Gardening Fridays for Families

We launched our Family gardening Fridays in the pouring rain with 15 families greeted with a passionfruit marigold herbal hand wash ceremony (Sandra learned while teaching in Vietnam in 2024). Cups of lemon verbena tea were available for all participants to drink upon entry. 

Tables with books to look at and comfortable chairs. A hanging chair for children’s play. 

After a welcoming circle acknowledging our beautiful world and each other, our hostess Tian Mao led us into an especially prepared story room. The story began with an especially chosen match who was very excited to have been the chosen one to light the story candle and then gift its’ singed wooden stick of sweet ash to the worm farm making in waiting.

Horses hooves could be heard galloping and neighing through the pouring rain toward the Scout Hall in Willoughby where the horses knew that they would be greeted with children eager to ride them and they would join the dumpling making to celebrate the Fore Hose Lunar New Year celebrations. This was the very place that Tian Mao had first come with her 8 month old baby who is now 10 years old to learn how to be a mother. Now her dreams all these years later had brought all of us AND the horses to this first ever chance to together make new soil and garden life among the old old banksias and bottle brush trees. 

What a happy day the Tibetan dragon finger chimes rang in and Tian led us all into the vast scout hall to learn how to make chinese dumplings especially for vegans and vegetarians. Tian had especially ground the wheat for the dough. Her mother had cracked the eggs and cooked them up for the fillings. The children tickled the dough to wake it up and then pinched the long snakes into finger sized balls to press into dough rounds with the palms of their hands. 

Bladed knives were used to chop green onions and tofu and tempeh. Szechuan oil was passed around for smelling. 

30 participants rolled the dumplings into special shapes they hoped to later have on their plates. 

While the dumplings boiled in a large pot governed by Tian and kitchen help participant and educator extraordinaire Sarah David, Sandra led the workshop participants in the worm farm set up procedure in the pouring rain in the scout hall yard. 

So many families brought their home knowledge to the event knowing why the layers of the farm are full of holes so that the worms can travel up and down through the layers until they have had their fill to eat and the ‘food’ is turned into lush soil for mother earth’s growth. 

The children and adults handled  worms that had traveled from south Sydney to start up the farm in Willoughby. There were leaves, horse manure (‘road apples’ collected by Guchi in Terry Hills ). There was fresh kitchen and home waste from Sandra’s Eastern suburbs (an old letter, toilet paper roll, coffee grounds, tea leaves, Vacuum collected dust, banana skin from Sarah’s home)

EWWWWWW everyone said as Sandra dug her hand in the container to empty and investigate the dark mass. 

Children added egg cartons, shredded paper  & ripped up cardboard box from the bunya  cone postage box that had come from west of the Hunter Region .

Charcoal burned sticks for the ash to sweeten the soil and the story match were added. Also sticks for their fungus and carbon. The farm was complete and strong hands lifted the farm and put it into place in a shady corner of the yard. 

The bottles of worm juice harvested from Sandra’s worm farm were passed around for all to smell. More EWWWWWW much to everyone’s disgust and delight. 

And then we went back indoors, and sat around the long tables, a chair for each, our very own dumplings, sourdough bread, banana bread, red porridge, and sauerkraut , with Sarah’s lemon grass tea for all to drink !!

We made a blessing on the food and chatted happily with new and old friends! Hip hip hooray! Our Friday family garden sessions were launched.

A thank you especially to Tian, to Sarah , to Nici, to every one for coming, with invitaton to join the fun next week !! https://www.wisewayswork.com.au/event-details-registration/family-gardening-fridays-6-march