First Lady Digs White House Garden
Michelle Obama has made healthy eating her go-to issue and she’s pretty serious about it. Just last Friday, Mrs. Obama and local school kids broke ground on the new White House vegetable garden on the famed South Lawn, the first in many decades. She’ll be growing fruits, vegetables and herbs which will be harvested in the coming year and used in the White House kitchen. Michelle Obama has always been very receptive to the idea of having a White House garden and is being praised for her views about food in connection with children; the Associated Press reports.
The first lady has already been crusading for healthier foods, discouraging processed foods and placing more focus on locally grown fare, but the White House garden is not a new idea. In the 1800s, John Adams planted the first garden so that he and his family could enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables. Then in the 1940s, in support of the war effort, Eleanor Roosevelt brought back the White House garden, calling them “Victory Gardens” and encouraged all Americans to plant their own.
And even now it’s catching on. Last summer, some Los Angeles residents transformed a dreary cinder block wall into a vibrant garden cascading with strawberries, tomatoes, herbs and vegetables. This is great, especially since healthy foods, like fruits and veggies, are scarce in poorer neighborhoods.
Image credit: Justin Sloan
