Kitchen Garden Autographs...

First Lady Michelle Obama autographed the t-shirts of the 31 kids who joined her on Monday for the fourth Spring planting of the Kitchen Garden, inscribing her name on the shoulder of each. Above, Mrs. Obama's signature is visible on one of her helpers as he watches her.

The kids, invited from four states and the District, helped Mrs. Obama plant cold-season crops that can withstand late frosts, including lettuces, root vegetables, and a special selection from President Thomas Jefferson's kitchen Garden at his restored plantation home, Monticello, in Albemarle County, VA.

The First Lady's helpers came from Mitchell Elementary School in Ames, Iowa; Stetser Elementary School in Chester, Pennsylvania; and Sumner Elementary School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Girl Scouts from Troop 60325 in Fairport, New York, and kids from DC's Harriet Tubman and Bancroft Elementary Schools also helped. (Above: Mrs. Obama autographing a helper's t-shirt)

CLICK HERE for links to all posts about the event.

*Photos by Eddie Gehman Kohan/Obama Foodorama

Michelle Obama's Kitchen Garden Fashion

Spring 2012 planting: Superga low-tops, J. Crew top...
First Lady Michelle Obama was clad in a black cardigan, black slacks, a bright orange J. Crew t-shirt with a faded paisley design, and some extra spiffy sneakers on Monday afternoon as she replanted her Kitchen Garden for Spring. Mrs. Obama was joined by 31 young helpers from four states and DC. (At top: Mrs. Obama with helpers and assistant chef Sam Kass; in inset, giving Dill seed to a helper)

Mrs. Obama knelt among the boxed beds of vegetables wearing a pair of overdyed blue canvas Superga low-tops. They're a special edition, from the Cotu series, and retail from the Italian shoemaker for between $100 and $200, depending on where they're sold.

Supergas are popular among fashionistas, and sell at places such as Barney's New York, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus. The First Lady has been credited with giving J. Crew a hefty boost in sales since 2008. Her J. Crew t-shirt retails for $49.99.

*Photos by Eddie Gehman Kohan/Obama Foodorama

Waiting For The First Lady...

Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass (l) and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses look toward the White House, awaiting the arrival of First Lady Michelle Obama to begin Monday's Spring planting of the Kitchen Garden.

This well-armed fellow ducked into the bushes beside the garden moments before Mrs. Obama walked down to the South Lawn from the residence:

Transcript & Video: First Lady Michelle Obama's Remarks, 2012 Kitchen Garden Spring Planting

Let's Plant: First Lady joined by 31 kids from Iowa, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and DC...
First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed 31 kids from four states and DC to the South Lawn of the White House on Monday as she re-planted her Kitchen Garden for Spring. The kids came from Mitchell Elementary School in Ames, Iowa; Stetser Elementary School in Chester, Pennsylvania; and Sumner Elementary School in Greensboro, North Carolina. Girl Scouts from Troop 60325 in Fairport, New York, and kids from DC's Harriet Tubman and Bancroft Elementary Schools also joined Mrs. Obama for the planting. (Above: Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives Sam Kass chats with Mrs. Obama and her three Scout helpers)



It was a bright and sunny day, and a little windy. Mrs. Obama wore black pants, a black cardigan, an orange patterned t-shirt from J. Crew, and blue suede Superga tennis shoes as she worked.

Potatoes were the big news: Mrs. Obama, joined by three Girl Scouts, planted five different kinds, the first to be planted in the Kitchen Garden other than Sweet Potatoes. The First Family will soon be enjoying Sangre, Purple Peruvian Fingerlings, Mountain Rose, Red Thumb and and Canola Russet potatoes.  (Above: Mrs. Obama cutting potatoes to be planted)

Mrs. Obama also planted Dill seed and Mustard Greens with her helpers. The visiting children were all followed by TV news crews from their hometown markets. (Above: Mrs. Obama poses with her helpers after the planting, which took about 40 minutes for the 1,500 square-foot plot)

Mrs. Obama's remarks before the digging began:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the First Lady
_________________________

For Immediate Release
March 26, 2012

REMARKS BY THE FIRST LADY
AT WHITE HOUSE KITCHEN GARDEN PLANTING

South Lawn

2:20 P.M. EDT


MRS. OBAMA: How are you guys doing?

