corned beef is a salt-cured brisket of beef—and no, it does not have corn as an ingredient. The “corn” in the name comes from the large-grained rock salt—called “corns” of salt—used to treat the brisket. Sugar and spices are also sometimes added to the mix. Corned beef is featured as an ingredient in many cuisines, but in America, it is most associated with Irish cuisine and St. Patrick’s Day.

Irish soda bread is a yeast-free quick bread. The name comes from the “baking soda” (or in Ireland, “bread soda”) that is used as a leavening agent instead of yeast. There are many different forms of soda bread popular across different parts of Ireland.

The Acme Soda Bread kit includes raisins and calls for buttermilk to add tang. You can consider adding orange zest or caraway seeks to sweeten the bread, or a quick search on the internet will turn up many other variations you can attempt for your soda bread.

Irish Soda Bread – Available in the 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day Box or as an individual meal kit

We hope you enjoy the 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day box and that these recipes bring you some festive cheer. As always, your purchase supports many local producers near you in their mission to better our food system. If you enjoy your 7 Days of St. Patrick’s Day Box or any of our Acme offerings, please leave us a review on Google or Yelp—it would mean a lot to us!

As always, thank you for supporting local and for making a difference in your community.

With love,
-Your Acme Team