Hosted by SALL , contributed by kamprachim on 31 May 2024
Background
Herbs have been used for thousands of years to add flavour, colour, aroma to meals, as medicine and as a preservative. The inclusion of medicinal plants into food products is an excellent strategy to produce functional foods because plant-based extracts are rich in phytochemicals, with particular importance due to the health-beneficial effects.
In this activity, students will live a unique experience of discovering the world of herbs that thrive on the Lerian land, such as basil, chamomile, cistus, laurel, thyme, marjoram, oregano, mint, rosemary, sage, savory and cultivate them in school garden. We discussed about medicinal and aromatic plants and their properties, how vital they are in health care and cooking and tried out recipes. Students will realize that herbs may be used initially as food enhancers and healing products but also can be used as natural preservatives to increase the shelf life of food systems since many vegetal substances show antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.
Aim
- To identify herbs and understand the role of aromatic plants in history and their daily lives.
- To create school garden and inspire them to grow herbs at their homes for personal use.
- Το encourage students to use herbs in food.
- To visit local visitable farm to learn about cultivation of aromatic medicinal plants as well as the development of an innovative center for the protection and reproduction of endangered species.
- To raise awareness about the importance of medicinal and aromatic plants for health and the environment.
Co-creation with societal actors
To achieve our goals, we collaborate with “Caserma of herbs”, that have the expertise of growing herbs and guide us in a long process of constructing school garden. The Caserma of herbs is a visitable farm created with great love by the Social Cooperative Ltd. of the Dodecanese Mental Health Sector in an area of extreme natural beauty in Koulouki on the island of Leros, located just 600 meters from the Port of Lakki. The activities of the farm are the cultivation of aromatic medicinal plants as well as the development of an innovative center for the protection and reproduction of bees. The dozens of aromatic-medicinal plants (wild and cultivated), with the trees and bushes make up a unique natural landscape surrounding a historical monument. The visit to the Caserma of herbs offers students a unique experience of discovering the world of herbs that thrive on the Lerian land and fill the estate with colors, aromas and fresh air of relaxation and rejuvenation.
Also, a local agricultural center donated to us seeds, equipment, fertilizers and gave us advises about the decoration of garden. The collaboration with aforementioned social factors lasted throughout the project.
Implementation
The project was implemented in two classes of sixteen -year-old students. In the beginning students performed field research. Specifically, they sought out aromatic plants in their natural habitats, collected samples, identified them using the application PlantNet and recorded abiotic parameters, which are crucial to their growth. Back to the classroom, we discussed and analyzed our data. During the session, we designed our next steps and made a timeline of actions.
The hardest and most time-consuming enterprise was the cleaning and formation of the garden within our school premises. They removed weeds, trash, rocks and other debris, trimmed branches and created garden furrows. These long narrow trenches used from planting to irrigation. After that, students led by the science teachers to designed and decorated the garden. During our visits in Caserma of herbs and the local agricultural center, we acquired seedlings or seeds of the medicinal plants.
At the final stage, students took up the maintenance of garden and specific responsibilities such as labeling, observing, recording growth, studying the medicinal uses of the plants, data collection and presentation. The students encouraged to write poems and stories, posters, and recipes out of herbs.
Reflection
Setting up an herbal garden is fun and rewarding, and a great learning experience. School gardens encourage teamwork, individual responsibility and a commitment to success. Many children lead sedentary lifestyles and have a limited understanding of the links between exercise, nutrition and lifelong health. While traditional classroom learning involves little physical activity, gardening is filled with movement. Children (and teachers and volunteers) stand, walk, kneel and stretch as they tend to their plants, and they're often so absorbed in tasks that gardening's physical and therapeutic benefits are nowhere in mind. School gardening affects eating habits, too. Research shows that children are significantly more likely to eat vegetables they have grown.
We call upon individuals, schools, businesses, houses, and local farms to be part of the initiative, and contribute in any way they can to furthering the herbal garden initiative. Collective partnership is the best way to expand the concept in a wider arena.
Futurel Plans
Next year we intend to expand our living lab project by creating herbal products including cosmetics, craft, edible products. While sales of herbal supplements have doubled over the past ten years, the expertise has not. The need for innovators who can create quality herbal products remains more vital than ever. So, students can share the knowledge and manufacture herbal products in order to collect money for the expansion of the project.