Michelle Obama's White House Kitchen Garden Includes a Vegetable You've Probably Never Heard Of
Ever heard of a kohlrabi?
— -- Ever heard of kohlrabi?
If you’re like us, probably not. But it’s one of the many vegetables grown in the White House Kitchen Garden.
First lady Michelle Obama invited local schoolchildren to the White House today to harvest the garden. But gloomy weather prompted the event to move indoors.
“We’re gonna cook! Cook, chop, eat, celebrate!” the first lady said to the group of children.
The first lady helped children as they chopped and assembled meals made of broccoli, lettuce, snap peas and, yes, kohlrabi, which is a member of the cabbage family. The end result: chicken and veggie soba noodle salad with honey dressing straight from the White House bees.
The garden, first planted in 2009 and located on the South Lawn of the White House, features an array of vegetable, including Brussel sprouts, fennel and sweet potatoes. There are even two beds dedicated to President Thomas Jefferson, whose favorite fruits and vegetables are still maintained at his home in Monticello.
Jefferson's plant beds at the White House include “Early Curled Siberian” kale, “Early Jersey Wakefield” cabbage, “Blue Podded Capucijner” peas, “Rouge Demi-Longue de Chantenay” carrots and Globe artichokes.
At her harvesting event, Obama also celebrated the fifth anniversary of her “Let’s Move” initiative and highlighted the importance of pollinators, which have their own garden on the South Lawn.
“One out of three bites of food that we take in this country is the result of a pollinator garden somewhere,” she said.
For those garden lovers out there, here's a full list of the vegetables and fruits grown in the White House Kitchen Garden:
Raspberries
Pea ‘Sugar Snap’
Pea ‘Sugar Ann’
Kohlrabi ‘Kolibri’
Kohlrabi ‘Early Vienna White’
Mustard ‘Southern Giant Curled’
Pea ‘Penelope’
Onion ‘Milestone’
Lettuce ‘Mottistone’
Pea ‘Golden Sweet’
Arugula
Pea ‘Sugar Sprint’
Kale ‘Lacinato’
Mizuna
Parsley ‘Giant of Italy’
Pea ‘Blue Podded Capucijner’
Kale ‘Early Curled Siberian’
Cabbage ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’
Carrot ‘Rouge Demi-Longue de Chantenay’
Sea Kale
Globe Artichoke
Kale ‘Early Curled Siberian’
Mustard ‘Golden Streaks’
Asian Greens
Tatsoi
Endive ‘Dorana’
Bay ‘Hardy’
Rosemary
Chives
Sweet Marjoram ‘Hilltop’
German thyme
French Thyme
Silver Sage
Purple Sage
Oregano
Anise Hyssop
Strawberry ‘Tristar’
Brussels Sprouts ‘Churchill’
Onion ‘Red Ruby’
Arugula ‘Sylvetta’
Broccoli ‘Romanesco’
Bok Choi ‘Red Choi’
Lettuce ‘Panisse’
Collards ‘Champion’
Fennel ‘Florence’
Fennel ‘DiFerenze’
Cauliflower ‘Cheddar
Lettuce ‘Continuity’
Lettuce ‘Red Rosie’
Lettuce ‘Bath Cos’
Lettuce ‘Cherokee’
Endive ‘Dorana’
Lettuce ‘Continuity’
Lettuce ‘Forellenschluss’
Mizuna
Tatsoi
Broccoli ‘Gypsy’
Broccoli ‘Pacman’
Pac Choi ‘Win Win Choi’
Parsley ‘Forest Green’
Peanut ‘Virginia Jumbo’
Sweet Potato ‘Beauregard’
Lavender ‘Phenomenal’
Garlic ‘Western Rose’
Garlic ‘Purple Glazer’
Garlic ‘Italian Late’
Garlic ‘Vietnamese Red’
Fig ‘Marseilles’
Spearmint ‘Kentucky Colonel’
Peppermint
Lettuce ‘Mottistone’
Carrot ‘Sugar Snax’
Carrot ‘Merida Hybrid’
Rhubarb ‘Victoria’
Onion ‘Red Weathersfield’
Radish ‘French Breakfast’
Apple ‘Virginia Beauty’
