Punahou gardens

We enjoyed a lovely Saturday afternoon helping out at the Punahou gardens and helping to plant Madre Cacao (or Gliricidia) trees that were started from seeds of our own peace garden trees! While there we noticed the beautiful lady bugs and monarch butterflies making their home!

Garden lesson Jan. 23

Ms. Park's 4th graders enjoyed the tough job of removing more of our clogged weed mat. Soon we will have a new paved walkway just outside our plant nursery. And check out the team work needed to carry a 3/4" heavy piece of plywood to the plant nursery. The plywood is needed to finish our sink and kitchen area.

Ms. Fong's 2nd graders started a new unit on Garden Senses and began by working on the herb garden and investigating some of the smells and 'flavors' of herbs. Students visited 9 herb stations, smelled each herb and wrote a single word description of the smell. They then wrote a type of food they could imagine being flavored by that herb and lastly chose their favorite smelling herb to bring home. Next week we will prepare samples of our favorite herb-flavored foods.

Garden lessons January 13

After a hard-working hour in the garden, Mr. Melton's 4th grade students prepare a delicious garden harvest...

Ms. Caine's 2nd grade class checked on their growing nasturtium plants, weeded the kale garden bed and transplanted lilikoi seedlings. On their way back to class, students harvested edible flowers for a unique tasting!

Ms. Matsuoka's 6th graders continued to develop their safe and effective use of cutting tools, using the loppers and pruning shears to trim our giant banana plants.

Ms. Park's 5th grade class demonstrated effective teamwork with their commitment to remove a worn-out and weed-saturated section of weed mat. Persistence, team work and good ole sweat equity.... oh and having a lot of fun too.

Garden lessons: January 5th

KG- Mr. Ragasa's class toured the edible schoolyard identifying and harvesting examples of edible plant parts. Once a basket of produce was gathered students sorted each item into groups representing different parts of the plant: roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and seeds.

We found peanut butter fruit, starfruit, sunflower seeds, beets, radish, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, kale, eggplant, asparagus, swiss chard and lots more.

4th grade- Ms. Gee's class identified tasks that needed to be done including pruning eggplant, weeding garden beds, trimming grass around peace garden and removing old basil plants. Students chose jobs and stayed on task.

1st grade- Ms. Yamamoto's students also toured our edible schoolyard and harvested plants representing different parts. In addition to the kindergarteners, these students found rice, watercress, beets (did you know you can eat the root, stems and leaves of the beet plant, leaving almost nothing behind?).

World Premiere of local documentary: Ingredients Hawaii

Thanks to Robert Bates, this wonderful documentary about Hawaii's local foods will premiere on February 4th 2012.

Check out the new trailer here

The World Premiere of Ingredients Hawaii, Part One

February 4, 2012

Grab this rare opportunity to meet people instrumental in creating Oahu’s new local food community, and see the world premiere of the highly anticipated follow up to the acclaimed documentary, Ingredients.

5:30pm VIP Reception & World Premiere $45

Includes food and cocktails, 7:00pm World Premiere, and after film discussion on the future of sustainable agriculture in Hawaii.

9:00pm Second Screening, $10 pre sale, $12 at the door,

$5 students (at the door with valid student ID)

9:00 film and after film discussion.

Ingredients Hawaii Part One illustrates Oahu’s emerging local food community as an alternative to imported and processed foods. The film illustrates the ways we are reclaiming our agriculture and local food traditions in light of an uncertain food future.

Starring: Ed Kenney, the interns of Ma’o Farms, Mark Noguchi, Jay Maddock. Featuring: the Ahupua’a of Ko’olaupoko, Sweet Home Waimanalo & Farm Roof, Waikiki School, Aloha Harvest & Foodscapes Hawaii.

Sponsored by: Whole Foods, The Hawaii State Department of Agriculture, Kamehameha Schools, and the Hawaii Council for the Humanities.

FOR TICKETS - Visit the website: ingredientshawaii.com