Orchard Training Homeschool Garden Club - black pepper

March has arrived, and with the onset of spring, buds and blooms are beginning to come to life, while sowing and planting are underway.

We are now in the third month of our year-long project. We have pinpointed 12 distinct foods and intend to concentrate on each one separately over the coming months. At the outset, we talked about foods that aren't grown in the United Kingdom but are commonly eaten here.

1.     Tea

2.     Coffee

3.     Chocolate

4.     Pineapple

5.     Mango

6.     Avocado

7.     Vanilla

8.     Banana

9.     Oranges

10.  Black pepper

11.  Cinnamon

12.  Turmeric

We will explore them from different curriculum perspectives, including the environmental perspective—considering air miles, the geographical aspect—examining the original source, and the historical perspective—researching what was used before this food arrived in the UK. Additionally, from a Design and Technology viewpoint, we will investigate possible alternatives for recipes if we decide not to purchase that food or if it becomes unavailable. We will then try out some popular recipes using a substitute that we could grow in the Orchard Training Homeschool Garden.

This month, in the kitchen, we're celebrating National Pie Week, National Potato Day, and International Poultry Day, all of which require black pepper when prepared.

Black pepper is very tricky to grow here, the pepper vine is native to India and prefers warm temperatures and as we don't have a heated green house, it will take us between several years before we can harvest by which time this group will have moved on.

Black pepper has been recognized throughout trading history and was highly prized by the Romans as it traveled along the Spice Road. By the 1100s, it had arrived in the UK, leading to the formation of the Guild of Peppers in London. In addition to its history, we will explore the mythology that has developed around the plant.

We will investigate plants that can serve as substitutes for black pepper, cultivate these alternative ingredients, and incorporate them into our cooking.