Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden

SAKGP Garden and Kitchen Programme 

News - from the kitchen & garden with Chris and Eve

Our cooking and gardening classes are each Tuesday

We would love to have more volunteers in both the garden and kitchen classes.

No garden or kitchen skills required, enthusiasm to support the students as they learn is all you need.

If you would like to know more, come into the office and see Chris (Principal)

gardening: 

It's been another rainy, drizzly week this week so we stayed dry in the library and did some seed saving.  Marcus was sick at home on Tuesday so the prep/ones were divided up into the other three classes, meaning that we had a group of preps joining the 5/6 class and the 2/3s for gardening, while the 4/5's did some cooking.  It was nice to see how the older children included and looked after the younger students.

Both the 5/6s and 2/3's worked together in small groups to save seed from a range of vegetables and flowers.  I had saved dried, mature flower and seed heads from my garden as well as the school garden, plus we had some collections in the storeroom from last summer.  The students worked in groups to strip the seeds and collect them.  We used different sized sieves to clean the seed and I also took a few groups of students outside to the verandah to learn how to use a light breeze (or your own breath) to blow through the seed as you drop it into a tray (known as winnowing) to clean the chaff from the seed.  

A few of the 5/6 students sowed globe artichokes, perpetual spinach and everlasting daisies which we will pot up once they have germinated.  We should have some to sell ready for early Spring planting as well as plenty to plant in our school garden.  Other varieties have been saved in jars to sow in Spring after the frosts.

Groups of students also folded and decorated origami seed packets - this was especially popular with the younger students who came up with some fabulous and very colourful designs! 

Over the course of the day we saved and cleaned seed from Globe Artichokes, Rudbeckia (Cone flower), Perpetual Spinach, Teucrium 'Purple Tails', Garlic Chives, Vitalis climbing beans, Everlasting daisies, African Marigolds, French Marigolds (Calendula), Lettuce and Dahlias.  They've been stored in jars in our garden storeroom with a trusty chunk of jumbo chalk (!) to absorb any moisture and make sure that they don't go mouldy. 

cooking:

This week in Cooking, Grade 4 and 5 cooked a Middle Eastern Feast, including Middle Eastern Stew, Pumpkin Hummus, Babaganoush (eggplant) Dip, and Pita Bread.

From the garden we used celery, silverbeet, parsley, mint, oregano, pumpkin and green beans (we steamed and froze last term), tomato passata (45s made and froze last term).  We also bought potatoes, garlic, carrots and onions for the Middle Eastern Stew.

The idea for the Grade 4 and 5 Middle Eastern Feast came about from Ulla’s idea to make Pita Bread and dips. We had lots of the veggies we had frozen from the summer harvest to make the dips and the stew.

Lea and her group prepared the ingredients and cooked the Middle Eastern Stew. Frankie C minced the garlic and  Frankie B chopped the onions. Harper, Perla and their group cut the potatoes and pumpkin into small pieces. They then measured out the spices and chopped the silverbeet and herbs for the stew.

Clem, Heidi and Ulla and their group measured out the ingredients for the Pita Bread and mixed and kneaded the dough.

Merry, Grace, Thea and their group, mashed the pumpkin, minced the garlic and used the food processor to mix the Pumpkin Hummus.

Alfie, Ivy, Romy and their group, cut the grilled eggplant (we froze last term) into small pieces, squeezed the lemons and added the tahini, spices and garlic to make a delicious Babaganoush.

While the stew cooked, after recess we spilt the Pita Bread dough into 18 pieces and everyone learnt how to knead the dough and shape and roll it evenly into thin 18cm discs.

While Lea’s group were cleaning up and setting the tables, and plating up the dips, Ulla, Heidi and Clem and their group, cooked the Pita Bread in the frypans.  When they  were golden brown and puffy, they covered them with a tea towel so they would be soft and warm when we were ready to eat them.

Everyone loved the dishes they made and there was only a little stew left and some extra Babaganoush to share with the teachers.  All the Pita Bread and Pumpkin Hummus disappeared it was so delicious.

Great cooking Grade 4 and 5 and thanks Lea!

This is what they said about their cooking this week.

I cooked the Pita Bread and made the dough. I loved it! Heidi

I really liked the Pita Bread, it tasted a bit sweet. Romy

I didn’t get circles of carrot! I’m happy!. Lea

I made the stew. The Pita Bread is nice and crunchy. I used it to mop up the stew. Lexie

I liked it all, it tasted good. I made the Pumpkin Hummus. Merry

Am I in a dream? It tasted so good! Harper

below are the recipes and photos from this week;