Edible School Gardens

Caloundra Weekly December 15th 2011

Garden teaches earthy lessons
WHAT could three grandmothers, three fathers, 10 mothers, four teachers and Year 5 students at Caloundra State School accomplish together?  The answer is an Indian feast from garden to plate.

This inter-generational team managed to sow, grow, pick, cook and serve and Indian feast of chicken korma curry, rice, celery, beetroot and carrot salad, coleslaw, aubergine and chickpea bharta, Bombay alu saag (potatoes and spinach) and lemon water.

The Year 5 students also provided pre-dinner entertainment of dancing in costume.  Leonie and Di from Edible School Gardens, have worked with the students all year and will continue the Young Garden Gurus program in 2012.

Children proudly shared their dishes with the staff, principal and deputy principal.

A few important lessons learned were:

•     No waste – food scraps went to the worms, compost and hens.
•     No food miles (from soil to plate)

Food not grown at school was purchased locally, so it was walking miles only.  What better way to learn one of the most important lessons of life – grow and cook your own food.