White House Vegetable Garden heirloom seeds and 10 different herbs such as anise hyssop and Thai basil. Former presidents' favorite produce were also sown, such as President Thomas Jefferson’s preferred vegetables, “Brown Dutch and Tennis Ball lettuce, Prickly Seed spinach and Savoy cabbage” but beets were not grown because President Obama did not like them. Along with the vegetable garden, a beehive was added near the chef’s kitchen that is overseen by Charlie Brandts, a beekeeper and White House carpenter. Honey collected from the beehives has been used to brew White House Honey Ale. The contributing gardeners responsible for the early stages of the
Bok Tower Gardens includes her personal communications, photographs, manuscript writings, and family possessions. The American Foundation Collection includes newspaper scrapbooks, meeting minutes, publications, and other manuscript materials. The Edward Bok Newspaper Scrapbook Collection is made up of 42 bound scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings about Bok's publications and charitable acts. Access to the collections in the Chao Research Center Archives is available by appointment only. To make an appointment the Bok Tower Librarian should be contacted. The Pinewood Estate Mansion holds furniture, ceramics and other objects that were kept in the house before Bok Tower purchased it in 1970. Other collections held at