Margaret River Primary School’s Kitchen Garden ‘School’s Out Clearance Sale and Open Day’ is on Monday December 10, open to the general public from 1pm to 4pm.
With the school set to close over the Christmas period, Garden Specialist Terri Sharpe realised there was going to be a huge surplus of organic, fresh, home-grown produce ready to eat, with no children at the school to consume it.
“Normally we feed 120 children a week in the Kitchen Garden Program,” she said.
“But of course with the school’s closure over the summer break we end up with a large surplus of food.”
The ‘School’s Out Clearance Sale’ was born – with the aim of clearing the garden of as much of its produce as possible before school closure over summer.
Students have been busy potting-up seedlings of raspberries, tamarillo, tomatoes, rosemary, peppermint, climbing spinach, sunflowers, lemon balm, chili, dragon fruit, Xmas melon and borage, and making popsicles and fruit-and-veg-filled muffins and cakes.
Organic produce will be on sale just hours after harvest, and a huge raffle is also on offer with prizes including a signed copy of Stephanie Alexander’s latest book The Cook’s Apprentice donated by the Margaret River Bookshop, gift vouchers from many local businesses, a grafted self-pollinating double plum from Lazarus Horticulture, and one lucky person will win a family (2 adult, 2 children) Bushtucker canoe or winery tour.
“Support from local businesses for our Kitchen Garden Program has again been exceptional – we couldn’t run such a high quality, innovative program without them,” said Ms Sharpe.
“This Open Day represents the culmination of a year of hard work from our year four and five students who are lucky enough to participate in the Program. They are really looking forward to showing off all their hard work to the wider community, so please, do come down and take a look at the MRPS Kitchen Garden Program for yourself.”
All money raised goes back into the Program, funding projects including a new worm farm, a roadside honesty stall, and produce washing station.
“Students will also be offering free tours of the kitchen and garden areas, so if you’ve ever wondered what really goes on in the Kitchen Garden Program, the Open Day on Dec 10 presents as a perfect opportunity to find out. Come on down – all are welcome!”
For more information about the Kitchen Garden Program visit www.facebook.com/MRPSkitchengarden/
