Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden
Sonia Nista
Kitchen Specialist
Bianca Tondo
Garden Specialist
News from The Patch Café!
Sadly, our tasting journey through Spain has now come to an end. Over the past week the students from 4C,4D and 4F used the very last of our summer harvest to make a delicious Veggie Paella and a Seasonal Garden salad. We were able to use the remainder of our own eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and lettuce as we prepare for new planting in term 2. Big thanks to Alba from our Inclusion team, for her recipe contribution in this menu and for loaning her huge Paella pans to us!
The students in 4D put our amazing bumper crop of Basil to good use making a fantastic Pesto which was rolled into a sausage shape, then frozen and cut into portions ready for a future menu. In this we substituted the traditional pine nuts for pan roasted sunflower and pumpkin kernels, which gave the pesto a lovely nutty flavour without risk of nut allergy. A huge thanks to our Grandparent helper, Paula for her assistance with this!
Over term 1 the children re-acquainted themselves with The Patch and The Patch Café. We have talked a lot about respecting our garden, that we shouldn’t pick our fruit or vegetables during play times and how to kindly remind others that they may see doing so during recess or lunch. The students are encouraged to enjoy our lovely outdoor spaces, but simply reminded that we need the produce we grow for our kitchen sessions.
We have thoroughly practiced each of our knife techniques, which is evident in our past two menus where I have seen some amazing slicing and dicing. I have seen their confidence grow each week as they prepare each dish with such pride. Next term I look forward to welcoming our Year 3 students to the Program, and can’t wait to share their amazing results too!
Happy cooking AND happy holidays!
News From The Patch
What a Term we have had in the garden. We have used our past knowledge when refreshing our garden tool skills and talked about seasonal vegetables. We have been in wonderment and awe finding ladybugs and worms, noticing the roots of seedlings, finding giant zucchini and squash, and the number of cherry tomatoes there were to harvest. The students have been open to continuous learning when learning how to plant seeds and seedlings in the garden. They have been persistent when clearing garden beds and turning over the soil.
By thriving in a team environment, we have revitalised the vertical garden and started planting winter crops of beetroot, radish, Asian greens, silverbeet, lettuces, peas and broccoli.
A gardener's job is never done!
A huge thank you to all the students for their hard work, help and dedication to the garden this term.
Wishing you all a relaxing and safe break!
Happy Gardening!