How did I end up in this modern day Garden of Eden? I went to high school with Sam Kass, at the same school the Obamas attended. Sam would go on to be a personal chef for the Obamas in Chicago, and later move with them to Washington and take a position on the Whitehouse cooking staff.
He had only minutes to spare from his intense schedule, but next thing I know he offers a personal tour of the garden the next day all i had to do was give him my social securtiy number and date of birth so the Secret Service could do a background check on me that nightβ¦. All I can say is that to see it in action β the layout, the plantings, the care and attention put into it, the prominent location near the Oval Office β truly got me excited that the growing awareness about good quality food might not be just a short-term fad after all.
The garden is a reminder to America that knowing where our food comes from is of the utmost importance.
Every Thursday when I pick up my delivery of vegetables from my CSA, I can pretend for a moment that I have a garden as beautiful and fruitful as the White House Garden, even though I live in the city.
Eating healthy is about having real food, grown in good soil β nothing to do with fad diets or processed items. Having a garden nearby, or at least a connection to a garden or other source of local farming, makes getting real food into your life a whole lot easier.
