First Lady Michelle Obama, Gardener in Chief
By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers
She didn't look like much of a gardener, dressed in carnation-red jeans, a T-shirt and sweater, and fashionable sneakers, but that didn't stop Michelle Obama from getting down in the dirt of her Summer Vegetable Garden on Tuesday to begin the harvesting of lettuce and snap peas. "It's fun," she said, cheering her 36 helpers from D.C.'s Bancroft Elementary School.
Under a cloudy sky and surrounded by about 50 reporters, photographers, and TV crews, Obama first led the kids in picking lettuce. She cut the base of the plant with scissors, and the students took each head to be weighed and washed. The lettuce was eaten later during a picnic in the First Lady's Garden. Then they went to the peas. There, it seemed that the first lady and the kids ate most of what they picked.
It was all meant to draw attention to the first lady's bid to promote healthy eating and local organic farms. "If it's fresh and grown locally, it's probably going to taste better." Still, the students seemed more interested in the cupcakes made in the White House kitchen.
In the garden, she helped chefs Sam Kass and Tafari Campbell guide the students. Kass has control of the garden, which is filled with the first family's favorite veggies, many grown from seeds that came from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello.
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Tags: White House | Michelle Obama
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Reader Comments
Michelle Obama's veggie garden
I don't think Michelle Obama should be using seeds from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello for her "veggie garden". These seeds are part of history that were past down to the people of the United State. They should be preserved, not used, for someone's garden.
What is she thinking? The White House belongs to the people. Did she plant her own veggie garden before moving into the White House. I am at a loss here, what message is she trying to send? If she wanted to help our children, I think she could have done something better than a veggie garden. Pleasssse....
line drying only works if you don't have allergies
CarolB:
Those of us with pollen allergies (and there are lots of us) can't line dry our clothes, so it's really not the be-all and end-all answer some people are trying to make it seem like. For anyone tempted to line-dry sheets and bedding, be aware that you're bringing tons of pollen into your bedroom.
Michelle Obama and the all- natural lifestyle
This was a great start for our First Lady to do with children. Maybe more people will be inclined to do away with preservatives and additives - the very ingredients many people believe is responsible for the implosion of cancer related deaths, asthma, and allergies.
Now if someone could please convince the general population that drying clothes outside, on a clothesline would decrease nasty waste into the air, aid in exercise and obesity control, and keep energy costs down I'd be ecstatic. Most complexes no longer allow this form of summer exercise. When my adult children complain about not being able to "smell" the sheets you know the country is headed the wrong way!
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