Frugal, Organic White House Veggie Garden with Local Kids Has Merit… Until UFW Hollered
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on March 21, 2009
By Vicki McClure Davidson * Frugal Café Blog Zone
Tomatoes in a home garden are Nature's jewels | Photo credit: Scott M. Liddell, morguefile.com
I’m out there every morning to see how the “little guys” are doing, and am happy to say that the gypsy pepper plant is doing great, the ruffly lettuce and carrots are starting to sprout, and the heirloom tomato plants haven’t yet died. We’re still waiting for something to happen with the cilantro. I also have leeks, mint, parsley, and bell peppers growing in container planters. Watermelon seeds will be planted once the nights are warmer.
Saving money, working with the earth and Nature, having fresh, organic veggies and herbs growing just a few seconds from my kitchen door… all good, frugal stuff!
So hearing that the Obamas are starting the first vegetable garden on the White House property since First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt planted a Victory Garden there actually impressed me. One of the first ideas of POTUS and the First Lady that didn’t make my stomach churn.
And, they want to hire 23 local 5th-grade kids to be involved with the whole organic vegetable gardening process with a 1,100-square-foot garden on the South Lawn. Another admirable thought. Getting children involved in gardening and being responsible for raising food has many positive benefits.
Per the White House, Michelle Obama envisioned the organic garden as a means of educating children and communities about healthful eating, and as a source of fresh herbs and vegetables for the family and guests.
Until, that is, the United Farm Workers Union hollered, “Foul!”
Read the whole funny (but not a far stretch from reality) parody:
Scott Ott, ScrappleFace: Union Demands Fair Wages for Obama Garden Kids (satire)
Other related reading:
Bob Pritts, WilsonCountyNews: The Death of Farmers’ Markets, CSA’s, and Local Food Production
Marian Burros, The Caucus Blog, NY Times: White House Garden Is Not Exactly Shovel-Ready
I need to pop outside to pull more weeds in my garden. As always, be wise… be frugal.
First Lady Michelle Obama works with kids from Washington's Bancroft Elementary School to break ground for a White House garden in March 2009. The White House | Photo credit: Joyce N. Boghosian
White House Garden Plans | NY Times, Google Earth, White House
About the author
Apparently, some readers have interpeted the recent post as something other than satire. For the record, no UFW spokesperson has commented on the White House Gardern project nor has anyone from the UFW participated in creating this story. To learn what the UFW is currently working on, please visit the http://www.ufw.org, always the most up to date source on the United Farm Workers
[...] Frugal, Organic White House Veggie Garden with Local Kids Has … [...]