Zucchini and Okra

Zucchini and Okra were abundant in the school garden this month and the children had several opportunities to taste these heat-tolerant vegetables.  

The first garden-to-table dish was prepared by Lorelei’s father and my favorite chef, Mario. The children harvested one large zucchini from the garden and he prepared a raw dish with yellow squash, parmesan cheese, olive oil, tomatoes, basil, and coriander seeds from our home garden.

The children loved the experience and many children came back for seconds!

One of the children’s favorite garden meals was Bhindi Aloo, which translates to Okra Potato.

Mansi, who’s the amazing momma of Lily and Logan, made the entire school this traditional Indian dish and gave the children a beautiful opportunity to learn more about Indian cuisine and culture. 

Rocki cooked another favorite dish with okra, tomatoes, onion, lemon zest, olive oil and vinegar.

Children explored the okra plant and dissected the fruit to find the seeds.

They learned that when okra stays too long on the vine, it becomes woody and isn’t great to eat. As an alternative, the seeds can be used in salads or saved to plant in the future.

The children also learned that Okra is a member of the Mallow family, which includes hibiscus, with similar delicate flowers that are pale yellow in color.