First Lady, kids harvest White House kitchen garden
October 14, 2014 | 06:53 PM
First Lady Michelle Obama led students from Arizona, California, Ohio and Washington, D.C., today in harvesting the White House kitchen garden.
They were joined by a group of chefs to cook the harvested food, and the first lady announced that all 54 winners of this year’s Kids’ “State Dinner” have been paired with chefs in their communities to host free and healthy cooking demonstrations this fall.
According to a transcript of her remarks, the first lady did not mention that President Barack Obama has declared this week National School Lunch Week (see story below), but the schools initiated to help in the harvest are using gardens as part of a healthier eating program.
In brief remarks, the first lady said, “Look at the garden. Look how amazing it looks over there. And it’s beautiful. It looks like a whole other place over there. And just imagine that everything was just dirt just a few months ago. And because the summer was so cool and wet and beautiful, everything is just bursting.”
In reference to the name of her campaign against childhood obesity, she added, “All right, let’s move. Let’s move. Let’s go.”
In a media advisory, the White House noted that October is Farm-to-School Month and that the first lady had invited students from Arizona, California, and Ohio because their schools are participating in farm-to-school programs that incorporate fresh local food into their school meals, and they teach students about healthy eating through school gardens and nutrition education.
The schools include:
The STAR (Service to All Relations) School in Flagstaff, Ariz., a charter elementary school near the Southwest corner of the Navajo Nation.
Students at the school enjoy active instruction on native foods from the school’s garden. The school also partners with Navajo farmers to bring native foods into the school’s home economics class.
With the help of the Arizona Department of Education, the STAR School uses the squash soup and carrot salad recipes in the school meals program. The school estimates that 23 percent of food served is produced locally, including produce from the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
Willow Cove Elementary School, Pittsburg Unified Schools in Pittsburg, Calif., which provides opportunities for students to work in their own garden and to spend the day at a local farm on a field trip.
This summer, participants in school’s Summer Food Service Program had the opportunity to harvest Willow Cove’s garden and incorporate that food into their meals.
Willow Cove students also receive nutrition and agriculture education from the local University of California Cooperative Extension and are served local products on their breakfast and lunch trays.
Willow Cove Elementary School has been awarded a Healthier U.S. Schools Gold Award of Distinction.
Greenview Upper Elementary School in Lyndhurst, Ohio, has a large garden that includes a composting program and an after-school garden club.
Approximately 25 percent of South Euclid-Lyndhurst School District’s food is produced locally and goes to schools like Greenview Upper Elementary to provide the students with fresh local items in the salad bar and throughout school meals.
The first lady also noted that students from Harriet Tubman Elementary and Bancroft Elementary in Washington, who regularly help in the kitchen garden, participated in the harvest.
They were joined by a group of chefs to cook the harvested food, and the first lady announced that all 54 winners of this year’s Kids’ “State Dinner” have been paired with chefs in their communities to host free and healthy cooking demonstrations this fall.
According to a transcript of her remarks, the first lady did not mention that President Barack Obama has declared this week National School Lunch Week (see story below), but the schools initiated to help in the harvest are using gardens as part of a healthier eating program.
In brief remarks, the first lady said, “Look at the garden. Look how amazing it looks over there. And it’s beautiful. It looks like a whole other place over there. And just imagine that everything was just dirt just a few months ago. And because the summer was so cool and wet and beautiful, everything is just bursting.”
In reference to the name of her campaign against childhood obesity, she added, “All right, let’s move. Let’s move. Let’s go.”
In a media advisory, the White House noted that October is Farm-to-School Month and that the first lady had invited students from Arizona, California, and Ohio because their schools are participating in farm-to-school programs that incorporate fresh local food into their school meals, and they teach students about healthy eating through school gardens and nutrition education.
The schools include:
The STAR (Service to All Relations) School in Flagstaff, Ariz., a charter elementary school near the Southwest corner of the Navajo Nation.
Students at the school enjoy active instruction on native foods from the school’s garden. The school also partners with Navajo farmers to bring native foods into the school’s home economics class.
With the help of the Arizona Department of Education, the STAR School uses the squash soup and carrot salad recipes in the school meals program. The school estimates that 23 percent of food served is produced locally, including produce from the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program.
Willow Cove Elementary School, Pittsburg Unified Schools in Pittsburg, Calif., which provides opportunities for students to work in their own garden and to spend the day at a local farm on a field trip.
This summer, participants in school’s Summer Food Service Program had the opportunity to harvest Willow Cove’s garden and incorporate that food into their meals.
Willow Cove students also receive nutrition and agriculture education from the local University of California Cooperative Extension and are served local products on their breakfast and lunch trays.
Willow Cove Elementary School has been awarded a Healthier U.S. Schools Gold Award of Distinction.
Greenview Upper Elementary School in Lyndhurst, Ohio, has a large garden that includes a composting program and an after-school garden club.
Approximately 25 percent of South Euclid-Lyndhurst School District’s food is produced locally and goes to schools like Greenview Upper Elementary to provide the students with fresh local items in the salad bar and throughout school meals.
The first lady also noted that students from Harriet Tubman Elementary and Bancroft Elementary in Washington, who regularly help in the kitchen garden, participated in the harvest.
