Kitchen Garden Update

Year 3B had their final kitchen session for the term on Monday, making delicious, warming winter pastries. With the public holiday and swimming sessions, it felt like ages since they had last been in the kitchen in Week 4!

Both classes used fresh produce from our garden, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, and rhubarb, to make savoury veggie pasties and rhubarb upside-down tarts. Working in small groups, students sliced the vegetables thinly (about the thickness of a $1 coin) and prepared the filling using seasoning and herbs. The pasties were packed with a hearty mix of potatoes, peas, swede, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, mushrooms, and carrots.

Students rolled out pre-prepared pastry into circles, filled them with the vegetable mixture, and practised crimping the edges to seal them before baking for 40 minutes.

While the pasties baked, we prepared our rhubarb tarts. Using plant-based butter, brown sugar, vanilla paste, and cinnamon, students created a gooey toffee base for the rhubarb, which was then topped with puff pastry. 

After 15 minutes in the oven, the tarts were flipped and the baking paper removed, revealing the caramelised rhubarb on top. We enjoyed them later in the day with a scoop of plant based ice cream.

It’s been a wonderful term back in the kitchen! The space is now fully set up and running smoothly, allowing students to immerse themselves in the full cooking experience and develop their skills. Many students have shared that they’ve tried making some of the recipes at home or are using the knife techniques they’ve learned which is fabulous to hear!

A big thank you to all the volunteers who have supported us in the kitchen and garden. We couldn’t run the program without your help.

You can find the recipes here.

Exploring the Garden

Last week Year 4J had their garden time and this week it was 3L’s turn. All students have had the opportunity to help make produce for the market stall, work in the garden and care for the chickens. The market stall at the Winter Solstice was a huge success. We raised over $650 which will go towards purchasing equipment for the kitchen. 

The students have all been busy completing all the necessary tasks like turning compost, harvesting weeds for the chooks and sowing seeds. There are many seedlings that are just about ready to be transplanted into the garden and will hopefully provide lots of produce for us to use in the kitchen next term.

The Year 3s helped chop pears, onions and apples to make a delicious pear chutney and the Year 4s peeled, deseeded and chopped mandarins to make marmalade. There was also lemon myrtle tea bag making and harvesting and drying of rosemary to use in future cooking sessions. 

The students have also been watering the new indigenous garden at the back of the school. Depending on Melbourne’s rainfall this winter the Indigenous garden may need extra watering to give it the best chance of survival. If you are around these holidays and are available to help water this new garden, please get in touch with Allison.

The race is on! The Year 3s sowed broad beans directly into the garden. I wonder whose broad bean will grow the fastest, the longest or have the most beans inside the pod? Next time you visit the garden take a look to see who is in the lead! 

Help Needed

There will be a new volunteer roster for kitchen and garden next term. The sign up genius link will be in the newsletter and on Compass. Please keep an eye out. We need your support!

Sign up to help care for the chickens over the winter holidays 

Sign up to help care for the Chickens during Term 3

Don’t forget to make time with Allison before or after school drop off, if you are new to caring for the chickens. 

Pollinator Hotels

Last week Green Team members from Year 5 and 6 alongside educators from the Port Phillip EcoCentre and parent helpers built nest boxes to support our native pollinators. This project was funded by a successful grant application from the City of Port Phillip and Junior Landcare.

Drilling, screwing, sawing, hammering were some of the many skills needed to make these homes which provide small hollows for our native bees to lay their eggs. 

The Green team are currently working out the best position for the nest boxes. You may see them out by the indigenous garden or throughout the school grounds later next term. Take a closer look to see if the bees have been visiting. 

A very big thank you to our fabulous parent helpers Marrianne and Musa and the team at the EcoCentre for assisting on the day.