“Local, affordable, nutritious food should be a right for everyone and not just a privilege for a few,” wrote Alice Waters, acclaimed chef, restaurateur, and food activist in a letter to the White House in January, 2009.

A couple of months earlier at a Chicago fundraiser - which featured an Alice Waters-created menu - Michelle opined "You can't just make a dinner. It's got to be a nutritious dinner, grown with good, fresh, clean food. That takes time. Trust me."

I couldn’t agree with these two fabulous women more. The time has come for healthier, more nutrition-rich food – that’s local, seasonal and organic when possible – to take center stage for our country. What better place to start than with an edible garden?

Groundbreaking Gardening!

The first family is off to a running start when it comes to promoting homegrown eats.

Michelle Obama, an excited group of fifth graders and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack got to work planting a brand new vegetable garden on Thursday, 4/9.

The first sprout hasn’t poked its way through the soil yet, but already, the White House garden - championed by Michelle Obama’s enthusiasm for fresh and healthy food – has several fantastic messages for an under-nourished public that I’ve long espoused:

• Home gardening offers a great way to save money on expensive foods at the market – a tasty stimulus package for your kitchen!

• Home gardening inspires kids to eat their veggies: studies have shown that kids who grow their own vegetables eat more vegetables!

• It’s also a wonderful reason to get outdoors, rejuvenate your soul and reconnect with nature, something we can all benefit from both physically and mentally.

There’s a history of White House gardens. But with the publicity power of Michelle Obama, Slow Food enthusiast Alice Waters and countless other organic foodies, this administration is positioned to get the messages to the masses: grow your own, save money, have fun and eat healthily!

My Own Edible Garden and Get-Started Gardening Tips for You!

When my husband and I moved into our home, we were debating how to landscape our front yard. I suggested we plant an edible garden in both our front and our back yard, including my favorite - scrumptious organic artichokes!

Year after year, our edible garden has reaped us huge rewards in delivering organic produce. It has saved us tons of cash at check-out and made us quite popular on our block: families with children regularly stop to admire our front yard edible garden!

Plus, we’re reminding children about the origin of fruits and veggies – and that they come from the earth first – not just from the supermarket. In this way, my husband and I feel like we’re adding something to the community, which is a great feeling!

Here’s some tips for the beginning gardener. Already have an edible garden? What works for you and what doesn’t? Share your story with OrganicAuthority readers – we’d love to hear from you!

Chef Tracy Griffith

Wasabi, or Japanese horseradish, has become increasingly popular among educated American foodies, not to mention sushi devotees. A member of the Brassica vegetable family (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts), it aids in digestion and even helps slow cancer cell growth.

Chefs generally prefer to use fresh wasabi instead of prepared wasabi powder or paste. Be sure to peel it before grating it, says Chef Tracy Griffith of Rika Restaurant on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip and author of Sushi American Style. (She’s also actress Melanie Griffith’s sister and the first female graduate of the prestigious California Sushi Academy.)

“Peel it with the back of a teaspoon to get the gnarly bits off,” she tells Organic Authority. “Then use a ginger grater or wasabi grater to grate.”

Feel a bit intimidated? Not to worry.

“If you can peel and grate ginger, you can peel and grate wasabi,” Chef Griffith says. “Fresh wasabi is wonderful—much sweeter and complex-tasting than the paste you usually get in sushi bars. This is because wasabi is so very expensive—about $30 an ounce—but you don’t need much. It’s worth the expense!”