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| Michelle Obama cultivates health with White House gardening book | Michelle Obama cultivates health with White House gardening book |
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| From the beginning, Michelle Obama's kitchen garden has been an over-achiever, churning out more peppers, parsley and eggplants than might be expected, and generating interest across the world. Now the first lady has added a 271-page gardening book to her résumé. | From the beginning, Michelle Obama's kitchen garden has been an over-achiever, churning out more peppers, parsley and eggplants than might be expected, and generating interest across the world. Now the first lady has added a 271-page gardening book to her résumé. |
| The book, American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, traces how a city child from Chicago's south side, who became a working mother, then political spouse, found herself fretting on that first planting day, 20 March 2009, over whether an L-shaped patch at the White House would prove fertile ground for a national debate on "the food we eat, the lives we lead, and how all of that affects our children". | The book, American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America, traces how a city child from Chicago's south side, who became a working mother, then political spouse, found herself fretting on that first planting day, 20 March 2009, over whether an L-shaped patch at the White House would prove fertile ground for a national debate on "the food we eat, the lives we lead, and how all of that affects our children". |
| The book, published on Tuesday by Crown Publishers, arrives just in time for her husband's re-election campaign. And while it is decidedly non-political, that fits perfectly with the Obama campaign's view that the first lady can do Barack a world of good simply by pushing the non-threatening causes, such as healthy living, that have made her a far more popular figure than the president himself: Michelle's rating in the latest AP-GfK poll was 70% compared with 58% achieved by Barack. | The book, published on Tuesday by Crown Publishers, arrives just in time for her husband's re-election campaign. And while it is decidedly non-political, that fits perfectly with the Obama campaign's view that the first lady can do Barack a world of good simply by pushing the non-threatening causes, such as healthy living, that have made her a far more popular figure than the president himself: Michelle's rating in the latest AP-GfK poll was 70% compared with 58% achieved by Barack. |
| The book's release comes with a flurry of media appearances by the first lady. On television she has promoted her Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity, doing pushups with the TV host Ellen DeGeneres, playing tug-of-war with the actor Jimmy Fallon in the White House, and serving vegetarian pizza to the Tonight Show presenter, Jay Leno. | The book's release comes with a flurry of media appearances by the first lady. On television she has promoted her Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity, doing pushups with the TV host Ellen DeGeneres, playing tug-of-war with the actor Jimmy Fallon in the White House, and serving vegetarian pizza to the Tonight Show presenter, Jay Leno. |
| This week, she will talk veggies on Good Morning America, The View, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, besides a host of other shows. | This week, she will talk veggies on Good Morning America, The View, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, besides a host of other shows. |
| The book, which is full of glossy photos of luscious vegetables, has a jacket photograph showing the first lady's blouse colour-coordinated with the aubergines in her bulging basket of produce. Bo, the family dog, gets plenty of cameo appearances, and there are maps tracing the growth of the garden over the past three years, as well as stories about community gardens around the US. There is even a how-to on creating a compost bin. The book's four sections mark the seasons, with appropriate recipes. | The book, which is full of glossy photos of luscious vegetables, has a jacket photograph showing the first lady's blouse colour-coordinated with the aubergines in her bulging basket of produce. Bo, the family dog, gets plenty of cameo appearances, and there are maps tracing the growth of the garden over the past three years, as well as stories about community gardens around the US. There is even a how-to on creating a compost bin. The book's four sections mark the seasons, with appropriate recipes. |
| There are inside stories on planting travails that will ring true with any weekend gardener: pumpkins that wouldn't grow, cantaloupes that tasted blah, blackberry bushes that wouldn't play nice with the raspberry bushes, and an invasion of cucumber beetles. Obama makes clear she is not the one doing most of the hoeing and weeding; she credits the White House chefs, grounds staff and volunteers and schoolchildren. | There are inside stories on planting travails that will ring true with any weekend gardener: pumpkins that wouldn't grow, cantaloupes that tasted blah, blackberry bushes that wouldn't play nice with the raspberry bushes, and an invasion of cucumber beetles. Obama makes clear she is not the one doing most of the hoeing and weeding; she credits the White House chefs, grounds staff and volunteers and schoolchildren. |
