From the NYT,On Friday, Michelle Obama will begin digging up a patch of White House lawn to plant a vegetable garden, the first since Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden in World War II. There will be no beets (the president doesn’t 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 time when obesity has become a national concern.
In an interview in her office, Mrs. Obama said, “My hope 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’s just below the Obama girls’ swing set.) Students from the school, which has had a garden since 2001, will also help plant, harvest and cook the vegetables, berries and herbs.
Almost the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, “whether they like it or not,” Mrs. Obama said laughing.
Read the entire NYT article
Related links:
Farmer in Chief
Eat the View
2 comments:
while i think the white house garden is a fabulous idea, i was was kind of gashed at the part that said they'd spent $200 on seeds and mulch. for a 1 acre garden! that is so misleading. i have a new garden area a fraction of that size and i will spend about that much on seeds and soil amendments. also, i'm pretty sure that there were years of chemicals pumped into that lawn to keep it green. i wouldn't eat any food that came out of that dirt. i think it's good and necessary to get more people gardening, i just hope they will be honest enough to let people know the real work that goes into growing food, so those people aren't discouraged when they go out and try to dig up their sod with a rake (this in reference to the ny times photo this am).
Here here!
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