After a hiatus of four years, thanks to floods and Covid, the school lunchbox challenge is returning to the farmers’ market. This glorious initiative was launched in 2015, an annual event designed to teach children about growing their own food, creating their own gardens, connecting where their food comes from.
According to Allie Godfrey, manager of both Mullumbimby and New Brighton farmers’ markets and creator of the idea, ‘the kids love it!’ She says that it was originally a way to keep kitchen gardens going and to create competition between the primary schools. ‘They set up marquees’, she says, ‘and the decorate them with produce they’ve grown plus value-added products, then they make a lunchbox with ingredients from their gardens and from the markets.’ Everything, of course, has to be seasonal, locally grown, healthy and easy to make. ‘It’s amazing on the day’, Allie continues. ‘We’ve had kids growing their own wheat then making bread, rearing chickens and bringing along the eggs. They’ll make amazing things like Madagascar bean salad, frittata, lemon myrtle & mint teas, fermented products, pickles, Davidson plum jam and cassava bread.’ Each school is required to make a main dish, two snacks and a drink.
There’s a prize, and the prize money goes back into their gardens. ‘So’, Allie says, ‘that can mean worm farms, irrigation, bee hotels for pollination and seed saving’ In addition, the participating schools are encouraged to utilise native foods. The judges, who also dispense advice on the day, are farmers and organic growers. ‘As a market,’ Allie says, ‘we would like to encourage young farmers…this is at grass roots level. It’s just so inspiring to see young children so knowledgeable about food, where it comes from, growing things.’
The School Lunchbox Challenge will take place at Mullumbimby Farmers’ Market on Friday 1 September form 8.30 – 11am.
Victoria Cosford
