Part of the White House lawn is becoming a vegetable garden. For the first time since World War II, our First Family is setting the example of eating locally and sustainably. Lawns consume inordinate amounts of water and chemical fertilizers. Gardens produce fresh healthy food with far less inputs.

Suburbia can follow the example set by the Obamas. Vegetables fresh from the garden burst with flavor and nutrients. Kitchen gardens are enjoying a new popularity this season. With the renaissance of gardening, many Americans will “taste” vegetables for the first time.

The vegetables we find at the grocery store are attractive, but commercial varieties are selected to endure mechanical harvesting, storage, and transportation. Their flavors are a mere shadow of the more ephemeral heirloom vegetables grown by our grandparents. 

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