AUDIENCE: Good.

MRS. OBAMA: Welcome to the White House. What are these? Are they good?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Looks good. And you've got some apples. Yes. What's going on?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you like living here?

MRS. OBAMA: Do I like living here? Yes, it's fun to live here. It's fun, especially on a day like this because you guys are going to help us plant the garden, right?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Yay! It's so exciting! All right.

Well, we have a lot of special guests here. Because every year we do this -- and what year is this? This is our fourth planting. This is the fourth time we've planted the White House garden.

So we're here again. And we've got students from Tubman and Bancroft. Yes, where are our Tubman and Bancroft students who are here? But we also have special guests from all over the country. We've got some Girl Scouts who are here. (Applause.) Woo for the Girl Scouts! We've got students from Iowa. (Applause.) Woo! We've got students from New York.

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: That’s us.

MRS. OBAMA: You guys, the Girl Scouts from New York. We've got students from Pennsylvania. (Applause.) Woo! And North Carolina. (Applause.) Woo hoo! Very good.

Well, you guys, the students from around the country, you guys wrote some really nice letters telling us about stories of the work that you're doing in your schools, in your communities. And your letters were so wonderful, I thought, why not come and see me at the White House and help me plant my garden? And you made it! Welcome. It's good to have you. (Applause.)

Well, I don’t know if you know, one of the reasons why we plant the garden is that it's an important way to have a good conversation about your health. Because one of the things that I've been trying to do as First Lady is work on an initiative that I call Let’s Move. Have you guys heard about Let’s Move?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: And what’s it all about, Let’s Move? All right just yell it out -- exercise, good eating, getting healthy. That’s right, because we guys want you to grow up healthy. And the garden is a good way to start the conversation, because vegetables and fruits are a big part of a healthy diet.

And a lot of times when you grow your own vegetables and fruits, they taste really good. They taste better than a lot of stuff you’ll get in a grocery store -- trust me. My kids have done it. They’re not big fans of all vegetables, but if they help to work on it they’re much more excited about trying it out. And we found that with the students here.

Yes?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you have Just Dance?

MRS. OBAMA: Do I have Just Dance? What is that?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: A video game.

MRS. OBAMA: I don’t have Just Dance. We might have it, but I don’t play it. Is it a good exercise game?

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: Does it make you dance? Is it like Dance, Dance Revolution? We have Dance, Dance Revolution. Do you guys know what that is?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: I don’t know about Just Dance, though. I can’t say I can vouch for that. But I’m sure the Just Dance people are happy that you brought it up. (Laughter.) Should give her some commission or something. (Laughter.)

But we get a chance to talk about your health. And you guys, I know you’re doing it at your schools and in the Girl Scouts. You’re talking about planting tomatoes and planting vegetables, incorporating that kind of food into your diet, and talking to your families about doing good, healthy food? Are you guys doing some of that at home?

AUDIENCE: Yes.

MRS. OBAMA: That’s excellent. So I’m very proud of you all and I’m happy to have you here. We get this done so fast because you all are here. It would take us forever to plant this garden if we didn’t have your help, so it’s really special to have you all here. So are you ready to do some work?

AUDIENCE: Yes!

MRS. OBAMA: All right, so I’m going to turn it over -- back over to Sam. Sam? All right, let’s plant!

END 2:23 P.M. EDT
##

*Photos by Eddie Gehman Kohan/Obama Foodorama

First Lady Michelle Obama Seeds The Future: Watch Live Today

First Lady Michelle Obama will welcome more than thirty children from around the US to the White House today to re-plant the Kitchen Garden for Spring. There will be a livestream at 2:15 PM ET: Wh.gov/live. CLICK HERE to read about the First Lady's junior guests, who come from North Carolina, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York and the District. Today marks the fourth time Mrs. Obama has planted her Kitchen Garden, the first vegetable garden dug into the grounds since the Roosevelt era.

