Last week during National volunteer Week we gained some new volunteers who have come via the Garden to Table Trust. These are people unrelated to our school who want to share their skills, knowledge and spare time with us. So thank you to Lorraine, Grace and Tony for all their support and enthusiasm. We have also been lucky to have "graduates " of our programme and school come in during their holidays to help out in the garden and kitchen. So great to see you all and please come back soon. A special thank you to grandparents ( both local and international !!) who have been in to work and have fun with their grandchildren and their classmates. Also of course our class parents, who we all look forward to seeing, who help make our Meadowbank School programme so special!
We have harvested a lot of herbs and vegetables and had fun digging for Jerusalem artichokes. Hunting for pine cones , holey kawakawa leaves and Wood Ear fungi in the Gully reminded us what a unique school we have - especially when the kereru (wood pigeon), fantails and tui are zooming past as we work.
There are broad beans and peas busy germinating in the greenhouse and school grown Kiwifruit and donated citrus ripening in the kitchen.
Lots of onions, cabbage, broccoli and mixed Asian leafy vegetables have been transplanted into gardens mulched to keep the soil warm and the weeds at bay.
The hens have been enjoying all the treats when people turn the compost and look forward to visiting again next term.
Thank you to Neville at Omni for our new gloves and tools which are supplied to Garden to Table Schools at a special price. The gloves were very handy in the junior orchard when we pruned our plum tree so that we will be able to reach the fruit rather than the birds.
We have used the pizza oven to make delicious baked apples, a pumpkin, silverbeet and parmesan tart, baked bananas (harvested from our garden) and calzone. Our dedicated pizza oven Grandparent, Bob was on hand for all sessions to oversee the oven.
Pot Sticker Dumplings with our wood ear funghi were a hit.
Thanks to parents who have donated grapefruit Room 29 and 30 made some super Citrus Marmalade.
Next term we will be planting some fruit trees from Kelvin at Sunhill Garden Centre and feeding and pruning the rest of our school orchard.
For gardening tips in the holidays look up the Pod Gardening, Tui, and NZ Gardener websites, and of course the library has lots of great cooking and gardening books to get ideas from.
Happy holidays and we look forward to hearing about what you have been growing , cooking , eating and discovering over the holidays!
