Kitchen Garden

It is wonderful to be back planning our Term 2 Kitchen Garden Program. This term we will focus on how we can continue to be sustainable and use the produce that we are growing in ways that will preserve its life longer. 

We have a magnificent olive tree that has produced enough olives for us to try our very first attempt at preserving! Following Mr Cotching’s directions, students in Year 5/6 harvested, prepared and learned the art of marinating. This involved collecting both black and green olives by picking from the lower branches and gently raking the higher branches, allowing olives to fall on a sheet we had strategically placed below. Following this, we carefully slit each olive with a knife before placing them all in fresh water. This is the state they will remain in for 1 week, with the water being changed daily to reduce bitterness and prevent any mould.

Next week our Environment Leaders will create a brine solution made up of salt and water and transfer the olives into large buckets of this with lids, and store for the next 2-3 months until we are happy with the taste. Once this process is complete, we will marinate our olives in different herbs and spices, creating an original Chatham flavour!

As part of our Year 5/6 garden session, we also sifted our compost and placed mulch into our chicken run and larger garden beds. Some students received a 1:1 lesson in manoeuvring and operating a wheelbarrow, supervised and guided by Mr Peter Manning. 

We also collected our basil and parsley leaves, before placing them in ice cube holders with olive oil and freezing. The purpose of this is to teach students how they can preserve herbs that will no longer be in season and use them down the line when cooking. Once frozen, these herbs can last up to 6 months in the freezer!

Over the last month, our garden beds have continued to thrive and produce, due to the unusually warm weather conditions and the assistance of our families in watering our beds over the holidays. Thank you to the families who performed this task and also looked after our Chatham chickens. We hope you enjoyed your eggs!

Our Kitchen Garden session dates are available on our Chatham calendar, which you can access through our website. Volunteers for our garden and cooking sessions are always welcome.

Thank you and may our Chatham olives be a success!

Ms Leda Semercioglu

Kitchen Garden Coordinator