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: This week in the Prep/1 class we talked about the upcoming Winter Solstice and we borrowed a tradition from Europe: We chose a special tree to honour, or celebrate (The students chose their beloved 'Cheeky Tree', down by the oval) and made some decorations that are also gifts to the birds that live in or visit our school garden. This is to acknowledge that Winter can be a hard time for birds and animals to find food. We also added nesting materials to our decorations that the birds can take to line their nests to keep their babies warm when they hatch. The children used jute twine and yarn needles to create and thread together their decorations, incorporating fruits like hawthorn and pomegranate as well as sticks (to perch on while eating) and greens from the school garden. We got rained out, so the decorations are hanging outside the library until we can get out to the Cheeky tree to decorate it. We are also finishing this activity next week by making up a fat-and-seed mix to fill the spaces in pinecones so that we can hang them for the seed-eating birds in our garden. We talked about how it is important not to feed wild birds and animals all the time, but that we can do it as a special gift. We also made sure that our food was appropriate for the wild birds that live here. Next week we'll do an activity to learn about which local birds the kids can watch out for and what part of our decorations the different birds might eat.
It was my first session with the Grade 5/6's this week. The students chose 2-3 songs each to make a class playlist for when we are working in the garden. We also had a brainstorming session so that I could hear about what they have loved doing in gardening class so far and what ideas they had for other activities/ themes or skills that they'd like to cover in future. The class is very keen to fill their classroom with indoor plants, so we will be doing some propagating before term finishes. Other ideas were to spend time in the 'Enchanted Forest' down by the creek, take some tools down to clean up the gnome and fairy garden, plant indigenous trees and shrubs for habitat and put in more flowers around the school grounds. We ended with half an hour of speedy weeding to start cleaning up around the veggie beds near the MP classroom.
The 4/5 class had identified last week that they want to reinstate the Tea Garden outside the 4/5 classroom so we split up into groups and made a start on weeding, pruning back some of the perennials and herbs that are already there, clearing leaves and tidying up the tool area. We also made a list of the tea plants that we want for this garden and next session we will start propagating some of the ones that we don't have already. We will also make a rocket stove, at some stage, (for boiling tea) using the bricks that were stockpiled there.
If any parents are interested in volunteering for gardening sessions it's always great to have some extra helpers. Next week the prep/1s will be making their seedy pinecones and decorating the Cheeky tree (10am -11am), the 5/6's will be doing seed saving and sorting (11:15 til 12:15) and the grade 2/3's will either be seed saving (if there is still enough that needs to be done after the 5/6 session) or will be getting started on making in-ground worm farms to put in the centre of our veggie beds (1:15 - 2:15). If you would like to come to one or more of the sessions let me know, and if you could get there 10-15mins before the class starts that would be great so that we can set up together. I'm open to having a younger sibling join in with their parent/carer too, for certain sessions - just let me know in advance. If you want to put your hand up please let me know - you can text me on 0409 584 784 or find me at drop off or pick up some time. Thanks!
This week in Cooking Grade 2 and 3 made Crispy Rice Paper Parcels with delicious Asian Dressing.
From the garden we used spring onions, celery and parsley and from the freezer we used corn, pumpkin and eggplant. We also used onions, coriander, cabbage and carrots in the dish.
Rosa and her team made the Asian dressing. Pete grated the ginger for the dressing and the filling. Rosa and Percy chopped the garlic and carefully measured out all the ingredients for the dressing.
Noah, Oliver and their group peeled and grated the carrot and Bobbie and Rui and their group cut the shredded cabbage into small pieces for the filling.
Jayden and his group bravely cut the onions and spring onions into small pieces and whizzed them in the food processor.
As students were cutting, grating and preparing the filling ingredients, Johnny, Noah, their team cooked the onions and the filling mixture and added the pumpkin and the sauces. Bobbie and his team cut the vermicelli noodles with scissors and added them to the cooked filling mixture.
After Rosa and her team made the Asian Dressing, they tasted it and added their own special ingredients to make it more delicious.
As we finished using the mixing bowls and utensils, Sidney, Douglas, Rui, Noah and their team did a great job rinsing the dishes and using the dishwasher and drying the dishes.
Everyone worked really well to make sure the mixture was prepared, cooked and ready to cool over recess.
After recess, everyone learnt how to soften the rice paper in warm water, add a spoon of the mixture, wrap the rice paper parcel and double wrap the rice paper parcels. They then worked really well in groups to help each other and make the parcels until all the rice paper was used.
Marlin, Bobby, Rui, Rosa, with the help of Emma, did a great job of frying the Rice Paper Parcels until they were crispy. Ella used the Airfryer to cook her Rice Paper parcels and was very happy with how they puffed up.
While the Rice Paper parcels were being cooked, Johnny, Copper and Aleida worked with their group and cleaned down the tables and set the tables, with cutlery and plates and cups. Rosa and her team spooned the Asian Dressing into serving bowls.
Everyone enjoyed their cooking and tried the Crispy Rice Paper Rolls with the delicious Asian Dressing. While we enjoyed the Rice Paper Parcels, Rosa and Percy explained what was in the Asian Dressing. The secret ingredient was honey.
We had quite a lot of mixture left, so we will freeze the leftovers and use it to make Vegie Sausage Rolls with Tomato Sauce next term.
Great cooking Grade 2 and 3 and thanks Emma.
This is what Grade 2 and 3 said about what they cooked and tasted.
I really liked the sauce, I tried the parcels but they had veggies I don’t like. Noah
I liked the corn. Oliver
I liked the filling. Johnny
I tasted so good, we must be cooking gods! Owen
It was really good but the sauce was a bit sour. Aleida
I cut the corn and eggplant. I appreciate that everyone worked well together. Cooper
I really liked the sauce but I had a bit too much! Pete
The Rice Paper Parcels were delicious because they are crispy. I cooked them until they were crispy. Bobbie
