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 with Eve

This week the Foundation/1 class farewelled Erin, their student teacher.  Tuesday was Erin’s last day so the students prepared an ‘imagination cake’ using playdough, flowers and foliage and we made Erin a nature crown.  The students had fun making themselves a party crown to wear too and we sang ‘happy last day to you’ (to the tune of happy birthday to you).  The students shared many beautiful words of thanks and appreciation to Erin for her kindness, for being a friend and for helping them learn to read.  

The 2/3s were going to set up their in-ground worm farms this week but we got rained out and decided instead to join in on the crown-making fun and some seed packet decorating.

The 5/6s are leading a school art project this term - creating artworks to sell to raise money for organisations who help endangered Australian animals.  In gardening we are growing Australian native plants to sell as part of the exhibition/fundraiser.  The students saved seed last term and sowed native everlastings, billy buttons and native grasses.  This week we started potting them up so that we can grow them on ready for the end of term exhibition.

cooking with Chris

This week in Cooking, Grade 4 and 5 cooked Pumpkin, Silverbeet and Cheese Lasagne, Focaccia and Salad of the Imagination.

From the garden we used celery, silverbeet, parsley, bay leaves, chives,  mizuna, lettuce leaves, spinach and pumpkin (from the freezer) and tomato passata (we made and froze last term).  

Before recess we worked in teams to prepare the ingredients and pasta for the lasagne and made the focaccia dough.

Clem, Heidi and Frankie B measured out and mixed the flour, yeast, salt and water for the Quick and Easy Focaccia, it’s an easy recipe as you mix all the ingredients for the dough together but you don’t need to knead dough. They left it to rise for 2 hours them poured it out into a slice pan and added olive oil, salt and Romy added some rosemary she harvested from the garden. 

Ulla, Lexi and Harper chopped and cooked the onions. and silverbeet and herbs for the filling.  They then mixed in the cooked pumpkin.

Chloe, Romy, Frankie C and Thea, measured out the flour and salt and whisked the eggs for 2 batches of the pasta dough. They mixed it lightly until it came together and then covered and let it rest until we were ready to roll it out after recess.

Ivy, Gracie, Frankie and their group grated the cheeses and whisked the eggs to make the Cheese filling.

Vega, Henry, Perla and their group cut up the onions and garlic and cooked them with the spices and tomato passata and added the herbs and their secret ingredients for the Tomato Sauce of the Imagination. We’ve used the last of the tomato passata we made and froze after summer, so we now have to purchase tinned tomatoes and tomato sugo. If anyone has any homemade sauce they’d like to donate for our cooking classes, we’d really appreciate it. 

After recess, everyone kneaded the pasta dough and then worked in teams  to roll out the dough thin enough for lasagne (they had to be able to see through it!).  It was great to see how patient and precise they were to make sure the lasagne sheets were a perfect thickness and size to cook. Clem and Lea and their team cooked and drained the pasta in batches as the lasagne sheets were being rolled out and cut.  It was a great pasta production line!

As the lasagne sheets were being cooked and drained , Romy, Harper, Lexi and their team set up another production line to layer the lasagnes. We cooked enough pasta and filling to make two.  We decided to change the recipe a bit, by using mozzarella cheese between the layers and adding the cheese mixture as a topping. 

While the lasagne and focaccia were cooking, 45s worked in teams to clean down the tables and benches and wash and dry the dishes and set the tables ready to share the delicious food we cooked.  Vega and Perla harvested the leaves and herbs and made the Salad of the Imagination and Frankie C picked flowers for the table.

Everyone loved the Pumpkin, Silverbeet and Cheese Lasagne and Focaccia and the Salad of the Imagination they made and they ate every bit. There was one cooked focaccia left that we’ll freeze for another Grade 4 and 5  lunch. The recipes are attached.

Great cooking Grade 4 and 5 and thanks Lea!

This is what Grade 4 and 5 said about their cooking this week.

I made the pasta dough for the lasagne. I like how it is not chewy but nice and soft. Romy

I made the pasta and rolled it out and cut it into smaller pieces before we cooked it. Frankie C

The cheese mixture was fun to make. The bread was delicious. Frankie B

I made the Tomato Sauce of the Imagination. We put in onion and garlic and dried basil, oregano and bay leaves I picked from the school garden.  Perla

It’s just all so fresh and delicious! Harper

Thanks for the beautiful lasagne!. David

I had seconds! Lexi

I made the Tomato Sauce. I loved the bread. Henry

Perla and I made the Salad of the Imagination.  We harvested mizuna, lettuce and silverbeet from the garden and added chives and parsley and made the dressing. Vega

recipes and photos below