Michelle Obama's White House Kitchen Garden Includes a Vegetable You've Probably Never Heard Of

Ever heard of a kohlrabi?

ByABC News
June 3, 2015, 8:08 PM

— -- 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.

Kohlrabi, which is part of the cabbage family, harvested from 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.

Official "White House Honey" made from a beehive on the South Lawn of the White House
Broccoli harvested from the White House Kitchen Garden
Lettuce and snap peas harvested from the White House Kitchen Garden assembled in a bowl.

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’