Growing Vegetables at the White House
Michelle Obama dug up a patch of the South Lawn to plant a vegetable garden, the first at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets - the president does not like them - but arugula will make the cut.
While the organic garden will provide food for the first family's meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.
"My hope," the first lady said in an interview in her East Wing office, "is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities."
Twenty-three fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help her dig up the soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot, in a spot visible to passers-by on E Street. (It is just below the Obama girls' swing set.)
Whether there would be a White House garden had become more than a matter of landscaping. The question had taken on political and environmental symbolism, with the Obamas lobbied for months by advocates who believe that growing more food locally, and organically, can lead to more healthful eating and reduce reliance on huge industrial farms that use more oil for transportation and chemicals for fertilizer.
Then, too, promoting healthful eating has become an important part of Mrs. Obama's own agenda.
[via NYTimes.com]
While the organic garden will provide food for the first family's meals and formal dinners, its most important role, Mrs. Obama said, will be to educate children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when obesity and diabetes have become a national concern.
"My hope," the first lady said in an interview in her East Wing office, "is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities."
Twenty-three fifth graders from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington will help her dig up the soil for the 1,100-square-foot plot, in a spot visible to passers-by on E Street. (It is just below the Obama girls' swing set.)
Whether there would be a White House garden had become more than a matter of landscaping. The question had taken on political and environmental symbolism, with the Obamas lobbied for months by advocates who believe that growing more food locally, and organically, can lead to more healthful eating and reduce reliance on huge industrial farms that use more oil for transportation and chemicals for fertilizer.
Then, too, promoting healthful eating has become an important part of Mrs. Obama's own agenda.
[via NYTimes.com]
Planting the Garden
Today the First Lady hosted Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and students from Bancroft Elementary, in the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House to plant the garden and highlight healthy eating. The same school participated in the groundbreaking of the Garden on March 20 and will return later this year for harvesting and cooking with the food grown.
[via The White House - Blog Post - Planting the Garden]
(First Lady Michelle Obama and White House Chef Sam Kaas show students from the Bancroft School how to plant a garden.
The White House Vegetable Garden was officially planted today.)
[via The White House - Blog Post - Planting the Garden]
Spring Gardening
"This is a big day. We've been talking it since the day we moved in," said the First Lady as she and two dozen local students broke ground on the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn of the White House. Those students will be involved in the garden as it develops and grows, producing delicious, healthy vegetables to be cooked in the White House Kitchen and given to Miriam's Kitchen, which serves the homeless in Washington, DC.
[via The White House Blog]
Back the the Garden
We are stardust.
Billion year old carbon.
We are golden..
Caught in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
(To some semblance of a garden.)
Billion year old carbon.
We are golden..
Caught in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden.
(To some semblance of a garden.)
White House Garden in the News
- Green thumbs, gold plates: White House garden serves as inspiration for first ...
- In picking a theme for the decor for the Obama administration's first state dinner with India, the first lady went for the obvious: garden. ...
- Guest chef raids White House garden for big dinner
- WASHINGTON ? On a damp, chilly Tuesday, guest chef Marcus Samuelsson was still out tromping around the White House garden picking herbs for that evening's ...
- Party Crashing with the President, Car Crashing with Tiger
- Knowing his idiotic mind, he would've designed a balloon and tried to float into the White House garden, only to be shot down for being in restricted air ...
- White House State Dinner: The Menu, Entertainment, and Decor
- Herbs and lettuce from the White House garden will be included in the meal. The pears poached with honey are from the White House beehive. ...
Eat the View
Eat the View is a campaign to plant high-impact food gardens in high-profile places. They asked the Obamas to lead the way by replanting a Victory Garden on the First Lawn and they heard the call!
Eat the View is coordinated by Kitchen Gardeners International, a Maine-based 501c3 nonprofit network of 10,000 gardeners from 100 countries who are inspiring and teaching more people to grow some of their own food.
Eat the View is first and foremost a people-powered campaign. 100,000 people have signed our White House Victory Garden petition on their website or on Facebook.
[via EatTheView.org]
Michelle Obama gives a status report on the White House garden:
May 29th
"It is blooming. It is bursting," Mrs. Obama told her helpers.
They've already used about 80 pounds of lettuce, some of which was served at a luncheon for congressional spouses. Some lettuces, and honey, were donated to a local soup kitchen. Beans are beginning to sprout, and tomatoes are expected soon.
The students are due back at the White House to harvest some of the other crops and "will see a totally different garden," Mrs. Obama told them. "Everything is blooming. We've even had to replant some more lettuce because we've used it up so quickly."
They've already used about 80 pounds of lettuce, some of which was served at a luncheon for congressional spouses. Some lettuces, and honey, were donated to a local soup kitchen. Beans are beginning to sprout, and tomatoes are expected soon.
The students are due back at the White House to harvest some of the other crops and "will see a totally different garden," Mrs. Obama told them. "Everything is blooming. We've even had to replant some more lettuce because we've used it up so quickly."
[article excerpt via The Associated Press]
Ryan Howard Visits the White House Garden
Ryan Howard of the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies recently got a tour of the new White House garden and spoke with White House chef Sam Kass about the importance of a healthy diet.
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- rose-rose rose-rose Oct 29, 2009 @ 2:11 pm
- You can also see The white House playground at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rubberecycle/3409604168/
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Reply
- Aquavel Aquavel Apr 24, 2009 @ 4:24 pm
- Great lens on an important topic! Fun pictures and informative videos! 5*s!
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- EverythingMouse EverythingMouse Apr 19, 2009 @ 7:50 am
- Great lens - and this is such a fantastic idea. Hopefully this will encourage others that they can create their own vegetable garden.
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- PS3FanVip PS3FanVip Apr 6, 2009 @ 4:10 pm
- If you want to create your own white house garden, check out this: [url]http://www.yourwhitehousegarden.info[/url]
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- Ecolicious Ecolicious Mar 24, 2009 @ 11:09 pm
- I like it
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- Treasures-By-Brenda Treasures-By-Brenda Mar 22, 2009 @ 6:47 am
- I love the pictures on your page and its positive message. I discovered through my Baby Carrots ~~ When Is A Carrot Not A Carrot lens that lots of people are or would like to get back to gardening just to control the source of their food. Having the leader of your country lead the way is also wonderful.
Brenda
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- Mar 22, 2009 @ 3:59 am
- Great timely lens. Nice job.
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Reply
- jpetals jpetals Mar 21, 2009 @ 10:50 am
- What a really neat lens!!! I love it! I had not heard about this and I think she is right on the mark... educating families through their children. Great lens!
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