Jill Biden Surprised Michelle Obama With This Beautiful (And Delicious) Gift

Biden acknowledged one of the former first lady's signature efforts with a basket of fresh vegetables harvested from the White House Kitchen Garden.
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Michelle Obama can thank Jill Biden for a horticultural (and tasty-looking) throwback this week.

Obama on Tuesday acknowledged her gratitude to the new first lady for having sent a “beautiful care package”of broccoli, turnips, Tuscan kale and other vegetables harvested from the White House Kitchen Garden.

“These fresh veggies from the White House Kitchen Garden were such a wonderful — and delicious — surprise,” Obama wrote on Instagram. “Love you, Jill!”

As of Thursday afternoon, the photo had received more than 617,000 likes.

The White House Kitchen Garden was, of course, one of Obama’s signature projects during her time as first lady. She broke ground on the garden in 2009 and, three years later, outlined her goals for it in a book, “American Grown.”

At the time, Obama wrote that she hoped to create a “learning garden,” or “a place where people could have a hands-on experience of working the soil and children who had never seen a bean sprout could put down seeds and seedlings that would take root.” It also tied in nicely with her “Let’s Move!” public health campaign, aimed at reducing obesity and encouraging healthy lifestyles in children.

The garden later became one of the few symbols of peaceful continuity between the Obama and Trump administrations. In September 2017, then-first lady Melania Trump hosted a group of local schoolchildren there for a harvest and replanting event. Trump also reportedly added cement reinforcements to ensure that the garden would remain permanent.

Despite early February’s chilly temperatures, Jill Biden told People this week that the garden is “going strong,” and that she and the president have already taken advantage of the fresh produce it provides.

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