Community Projects

Every month I give a recipe to Mairangi Bay Business Newsletter/Magazine – I hope to inspire my local area to cook and create with the local and abundant seasonal produce we have in our area. In autumn we have many feijoa, guava and apple trees. Throughout winter we wait for the lemons and citrus to arrive and I am always on the look out for any fruit that is not being used… In spring we find many nasturtium all around the coast and many other edible ' weeds'.

Together with other local parents and Mairangi Bay Primary School – I have helped to plant a fruit orchard and vegetable garden at our school for the children to learn all about where their food comes from.

Below: As part of their Garden to Table School Gardens program, this "Christmas at the Bach" garden design was created by the Mairangi Bay School for the 2018 Flower and Garden Show in Auckland and they were awarded the Gold Medal for their efforts! Well done to all who helped make it happen. So proud to be the parent that introduced Garden to Table to Mairangi Bay School. Many children, parents and Anna Smith made this happen. So great to be a part of NZ Flower & Garden Show! It’s so important to inspire our families and friends to take joy in growing, creating and cooking their own veggies and fruit. Photographed are Harry Woodhead and Eliza Coventry, who thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful project.

Mairangi Bay Children helped plant a Blueberry hedge around our school orchard- half of the plants were kindly donated by Incredible Edibles. Parents permission was obtained to show; Bella, Josh, Vlad, Jake, Isobel and West. " Blueberry Muffin" is a dwarf type which will fruit in November and again in late March- April.

The Mairangi Bay Primary School orchard has a few citrus trees such as Kaffir Lime, Mandarin, Navel Orange and Meyer Lemon.
We have planted a Heritage Black Boy Peach and Christmas Plums which will one day produce fruit for our children to try.