Kitchen Garden Update

Week 9 – Kitchen Garden (Year 3s)

Year 3 students completed their final round of activities, designed to give them an overview of the tasks we perform during garden sessions. Two groups explored what is currently growing in the garden and mapped it out on a garden plan.

We have been very successful in growing warrigal greens (a native spinach), silverbeet (both green and rainbow), Jerusalem artichokes and a wide variety of herbs. Recently, we had corn, sunflowers, and pumpkins growing, though unfortunately, they have been eaten—by someone or something! There are also pomegranates that are almost ready to pick, and we have recently harvested different varieties of capsicums and peppers.

Together, students had the opportunity to feel, smell, and even taste many of the herbs freshly picked from the garden, including native thyme, mint and native river mint, chocolate mint, saltbush, parsley, and oregano.

Please help us keep an eye on the garden and remind people to be mindful of the produce when moving through the space. We recently lost most of our zucchini harvest and many of our figs to visitors. While we want the garden to be a community space that everyone can enjoy both inside and outside school hours, we also need produce for our kitchen sessions.

Some of the Year 3s also practiced their chopping skills, making cucumber sandwiches and apple slices with toppings to share with their classmates. We covered the apple in a vegan caramel sauce which was super easy to make. 

Week 10 – Kitchen Garden (Year 4s)

We wrapped up our rotations and reflected on our recent excursion to the International Flower and Garden Show. Students recorded their observations and ideas for features we could incorporate into our garden. I was so impressed with their creativity and how much they remembered from the day! Allison and I will review their sketches and lists to see how we can use the $1,000 prize from the scarecrow competition to bring some of their ideas to life.

Year 4 students also had their final kitchen garden session for Term 1.

Two groups worked in the staff room to cook pizzas and chocolate oat balls. We used a quick and simple two-ingredient recipe to make a dough base and incorporated produce from the garden to create two pizzas: one with zucchini, capsicum, and tomato, and another with corn, garlic, and spring onion. I was thrilled that nearly everyone tried both flavours! The feedback ranged from “This is the best pizza I’ve ever had!” to “Corn on pizza isn’t my personal preference.”

Both of the recipes we made this week (included below) used coconut condensed milk, coconut yogurt, and plant-based cheese to accommodate all dietary needs. The chocolate balls were a huge hit! If I were to make them again, I would opt for cacao or cocoa powder instead of plant-based hot chocolate mix, as they turned out quite sweet—but still delicious! So delicious, in fact, that they were gone before I could snap a photo!

A huge thank you to the parents who volunteered to help us, especially those who adjusted their schedules after my last-minute emails. We couldn’t run this program without you!

We look forward to more full kitchen sessions in our new kitchen and many magical afternoons in the garden next term!

Chantel