The Magic Garden at the White House

Kudos to the Obama family for breaking ground on an organic garden at the White House, which they hope will champion healthy eating in the face of rampant obesity that plagues the entire nation. Michelle Obama yet again showed her mom skills by astutely noting that her daughters tended to be more open to eating vegetables that they themselves had planted, which is tactic that is used by parents everywhere.

It's clear that we're a fat nation and a great deal of the problem starts with children who aren't provided guidance or meals which are conducive to healthy development or eating habits. That being said, there's always room for skepticism.

I found it interesting that much of the cheering for the Obama garden comes from advocates for organic and locally grown food who argue that the White House garden may help set a positive example for families short on time and money, who are often tempted by cheaper, highly processed food. That's the dilemma right there. In a bearish economy, are people going to opt for diseconomies of scale by paying to growing only the amount of produce they family can consume when going to their local supermarket would save them money? Given the limited square footage in a personal garden, doesn't increased diversification just compound the negative economics? I'm just not sure how people who are short on time or money will find this proposition attractive.

Of course, if the economy plummets even further and job losses skyrocket, many of us might have no choice but to live off the land. As someone who doesn't like vegetables and who doesn't own a rifle, I'm wondering if I need start dusting off the old fishing pole.