White House Farm Flashback: 1942

Katherine Mangu-Ward | September 18, 2009

Yesterday, to much fanfare, Michelle Obama hit a local D.C. farmer's market. She took with her "organic Asian pears, cherry tomatoes, multicolored potatoes, free-range eggs and, yes, two bunches of Tuscan kale." She left behind "an aide, who paid the cashier as Obama made her way back to the limousine" and, as Dana Milbank reports in The Washington Post, a huge carbon footprint.

These purchases will presumably supplement the food growing in the Obama family organic kitchen garden (and maybe farmer's market).

But the Obamas aren't the first to garden on the White House lawn. My co-blogger Baylen Linnekin, at Crispy on the Outside, links to this 1942 "U.S. at War" story in Time magazine. Included in the vignettes about wartime deprivation at the White House, this gardening flashback:

Citizen Roosevelt might even have a Victory Garden soon. Mrs. Roosevelt planned to plant one on the White House grounds—if the Agriculture Department, skeptical of amateur farmers, decides that the soil is fertile enough to make a garden worth while. [emphasis added]

More on organic food, locavores, and related issues here.

Comments

Xeones|9.18.09 @ 12:08PM|#

Yo, fuck the Department of Agriculture.

|9.18.09 @ 12:09PM|#

if the Agriculture Department, skeptical of amateur farmers, decides that the soil is fertile enough to make a garden worth while.

Farmers should be licensed, and teams of Agriculture Department inspectors should scour the countryside, plowing up illicit, unlicensed gardens.

|9.18.09 @ 12:12PM|#

The Secret Service and the D.C. police brought in three dozen vehicles and shut down H Street, Vermont Avenue, two lanes of I Street and an entrance to the McPherson Square Metro station. They swept the area, in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with bomb-sniffing dogs and installed magnetometers in the middle of the street, put up barricades to keep pedestrians out, and took positions with binoculars atop trucks. Though the produce stand was only a block or so from the White House, the first lady hopped into her armored limousine and pulled into the market amid the wail of sirens.

Then, and only then, could Obama purchase her leafy greens. "Now it's time to buy some food," she told several hundred people who came to watch. "Let's shop!"

Fucking AWESOME!

|9.18.09 @ 12:13PM|#

My brother is into home gardening in a very big way, making his own compost and raising worms. Hardcore. However, he doesn't give a crap about "organic" produce; he just wants cheaper and fresher vegetables, beans, berries, melons, and herbs. Pretty cool when you can pick your salad from your backyard.

Chauncey Gardiner|9.18.09 @ 12:40PM|#

As long as the roots are not severed, all is well in the garden.

Zeb|9.18.09 @ 12:42PM|#

Further support for my idea that the president, and his family I guess, should be forbidden from leaving hte whitehouse for any purpose not essential to the office. The expense and inconvenience of any presidential outing is not worth it.

|9.18.09 @ 12:43PM|#

Obama, in her brief speech to the vendors and patrons, handled the affordability issue by pointing out that people who pay with food stamps would get double the coupon value at the market.

So the first lady is now an advocate for food stamp fraud, great.

John Tagliaferro|9.18.09 @ 12:49PM|#

They swept the area, in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs, with bomb-sniffing dogs . . .

More government inefficiency. Using using dogs instead of brooms.

Warty|9.18.09 @ 1:16PM|#

This sounds familiar...

zoltan|9.18.09 @ 1:30PM|#

Fucking limousine liberals.

ACORN = Enron|9.18.09 @ 1:35PM|#

"The expense and inconvenience of any presidential outing is not worth it."

The president is gay???

Abdul|9.18.09 @ 1:36PM|#

Marie Antoinette used to play at being some elitist's ideal of a rustic earthy peasant. It was a popular pastime among many of the French high society of the time.

Somehow, it didn't endear any of them to actual peasants.

ACORN = Enron|9.18.09 @ 1:36PM|#

"This sounds familiar..."

That popped into my mind too.

Gilbert Martin|9.18.09 @ 1:42PM|#

"Farmers should be licensed, and teams of Agriculture Department inspectors should scour the countryside, plowing up illicit, unlicensed gardens"

Isn't plowing a farming activity?

The inspectors wuould have to arrest themselves for engaging in illegal farming.

ACORN = Enron|9.18.09 @ 1:51PM|#

"The inspectors wuould have to arrest themselves for engaging in illegal farming."

If the state is doing it, it's not illegal.

Paul|9.18.09 @ 2:36PM|#

organic Asian pears

That's a HUGE food miles violation.

Oh, threadjack: Enviros in the state of Washington are "deeply disappointed" with the Obama administration. I note when your guy does the exact thing as the evil guy, you're "deeply disappointed".

Anywho, Bush administration would visit the dams on the snake river and, after reviewing all the best science, conditions and current state, would recommend that no dams be breached and we continue with the status-quo.

The Obama administration promised hope-and-change on this issue. After reviewing the best science, conditions and current state, recommended that no dams be breached and we continue with the status-quo.

http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=18407

|9.18.09 @ 4:04PM|#

Who in the White House thought that this exhibition of self-serving stupidity would endear Michelle Antoinette to the 'ordinary people', of whose lives the Obamas are totally clueless?

Why not focus your energy, dear Michelle, on adressing the matter of so many unwed mothers and fatherless children among the black population?

|9.18.09 @ 4:21PM|#

I have to say, I was surprised to see the WaPo put out such a brutal account of Michelle's little expedition down the block to buy pricey arugula.

I wonder if the winds in the legacy media aren't shifting, just a bit.

|9.18.09 @ 5:09PM|#

I wonder why she didn't go to Whole Foods instead, they actually having parking lots at those places.

Paul|9.18.09 @ 6:08PM|#

I wonder if the winds in the legacy media aren't shifting, just a bit.

They're deeply disappointed...

The Libertarian Guy|9.18.09 @ 6:47PM|#

How much did Michelle's little shopping trip cost the taxpayers?

Send a flunky to get groceries next time, lady.

Oop, that's probably a racist statement.

hmm|9.18.09 @ 9:19PM|#

Sheep should still roam the white house lawn. As a reminder.

|9.18.09 @ 11:12PM|#

Somebody put a lei of marigolds around Obama's neck.

huuuuuuuuurrrrllll!!

And she spoke of her own culinary efforts: "There are times when putting together a healthy meal is harder than you might imagine."

Especially with only a kitchen staff of, say, 32.

The Libertarian Guy|9.19.09 @ 6:27PM|#

I'm surprised Michelle didn't have herself flown on Air Force One to get groceries from France. Hell, if she's gonna blow taxpayer money, she might as well fucking blow it.

droits de l\'usine de supporte|9.20.09 @ 10:10AM|#

"I'm surprised Michelle didn't have herself flown on Air Force One to get groceries from France. Hell, if she's gonna blow taxpayer money, she might as well fucking blow it."

Pourquoi pas en effet?

Le type libertaire|9.20.09 @ 11:47AM|#

Exactement.