Planting the Winter Garden

Planting the Winter Garden
Posted by Sam Kass on December 16, 2009 at 12:09 PM EST



As we head into the holiday season, the White House has been beautifully decorated by volunteers from all over the country. The White House kitchen staff has also been busy preparing food for holiday parties, and pastry chefs have been baking cookies non-stop for lucky children who come for a visit. In the midst of all of this, we have been preparing the garden for the winter and another round of crops.

The first three plantings of the White House Kitchen Garden were more bountiful than even we expected. After harvesting the last of the fall planting, more than 1007 lbs of produce was taken from the garden this year! I think the garden has been the most delicious idea the First Lady has had yet!

While chefs in the kitchen have enjoyed cooking with the healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables immensely, we have also continued to learn a great deal about the impact of the garden on the dozens of school groups who have come to visit. Their smart questions, insights and ideas never cease to amaze us.

Over the past few weeks, we have worked to prepare the soil for the planting of the winter garden. We are able to extend the growing season by using a simple, inexpensive cover called a high tunnel or hoop house. A hoop house simply amounts to a series of metal bars set in a row over one of the beds, and a fabric or plastic pulled tight around the bars. As the sun warms the garden during the day, the fabric traps the heat in, keeping the plants from freezing overnight. Although there are many kinds of plants that aren’t able to grow even in the hoop houses, we are thrilled to have so many delicious things growing at this very moment!

We have planted spinach, lettuce, carrots, mustard greens, chard and cabbage, and we will add a few more varieties in the next couple weeks. I especially look forward to cooking with the spinach. Winter spinach is extra sweet. Sugar doesn’t freeze, so spinach produces extra sugars in the winter to protect itself from frost. It tastes almost like candy. We are going to make soups, salads and, of course, Chef Comerford’s famous cream-less creamed spinach.

In the area of the garden that is not being planted with vegetables, we are planting a cover crop of rye. This is a technique that farmers use to help re-balance their soil and, most importantly, prevent erosion of top soil during the harsh winter. This is an incredibly important technique that all growers can utilize. Topsoil is one of our most valuable commodities, and we are working hard to protect it.

We are excited to be able to continue growing food year round here at the White House.

Happy holidays and happy gardening!

Sam Kass is an assistant chef and the Food Initiative Coordinator at the White House