The indoor garden at Kirkness School has been growing for a couple of months and is looking fabulous! Over the holiday break, it was watered once a week and did just fine. Ms. Willis indicated that the nasturtiums had taken over and needed a good trim. This lovely plant is fully edible, so the students had a chance to taste some of the spicy leaves.
January 14 was Salad Day, as the lettuce and Swiss Chard needed to be harvested. I had an opportunity to visit while the students enjoyed a plate of fresh salad with homemade dressing. Ms. Willis asked the students to observe the layers of oil, vinegar, a bit of maple syrup and soy sauce, plus chopped dill and basil from the garden. In the previous hour, Ms. Willis had taught a science lesson on the states of matter, specifically the density of different liquids, such as the oil floating on top of the other liquids used in the salad dressing. Most students opted to give this yummy mix of liquids and herbs a try on their plate of salad.
It was great to see how many students eagerly consumed the salad, and some were hoping for seconds. One student brought some croutons to add to their dish. I also overhead: “I would like to eat that every day – that would be amazing!”.
Of course, not everyone loves greens… “Tastes like grass”, was one student’s opinion, and “bitter” was their assessment of Swiss chard. Another student opted for a “leafy sample plate” instead of the full meal deal. Taste testing is always a first great step!
Visiting gardens, seeing enthusiasm for fresh veggies, hearing student comments, and seeing how the indoor garden becomes part of everyday lessons is a highlight for us at Sustainable Food Edmonton.
Claudia Bolli, Little Green Thumbs
