School Garden Project

Noosa News - Slow Food Noosa Noosa News - Slow Food Noosa
June 18, 2010

Over the past four years Slow Food Noosa has sponsored four school kitchen gardens in our local area. These include: Noosaville State School, Peregian Beach College, Cooran State School and Sunshine Beach State School.

These gardens have been set up with the assistance of Leonie Shanahan from Edible School Gardens using the principles of permaculture. The gardens have been hugely successful at introducing children to the joys of gardening and the pleasures of eating food that they have grown themselves. The children are involved right from the start with the design of the garden and learn all about composting, worm farms, water management, mulch and chook poo! Harvest days are opportunities for the Slow Food chefs to cook with the children. Katrina Ryan from Sprit House Cooking School has introduced the children to stir fries and making pesto from basil and parsley. "They are absolute naturals when it comes to using mortars and pestles" She says. Salads with fried haloumi, lemon and sunflower seeds, Vietnamese spring rolls, penne with spring vegetables and Matt Golinski's dolmades are some of the dishes the children have prepared. Once the food is ready, the table is set with coloured tablecloths and decorated with flowers.

The children eat off environmentally friendly cabbage and arrowroot leaves and everyone loves throwing the 'dishes' into the compost after the feast.

Noosa News - Slow Food Noosa
School Garden Project
June 18, 2010