From the garden to the table
Seeds in March, lunch in August
The children plant the beds, the cook plans the menu around them, and everyone sits down to eat what came in.
Seeds and seedlings
In late winter the children press seeds into trays at the window table and watch for the first green. When the soil warms, the seedlings move out to the raised beds.
Trays at the window
Beds raised to child height
Watering with small cans
In the kitchen
Beans get spooned, carrots get scrubbed and the herbs get torn. Children carry the bowls from the kitchen door to the tables.
Washing and scrubbing
Spooning and tearing
Carrying bowls to the table
At the table
Lunch is served family style at low tables. Children pass the bowls, serve themselves and clear their own place, and the group wipes the table together.
Family-style serving
Clearing and wiping
Second helpings of vegetables
Through the year
What the beds give each season
The menu follows the garden, and the garden follows the weather.
Spring
Peas, lettuce and radishes go in first, and the herb planters come out onto the porch.
Peas and lettuce
Radishes
Chives and mint
Summer
Tomatoes, beans, basil and squash arrive faster than the cook can plan for, and lunch shows it.
Tomatoes and basil
Green beans
Summer squash
Fall
Carrots, potatoes and winter squash come out of the ground, and soup goes on the menu on cool days.
Carrots and potatoes
Winter squash
Apples from the neighbor's trees
Winter
The beds rest under the snow while the kitchen cooks from the cellar and the windowsill herbs.
Root vegetables
Dried beans
Herbs on the windowsill
Taste lunch at a tour
Come in the morning and eat with the children.