| Historical tidbits are woven throughout the book. John Adams ordered the creation of the first White House garden but it never had a harvest after he lost in a re-election. Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with trying to grow a 1.2-metre (4ft) cucumber. | Historical tidbits are woven throughout the book. John Adams ordered the creation of the first White House garden but it never had a harvest after he lost in a re-election. Thomas Jefferson was obsessed with trying to grow a 1.2-metre (4ft) cucumber. |
| The book is Obama's first and follows a tradition of first ladies using books to advance their causes. Hillary Clinton wrote It Takes A Village, a best-seller about the importance of community in raising children; and Laura Bush collaborated with her daughter Jenna on a picture book about a reluctant reader, called Read All About It. | The book is Obama's first and follows a tradition of first ladies using books to advance their causes. Hillary Clinton wrote It Takes A Village, a best-seller about the importance of community in raising children; and Laura Bush collaborated with her daughter Jenna on a picture book about a reluctant reader, called Read All About It. |
| Proceeds from the sale of Obama's $30 book will go to the National Park Foundation for schemes that promote gardening and healthy eating – and towards the upkeep of the White House garden. | Proceeds from the sale of Obama's $30 book will go to the National Park Foundation for schemes that promote gardening and healthy eating – and towards the upkeep of the White House garden. |
| Recipe from American Grown - corn soup with summer vegetables | Recipe from American Grown - corn soup with summer vegetables |
| Serves four | Serves four |
| 6 ears of corn 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tablespoon lemon juice salt olive oil grilled vegetables such as courgettes, summer squash, tomatoes, aubergine, peppers | 6 ears of corn 2 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tablespoon lemon juice salt olive oil grilled vegetables such as courgettes, summer squash, tomatoes, aubergine, peppers |
| Cut the kernels off the ears of corn. To do this, stand each ear of corn upright on its wide end, then use a serrated knife to carefully saw down the length of the cob, rotating and repeating until all of the kernels are removed. | Cut the kernels off the ears of corn. To do this, stand each ear of corn upright on its wide end, then use a serrated knife to carefully saw down the length of the cob, rotating and repeating until all of the kernels are removed. |
| Place the cobs in a large pan. Add enough water to just cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the water has a rich corn flavor. Strain the stock and discard the cobs. Set aside. | Place the cobs in a large pan. Add enough water to just cover. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the water has a rich corn flavor. Strain the stock and discard the cobs. Set aside. |
| Reserve 3/4 cup of the corn kernels, then place the remaining kernels in a blender. Purée until smooth, about 45 seconds. If needed, add a bit of the corn stock to help get the blender started. Pour the purée through a mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. Discard any bits of skin. Add the thyme and bring the soup to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil. | Reserve 3/4 cup of the corn kernels, then place the remaining kernels in a blender. Purée until smooth, about 45 seconds. If needed, add a bit of the corn stock to help get the blender started. Pour the purée through a mesh strainer into a medium saucepan. Discard any bits of skin. Add the thyme and bring the soup to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Do not boil. |
| Once the soup has thickened to the consistency of apple sauce, for about three to four minutes, add the lemon juice and reserved corn stock a little at a time until the soup reaches the desired thickness. Season with salt. | Once the soup has thickened to the consistency of apple sauce, for about three to four minutes, add the lemon juice and reserved corn stock a little at a time until the soup reaches the desired thickness. Season with salt. |
| Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium. When hot, add the reserved corn kernels. Do not stir until the corn has browned. Stir, then remove from heat. | Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan over medium. When hot, add the reserved corn kernels. Do not stir until the corn has browned. Stir, then remove from heat. |
| Top each serving of soup with the seared corn and other grilled vegetables. | Top each serving of soup with the seared corn and other grilled vegetables. |
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