The annual Harvest Festival at Moulsecoomb Primary has been a regular event for years and a celebration of our work with the school.
The perfect opportunity for Year 5 children to learn how to cook the food they have grown in the schools vegetable beds, turn apple and pears into juice then serve up free to everyone in the playground at the end of the day. It’s a great way to start the new academic year.
Anna and Karen from Cardamom Pod were given a list of ingredients growing at the school - potatoes, onions, sweetcorn, apples, plums, garlic and cucumbers. With a few eggs from the chickens and some squashes from Moulsecoomb Forest Garden.
They then worked with the children to turn it all into bite sized recipes.
Pumpkin bread Apple and plum crumble cake Roast veg frittata Courgette and sweetcorn fritters with raita Tomato bruschetta
Meanwhile Stephan and Martin from Brighton Permaculture Trust was getting the children to chop and crush the fruit to make juice. The leftover pulp was fed to the chickens.
The schools award winning grounds boast replica houses, an orchard, nuttery, fairytale forest, forest school, wildlife ponds, vegetable gardens, heated greenhouse, raingarden and of course chickens.
Once a week pupils get to learn everything from growing vegetables, pruning fruit trees, composting, lifecycles – and cleaning out the chicken coop. This knowledge was put to the test at the end of last term when 10 pupils became teachers for the day, as children from across the city visited the school as part of the official launch of Moulsecoomb becoming a South Downs National Park Ambassador school. One of just three schools across the whole National Park.
* If you want us to continue to do more stuff like this, then please become a Friend of the Forest Garden with a monthly donation? And you will get an invite to our Christmas Party!
