Windsor Forest Elementary students learn the basics of gardening and recipes

Planting fruits, veggies and creating recipes are one of many gardening techniques that Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) students are learning this year.

The activities are made possible through a $100,000 grant that was awarded from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and has the goal of increasing school gardens at various SCCPSS schools.

Time to plant

Brandi Brown, principal at Windsor Forest Elementary School, said having a garden is part of the school's science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) curriculum. Brown said students tend to two gardens: one that grows fruits and vegetables, while the other grows plants that attract butterflies.

She said third, fourth and fifth-grade students have their own individual garden beds. On a district wide level 300 students across seven schools are involved with Savannah Urban Garden Alliance (SUGA) in the gardening projects.

“They are learning the process of growing, harvesting and preparing the food," she said, "...the ultimate goal is to be able to provide students with fruits and vegetables from the garden to promote healthy eating."

Fourth-grader Brooke Speaks said one thing she has learned from gardening is how to care for plants through watering and pulling up weeds. “It is something new for me."

Brooke's sister, fifth-grader Kylie Speaks, said during class, she has planted cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce, peppers and peas.

“They maintain it, they come and fertilize it, they provide the hay and  they provided this very established citrus trees…, it is so super comprehensive in their support in the gardens,” said Jessica Roberts, who teaches gifted students at the school.

Recipe time

In addition to gardening, 30 students from Brock, Hodge and Butler and Windsor Forest Elementary schools submitted recipes for a cookbook, back in November 2021.

Winners from the contest were announced before winter break in December 2020 and there are no plans to offer the cookbook for sale, but instead it will be used as a resource with various schools that host community gardens.

The winners included:

• Windsor Forest: Brooke Speaks, Jaden Paul, Savannah Abayabay, Teresa Adams-Delcore and Justin Nguyen
• Brock Elementary: Jakayla DeLoach, Jakilya Brady and Ja'Meir Blount
• Hodge Elementary: Timothy Woods, Macee Riley and Jersey Perales-Beston
• Butler Elementary: Madison Robinson, Chasity Hines, A'Naysia Beasley and Taleah Brown

The contest was made possible from the SUGA and Center Parc Credit Union.

The goal of the recipe book is to document a student's experience while working in the garden. Winning recipes included: “Easy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds,” “Cucumber Bake Chips,” “Sweet and Savory Carrots,” “Spring Rolls,” “Lemon Grass Veggie Soup,” “Avocado Egg Salad" and “Green Eggs and Ham.”

In coming up with her recipe, "Avocado Egg Salad-Green Eggs and Ham," Brooke said her mom helped find a recipe online and since she enjoys cucumbers, she looked up a recipe so she could include them.

“Cucumbers are my favorite vegetables in the garden,” she said.

Since Kylie likes strawberries, she included them in a cobbler recipe she submitted to be included in the cookbook.

Let's get cooking 

Roberts said she wanted her students to find recipes from their families and would edit  them. She also said the students would also learn anatomy of plants that are grown in the garden and how they taste.

Using food from the garden, her students were able to use onions, peppers and veggies to make gumbo. Roberts said projects like this help students to understand that the foods people eat don’t just come from a grocery store. She said it gives students an opportunity to try foods they never had before like okra, onions or squash.

"It's so neat to go back to grassroots of eating," she said.