Free 'Garden to Plate' Course:
growing, preserving, cooking
 

A new initiative, Garden to Plate, organised through the Community Gardens, offers an opportunity to learn from scratch how to prepare wholesome affordable meals for individuals and families.

The course will teach fundamental gardening skills, the art of preserving and pickling, and how to use locally produced food to make cheap and nutritious meals. Lessons will cover "old fashioned" wholesome meals and modern-styled food, nutrition and interpretation of food labels.

Community Gardens manager Felicity Hargreaves said the focus will be on healthy living. "We'll make available a community allotment at the gardens solely for the students. They'll plant a seasonal vegetable and herb garden from which the produce would be used for the cooking and nutrition component of the project. The students will spend time together working in the garden, selecting crops to grow, and harvesting them."

"The course will be run during school hours with a recess during the school holidays so young mothers can attend. We're also looking at onsite childcare options," Ms Hargreaves continued. "We want to teach the students how to read product labels so that they can learn about the nutritional properties of the food they are feeding their children, and teach them how to make and provide healthy alternatives. We'll also offer the opportunity for participants to work towards a recognised qualification."

Community gardens chair Linda Sanders applauded the course as a "wonderful initiative" that is complementary to other local gardening courses, and said many skills had been lost. "But there are still many older people in the community who have all these skills, and the course will also serve as a springboard to get more community involvement," Ms Sanders said.

The free course will be open to everybody, though priority will be given to those in most need. It is taught in modules, with planning input from the participants. Organisers welcome those interested in only parts of the course to do separate modules, and invite high school students and children to attend during school holidays.

The course was a collective initiative by the Community Gardens, the Workcentre Trust and community worker Sheryl Nalder and is run in conjunction with the Nelson Marborough District Health Board. It starts on October 20 with Cara Cottle as the main tutor. Enquiries to Felicity at 525 8099.

Course Content for Garden to Plate course

Ina Holst
Golden Bay Weekly ~ News ~ 17 October 2008