20 Nov 2013 - Glen Eira City Council supports School Kitchen Garden Tours
The Glen Eira City Council has advised the local community of the East Bentleigh Primary School's Kitchen Garden tours coming up this Saturday at the Bentleigh Farmers' Market.Click here for more details.
6 Nov 2013 - Local Farmers' Market Supports Award Winning School Kitchen Garden
The Bentleigh Farmers’ Market, held each month at the East Bentleigh Primary School, is hosting public tours of the school’s award-winning gardens during the November market.
The school’s Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden and the Biodiversity Garden were recently named Regional Winner for the Victorian Schools Garden Awards and Finalist for the Resource Smart Biodiversity School of the Year Awards.
The Kitchen Garden Program teaches the students about growing their own food, food preparation and cooking, and nutrition. Donations from the Bentleigh Farmers’ Market help to fund the Kitchen Garden Program.
Maria Shearn, Principal, East Bentleigh Primary School, said, “The Kitchen Garden Program is an important resource for our students to learn about good nutrition early on in their education and the Bentleigh Farmers’ Market is fantastic way for the local community to support and get involved in the program.”
“I encourage the local families, food lovers, market regulars and the wider community to visit the market this November and show their support for our award-winning initiative,” said Ms Shearn.
28 Feb 2013 - Our First Market
Wow! What a fantastic morning we had last Saturday with the first of our monthly Bentleigh Farmers’ Markets. We had over 1700 people come through our gates to purchase fresh and fabulous produce from Victorian farmers. We were blessed with the weather on the day, with the really hot weather waiting until later in the day. Our school oval was transformed into a vibrant community space where people shopped for the freshest produce Victorian growers have to offer. It was fabulous to see so many of our school families and staff members there supporting our school.
Many thanks to our army of volunteers who made the day run so smoothly.Maria Shearn, School Principal
22 Feb 2013 - Coffee Cup Composting Study
Bentleigh Farmer’s Market together with Planet Cups and the Little Coffee Van are investigating how well Planet Cups compost in a school based compost system. Planet cups are made using forest-friendly paper and are lined with 100% bio film and are 100% compostable in commercial facilities* but we want to understand how well they compost in a typical 3 bay system.
The trial commences with our first famers market, where planet cups will be used for the sale of coffee, via the Little coffee van. The public will be advised to place all cups and lids (also compostable) in the compost bins around the school, rather than in the recycling or rubbish bins. These compost bins will be emptied into the compost bays at the end of each market (together with any food scraps, the unbleached serviettes, pea straw and water).
The school children will then get to work turning and monitoring the compost in the bins. The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program is up and running at EBPS, and as part of the regular gardening program the children are active participants in the making of compost. This year, however, they will also be active participants in the research program, undertaking regular visual analysis of the compost bays to see how quickly (or not) the cups and lids are composting.
The BFM team will be overseeing the research and will be providing updates on the research throughout the year. Stay tuned for updates.
14 Feb 2013 Comments from Stephanie Alexander on Bentleigh Farmers Market.
"What a marvellous location for a fabulous new farmers’ market! I was so delighted to hear about the history of this site and to know that once again it will offer fresh food direct from the farm to the food lovers of the area. The Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is proud that we are positively influencing the students at East Bentleigh Primary School to grow some of their own food, to try the unfamiliar and discover how delicious freshly harvested food can be, especially when you know how to turn it into a delicious dish. Now parents and friends will be able to come on down every month and fill their baskets, knowing that the farmers’ market not only offers great food to buy, but that the funds raised will assist the school to continue this great program."
14 Feb 2013 Look out for us on OnlyMelbourne
OnlyMelbourne - What's On Guide & Directory for marvellous Melbourne!
14 Feb 2013 Look out for us on White Hat Guide
Check us out on the White Hat guide to farmers' and growers' markets in Victoria here.
12 Feb, 2013 New farmers’ market revives former market garden
A new farmers’ market starts at East Bentleigh Primary School in Melbourne’s southâ€eastern suburbs this month, bringing farm fresh produce back to the site of a formermarket garden.
East Bentleigh Primary School was part of the Bentleigh market garden area until the 1950s, and horses would haul carts full of fresh vegies from the area into Melbourne. Now fresh vegies will be on show there again, along with a wide range of other farm fresh produce, at Bentleigh Farmers’ Market. The market will be held on the 4th Saturday of each month, starting on 23 February.
It’s not the first time that fresh vegies have featured at East Bentleigh Primary School. The school has a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, and pupils learn to grow their own vegies and fruit and then cook delicious meals in the school’s kitchen classroom. Proceeds from the market will support the kitchen garden program, as well as other school and community projects.
Principal, Maria Shearn, said, “the new farmers’ market is a perfect fit for our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Buying fresh seasonal foods direct from farmers is a great way to learn about how food is grown and where it comes from”.
The school is also developing links between the new farmers’ market and the school curriculum. Pupils will compost food waste from the market on site during kitchen garden lessons and they will experiment with composting coffee cups from the market’s coffee stall.
School parent, Rachel Carey, said, “the new farmers’ market is a wonderful extension of the school’s approach to food education and a great way for the community to buy the freshest local produce and support Victorian farmers”.
