“From the beginning, Michelle Obama’s kitchen garden has been an overachiever, churning out more peppers, parsley and eggplant than expected, and generating interest that – yes, really – crosses oceans…” Read the entire story here.
Publication Date: May 29, 2012
Hardcover, 272 pages
Publisher: Crown
Amazon customer review:
“She makes me proud, By Richard Cumming, May 29, 2012
FedEx brought the book an hour ago and I whipped right through it. Wow, what a lovely book! It is coffee table sized and filled with marvelous photos. Our First Lady’s charisma shimmers on these pages.
This story began on March, 20, 2009, as the Obamas were finally getting settled into the White House. Mrs. Obama’s mother had just moved in and Michelle was contemplating something she had never done before, planting a garden. That was the day that they broke ground for the White House vegetable garden.
She takes readers back to other White House Gardens, most notably, to the Victory Gardens that helped to get our country through war. There are some wonderful old photos here.
This is a real hands on gardening book. It is broken down by seasons and there are illustrations of various garden plots. Obviously this book was a team effort. We meet the WH gardening team. There are all kinds of gardening tips, recipes, and anecdotes, here.
This book has so many wonderful photos and illustrations! I can’t wait to try out this recipe for collard greens! This book makes me proud to be an American. Thanks to you, Mrs. Obama!”
Change comes from within —we find a better way as we learn to live wisely.
Mitakuye Oyasin!
In nature nothing is wasted —one being’s waste becomes another being’s food. Consider a tree: The seed hull breaks away from the sprout and becomes food for other organisms in a process that returns it to soil. The fresh sprout gently sends roots into the earth in search of nutrients and water to be carried up through the stem to nourish new fibers and unfurling leaves —the little solar collectors that turn sunlight into chlorophyll. The tree “breathes in” carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and “exhales” the oxygen we breathe in. Each fall, old leaves are cast off and fertilize the soil, and each spring, lush new growth springs forth. The tree in reciprocity, provides food and shelter to myriad flora and fauna —each performing its unique part in the endless cycles of nature. At the end of the tree’s life, it comes crashing to the ground, shattering to bits and returns to the soil it drew life from as its fibers are fed upon by other organisms. It’s a cyclical process and leads to perpetual renewal. Think of it as a circle with no beginning and no end.
In the process of moving to a harmonious relationship with our planet, the first line of action is to simplify our lives —and what a cliche that has become! All over, people are gently nudged to do little things toward living more simply, but in order to really get there, we need to “take the bull by the horns,” jump in with all four paws and —just do it!