Harvesting day at the White House vegetable garden was quite the affair, as students from a local school and First lady Michelle Obama picked, prepared and enjoyed the fruits of their labor.

Obama and children from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington D.C. started the project in March, with the tilling of a portion of the White House lawn. Tuesday, they discovered the greens, chard lettuce and snap peas were ready for an afternoon picnic celebration.

Regardless of your politics, you’ve got to admire this effort to promote a love for farming and for the oft-maligned vegetables. Kids get bad messages all the time, so a little talk about the value of hard work and nutrition is a welcome respite.