Presidential Garden

Dear Mrs. Obama,

While I know that my suggestion here to convert the South Lawn into crop-producing acreage had nothing to do with you green-lighting the project, many thanks nonetheless. I was so pleased to read a couple of weeks ago that you turned 1,100 square feet of grass, visible to those traveling on E Street, into an organic vegetable garden.

Apparently your husband doesn't care for beets, so they've been banished from the plant list, but you've put in an impressive variety of produce. In addition to the old standbys of carrots, broccoli and spinach, I read that your list of seedlings included fennel, shell peas, onions, several types of lettuce, chard, and rhubarb, plus an herb garden and a berry patch.

What is it about beets? While my father ate them with gusto, my mother had a distaste for beets, too, that she unwittingly passed onto me. In retrospect, I'd probably relish a freshly grown beet, although I'm still skeptical of the canned variety that adorned my father's plate. Is it possible that President Obama never ate a fresh beet, either, and was only exposed to canned beets swimming in deep red liquid? He seems like an adventurous eater. Maybe the White House chef could put together a dish that would change his beet opinion. Just an idea. He has already has more than enough on his plate. (Puns are just so hard to resist.)

Anyway, many thanks for stepping in and showing us how to be a little more self-sufficient. Looking forward to following the garden's progress.