Kitchen Garden
Kitchen Garden Update
On Tuesday 25th June, our Foundation students harvested herbs, vegetables and limes, and also experienced the magic of pulling out the last of our radishes. We then had a delicious cooking experience making two varieties of mini pizza. Excitement was running high amongst students when they found out that one of the pizza varieties was the classic Margherita! The second pizza variety of potato and rosemary challenged students’ understanding of pizza, with some indicating that whilst they liked rosemary, they were rather unsure about putting potatoes on a pizza. Once all was cooked and oozing with cheese, both varieties were tasted and an overwhelming declaration of both being ‘delicious’ was made. Please see our pizza recipes in this newsletter.
Thank you to the parents, carers and special friends who came along and helped with this wonderful session. Christian’s Grandma Voula contributed a delicious salad and salad dressing recipe, which she prepared with Willow and Christian. This made a lovely accompaniment to our pizzas. Students also made a Chatham favourite, rhubarb muffins, for dessert. This recipe is also available in this newsletter and is a great one to try at home, with the rhubarb able to be replaced with any fruit that is available.
Students found the dining experience exciting, with excellent table manners practised by all. With enthusiasm, our kitchen was packed up, tables were cleaned and chairs were restacked.
As the saying goes, we have been very ‘busy bees’ this term in our kitchen garden and cannot wait to share more of our garden and cooking experiences with you all next term.
On Tuesday 18th June, students in Year 5/6 revisited our garden. It was a frosty, but sunny morning, and our tasks for the day were to plant our spring onion seedlings and clean up the vegetable beds, removing the eucalyptus leaves and weeds. We also needed to check on the progress of our plants that we planted 5 weeks ago. We found that our potatoes, brussels sprouts and lettuces were all progressing nicely, however our carrot seeds and beetroot were not doing so well… we think the birds might have been having a nice munch… at least someone got to enjoy them! We discussed the benefits of companion planting and the wonders of how a potato plant grows. The students were very engaged and motivated to try this at home or in the future.
Being in our special garden space and hearing the enthusiasm, engagement and discoveries that the students make together is a wonderful joy. While planting our spring onions, some students discovered an actual red onion buried deep in the soil… it was almost as if we had found a treasure chest! There is equal excitement from the students when we see worms pop up and we gently let them do their job of digging back into our garden. We find this to be a great opportunity to discuss the benefits and importance of a healthy eco system.
Kei and Ed had remembered that our broccoli plants also needed further trimming and spraying of our natural pesticide. These students took to this task with great ownership, carefully clearing away excess foliage and spraying the aphids.
We finished our session with the students making and enjoying infused tea using apple, cinnamon, ginger, and honey, and a second one made up of lime, mint and honey. This was a great chance for us all to come together and reflect on the term’s efforts and share something we felt grateful for. The Year 5/6 students have had such a busy and exciting term, and this time together enjoying our fabulous garden space was the moment of pause and positive reflection that we all needed. Please see the recipe for the two different teas in this newsletter.
Enjoy!
Leda Semercioglu
Kitchen Garden Coordinator
Apple, Cinnamon, Ginger and Honey Tea
Ingredients
½ an apple, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
Fresh ginger, sliced
2 tablespoons of honey
Hot water
Method
In a heat proof jug, place all ingredients and pour in hot water.
Let all ingredients infuse in the water for approximately 2-5
minutes.
Hot water can be replenished and/or more ingredients can be added, to intensify flavour.
Lime, Mint and Honey Tea
Ingredients
1 small lime or lemon, sliced
12 mint leaves
2 tablespoons of honey
Method
In a heat proof jug, place all ingredients and pour in hot water.
Let all ingredients infuse in the water for approximately 2-5 minutes.
Hot water can be replenished, and/or more ingredients can be added, to intensify flavor.
Margherita Pizza
Ingredients
6 English muffins, halved
1 cup of passata
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup of grated cheese
10 cherry tomatoes
1 sprig of fresh oregano or basil
Method
- In a bowl, place the passata, tomato paste and olive oil and mix.
- Brush the passata sauce on the English muffins.
- Sprinkle on grated cheese.
- Place cherry tomato halves on pizzas.
- Sprinkle fresh oregano or basil.
- Bake in a hot oven for approximately 15 minutes.
Potato and Rosemary Pizza
Ingredients
6 English muffins, halved
A splash of olive oil
2 potatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan
cheese
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Method
- Brush olive oil on top of the English muffins.
- Place the sliced potatoes on top.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle fresh rosemary.
- Bake in a hot oven for approximately 15 minutes.
Rhubarb Muffins
Ingredients
3 cups of self-raising flour
1 cup of caster sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 ½ cups of chopped rhubarb
1 ½ cups of milk
2 eggs
1 ½ cups of vegetable oil
Method
- In a bowl mix rhubarb, cinnamon and sugar.
- Mix flour into the rhubarb mixture.
- Place milk, eggs and oil in a separate bowl and mix well.
- Make a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients.
- Lightly mix, but do not over mix.
- Settle the paper cases in the muffin tray holes.
- Spoon mixture into each paper case, filling them to 2/3 full.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until firm to touch.
Enjoy!