Skip to content

Students food fun has community benefits

A joining of the Botanical Garden Society and Chatelech Secondary School Foods classes has resulted in a multitude of positive experiences for students and the community at large.

A joining of the Botanical Garden Society and Chatelech Secondary School Foods classes has resulted in a multitude of positive experiences for students and the community at large.

"As the teacher I approached the Botanical Garden Society and they put me in contact with a volunteer, Susan Blockberger," said Chat foods and nutrition teacher Cathy Gordon.

"Together with Susan and the Botanical Garden volunteers, I was able to plan an experience where my goal was to bring community awareness to not only local environmental health issues related to the production and consumption of food, but also the Botanical Garden's programs plus the awareness of the use of our Sunshine Coast Food Bank."

Starting last September, Gordon took her classes on trips to the Botanical Garden. Each class was given a talk on the difference between organic and non-organic growing methods, local foods, why farmers use pesticides and general gardening techniques. The students were then divided into groups led by volunteers to work the soil.

In the fall months the classes that visited the garden harvested a variety of vegetables that the foods class used to make large quantities of soup. Another class made quick breads and both were delivered to the Sunshine Coast Food Bank for distribution.

"The Botanical Garden usually grows vegetables to donate to the Food Bank but we heard from the director that it was a nice change to have soup," said Gordon. "Then later in the year I joined with Ms. Scott and Mrs. Smart, kindergarten and Grade 1 teachers at West Sechelt Elementary School, to have their classes start growing beans and then meet my students at the Botanical Garden to buddy up and learn about greenhouses and planting the beans."

The West Sechelt students later came to Chat where they prepared biscuits with their buddies. The Foods 11/12 students had made stone soup the day before using beans from the Botanical Garden, and this was served with the biscuits.

Excess soup and biscuits were then packaged and delivered to the Sunshine Coast Food Bank by the primary students.

Below is the students' recipe for Stone Soup:

1 Stone for flavour. Remember to take it out before eating

1 celery stick, sliced

2 onions, diced

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 garlic, crushed and diced

1 pepper-red or green, sweet diced

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

15 mL chili powder

5 mL cumin

3 mL salt

25 mL oil

500 mL tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes

1 litre chicken Bouillon

400 mL beans, precooked

Method:

Prepare potatoes and put into boiling water in a medium size pot to cook until fork tender.

In a very large pot add oil and place on medium heat to sauté onions, carrots, garlic, celery, peppers and precooked potatoes.

Add chili powder, salt and cumin, stir to combine ingredients.

In a blender add tomatoes and beans puree until smooth. You may need to add water to get a sooth consistency. Add to soup mixture.

Add water and chicken bouillon, stir and turn to low temperature and let cook for as long as possible.

Check the flavour and serve warm with biscuits. If you are keeping it cool quickly in an ice bath and place in small containers and place in the fridge or freezer.

-Submitted