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

Thanksgiving Harvest on the Farm

In the spirit of the first Thanksgiving, when the pilgrims celebrated their harvest, Waikiki School students and families gathered for an afternoon of harvesting and enjoying a lovely meal together. On our gathering walk we found ripe mulberries, lemons, limes, tangerines, nasturtiums, chocolate bell peppers, mint, eggplant, kale, basil, and grapefruit. Our families turned the fresh harvest into a meal: green salad with tomatoes, nasturtiums, peppers, mulberries and lime vinagrette, kale smoothies, basil pesto pasta, wok-fried eggplant followed by fresh grapefruit and mulberries for dessert. Mahalo to all for a delicious meal!! Everyone went home with a basket of fresh fruits and veggies too!






Our dishwashing friends:

Make a Difference Day

Thank you to Hope Chapels for making a difference at our school! Over 200 volunteer church-goers and high school students from MidPac's Christian Club came out to our school to spruce up our campus. Volunteers weedwacked, trimmed, weeded, raked and hauled off an incredible amount of green waste, mostly from our fruit tree orchard. It was the hardest working crew seen on campus!

CFL exchange a success!!

Project Green and Waikiki School exchanged 3000 CFL's for inefficient bulbs during the month of October. For our energy consciousness, families not only will save on their electrical bill but our school earned $1200! Thank you to Blue Planet Foundation for providing the CFL's.

Students fight over kale snack

Waikiki students harvested kale and eggplant from the school garden. Then they cooked it using the power of the sun! When it was time to eat, they couldn't get enough.

3rd graders make bokashi

what's bokashi you ask? It's a mix of good bacteria and yeast that can be used in composting all kinds of food waste. this stuff works on meats, dairy, pasta, eggs-you name it! we used it, of course, for dealing with our school lunch waste. which brings up another question- why is their lunch waste at school's? we will have to get back to that.

anyway, the process is as follows:

day 1: prepare bokashi by mixing together mill run, molasses, and effective microorganisms (EM)-store in airtight containers
day 14: spread bokashi to dry in the sun for long term storage
day 15: use your bokashi to mix with food waste....