Tomato
"Some kids have never seen what a real tomato looks like," and some "don't know where a cucumber comes from," First Lady Michelle Obama said today.
Addressing a gathering at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Mrs. Obama said that's one reason she planted her garden at the White House:
"And the nutrition issue, as Tom mentioned, as you all know, is something near and dear to my heart not just as First Lady, but as a mother. In fact, one of the first things that I did, as you know, as First Lady, was to plant the garden at the White House. And it's really pretty. I hope you guys get a chance -- it's beautiful now. It rained a couple of days. Thank you. And the idea with planting the garden wasn't just to encourage kids to eat more vegetables. I also wanted to teach them about where their food comes from.
"I think you've known this -- we see this as we traveled around the country -- some kids have never seen what a real tomato looks like off the vine. They don't know where a cucumber comes from. And that really affects the way they view food. So a garden helps them really get their hands dirty, literally, and understand the whole process of where their food comes from. "