Eat and be merry

The plants they are a grow'n in the school vegetable garden. We have been the chief supplier of the canteen with our lettuce, the radishes and beetroots are producing the goods and the peas are going great guns (although not quite fast enough to feed the ravenous hordes that first enter the garden on a Tuesday morning (do no children have breakfast these days?!)

Last week was a big step for the garden, which I have decided to call simply, the outdoor classroom (more on that later), for last week, we were cooking with gas, quite literally. A two stove gas cooker was the centrepiece of the garden as the students cooked using much of the fresh produce only metres away.

For the Stage 2 and 3 students, it was Silver beet Omelette with a leafy green salad, while the younger children put together a Basil Pesto with Fettucini  Pasta.

Silver beet Omelette

Simply collecting the Silver beet from the garden, two leaves was plenty and adding them to about 6 eggs (Free Range), 50 ml of milk and a pinch of salt. Simply whisk together and place in a frying pan. Some groups experimented with Kale leaf and flat leaf parsley to add to the Silver beet, both of which added a nice 'tang' to the omelette.

The groups who put together the salad raided the Cos Lettuce, as well as Mizuna, Basil, Kale, and Marigold flowers.

Empty plates speak for themselves.

The great thing about omelettes (as well as pike lets and the like) is that you can adapt them to suit what is in season in the garden. Tomatoes are ripening, beautiful tomato omelette. Got some onions to pull up? Add that to the omelette, and so on.

Basil Pesto Fettucini 

Stage 1 students worked together to prepare a Basil Pesto, to add to some Fettucini. The Pesto is simple to make, just add to following to a blender;

Few good size handfuls of fresh basil

3 gloves of garlic

Juice of one lemon

About 80g of parmesan cheese

Good glug of Olive Oil.

Usual pesto recipes include nuts, but being a school, that's a no go, and really, this recipe is tops without it.

Blend it all together, slowly adding the oil until you get the desired consistency. If you have young kids and they say it looks like 'bad vomit', then you have it about right. Well that's what the Stage 1 kids thought it looked like.

Again, the great thing about this is that you can jar the pesto and keep for quite some time. Simply stir the desired amount through your pasta.

So after some careful measuring and loud blending, it was ready to add to our Fettucini and feed some hungry students. It was interesting to hear the students talk about the tastes they experienced. Some could really taste the basil, others the garlic. All concluded it was 'Yum'!

During these 'meals' I'm trying to give the kids some understanding of the process of harvesting, preparing, serving, eating and cleaning. WIth each child playing their part in producing a nutritious meal for each other. This of course begins way back in those first session where we prepared the soil to nourish our plants. 

... and there is always cleaning up to be done!

It is an exhausting week when we eat, with lots to prepare, and lots of running around during the sessions, but with the help of our wonderful parent, Sharon, I think the discussions the children have about 'doing this at home' and 'loving the food' and of course the smiles on their faces, make it all well and truly worth it.

Eat and be merry indeed!