Kitchen Garden Update

Last week was a big one in the kitchen! Both Year 3 classes cooked in our beautiful new, purpose-built space, working in four groups at our brand-new stations.

We made delicious vegan veggie burgers using an adapted recipe from RecipeTin Eats (original recipe here). Our version is included below. The secret to this recipe is drying out the beans and mushrooms before adding them to the burgers — this keeps them meaty but not squishy. We used vegan mayo and aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) instead of eggs to help bind the ingredients.

One group created a ‘Salad of Their Imagination’ selecting ingredients from a basket of healthy vegetables to serve alongside or inside the burgers. They selected herbs and edible flowers from our garden to garnish their colourful creations.

Bianca’s class had plenty of parent helpers, so they were able to split into five smaller groups. This meant we could add an extra element to the menu — hot potato chips! Students cut, seasoned, and cooked them in the air fryer.

It was a great opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the colourful new stations, learn where all the equipment is stored, and use the induction cooktops to fry our burgers.

After cooking, students gathered around the tables to share the food, passing around buns, condiments, and salad to build their own burgers.

A huge thank you to all the parents who gave up their time to help during our kitchen sessions. Your support is invaluable, and we couldn’t run the program without you!

Thanks also to Immy from Little Sister Bakery for supplying the delicious vegan burger buns.

The recipe can be downloaded on the link below.

In the garden, students have continued to enjoy caring for the chickens. Their bright red combs mean they are very healthy! We noticed some are losing feathers which is common to moult at this time of year, as the days get shorter, to shed old feathers and grow new ones in preparation for winter. 

Sylvie and Thea have helped harvest Jerusalem artichokes. 'It's like mining for gold!' We will have kilos and kilos to use in the kitchen. 

The broad beans are growing nicely but wont be ready for a few more months. We have sown pea seeds and turned over garden beds ready to transplant some seedlings from the hothouse. 

Even though the days are getting cooler, there are plenty of birds and insects still moving about. Freddy found ladybug babies which are actually larvae and they look quite different from the familiar adult ladybugs with their bright colours and spots. They resemble tiny, black, spiky alligators.

The raspberry canes, which are the stalks of the plant, have gone dormant for the winter. There is always something to do in the garden. If you have time, please sign up for the  upcoming working bee to help beautify our garden. 

What else have you noticed about the garden lately?