A container vegetable garden was kept on the roof of the White House during the Clinton and Bush Administrations, for use by the chefs. Mrs. Obama's forthcoming book, American Grown, will give instructions for home container gardens as well as for other gardens.

New York Chef Invited To Cook For President Obama's 2012 Greek Independence Day Party

For all of 2011 and through this month, White House aides have not announced the names of any guest chefs who have been invited to cook for President Obama at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. But one lucky cook has now spilled the beans: New York's Maria Loi (l), who owns the eponymous restaurant Loi on the Upper West Side. The native of Greece has revealed that she cooked Mediterranean delights for President Obama's early and completely-closed-to-press reception for Greek Independence Day, held last Thursday in the East Room. The White House didn't release a guest list, but the party was for several hundred people.

Loi shared the news of her presidential honor with the New York Post, and said that she cooked alongside Executive Chef Cris Comerford and Executive Pastry Chef Bill Yosses. She opened her NY restaurant last October, after becoming famous in her own country as a TV personality and chef.

"The White House chefs welcomed me as if I were in my own kitchen," Loi said. "I could stay here and cook with them forever.”

Comerford and Yosses gave Loi a tour of First Lady Obama's Kitchen Garden--due to be replanted for Spring today--as well as the beehive that sits nearby. She used White House honey to make her signature baklava for the President's party.

“It was the most wonderful honey I ever tasted--and we have great honey in Greece!” Loi said.

Other guests chefs have also cooked for the President's Greek Independence Day parties. In 2010, Iron Chef America star and cookbook author Cat Cora, a Greek American, cooked for the party. New York chef and cookbook author Michael Psilakis was the President's guest chef for his very first Greek Independence Day reception in 2009. Psilakis was also the first guest chef who had his name announced by aides. The White House did not announce the name of any guest chef for the 2011 Greek Independence Day Reception, and no chef spilled the beans about an invite.

Last Thursday's event was the 26th time the White House has marked Greece's national holiday, which falls on March 25th. President Obama's previous parties were not entirely closed to press; these were covered by his pool reporters and transcripts and videos of his remarks were released. Not so this year.

The New York Post story noted that Big Apple chefs are now "enjoying star status" in the District.

*Photo courtesy of Maria Loi.

White House Announces A Let's Move! Tweetup During The 2012 Easter Egg Roll; Apply Now

Applications accepted through March 27...
There will be a special Let's Move! Tweetup on Monday, April 9th during President Obama and First Lady Obama's annual Easter Egg Roll, the White House announced today. This year's theme, “Let's Go, Let's Play, Let's Move," is pegged to Mrs. Obama's childhood obesity campaign, and @LetsMove Twitter and Facebook followers--and their kids--who missed out on getting tickets during the original lottery now have a chance to apply for the huge, fun eggstravaganza on the South Lawn. It's the second Let's Move! Tweetup. (Above: The President encourages two young egg rollers at last year's party)

Those interested in applying to attend must follow @LetsMove on Twitter or Facebook, and have children between the ages of five to thirteen. Registration is now open, and closes on Tuesday, March 27^th at 11:59 PM EST. Registration is for children ages five to thirteen and one to two parents or legal guardians. Tickets are non-transferable. To apply: http://www.wh.gov/tweetup. Applicants will be notified by e-mail no later than Wednesday, March 28th, and must pay all costs associated with travel and attendance.

"The day's activities--which will include sports and cooking demonstrations--will help educate families on smart ways to incorporate healthy eating and exercise choices into their daily routines, key pillars of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! initiative," the White House said.

The President and Mrs. Obama will host more than 35,000 guests from all fifty states at this year's event, which marks the 134th anniversary of the Easter Egg Roll tradition.

First Do Bo stars in this White House video announcing the 2012 theme:



CLICK HERE for information on purchasing the collectible souvenir wooden Easter eggs for the 2012 Easter Egg Roll, which also star Bo. Visit Letsmove.gov for more information on the First Lady's initiative.

*Photo by Pete Souza/White House