Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I'm finally back from vacationing in London.  The trip was spectacular filled with theater, museums, dining out, etc., but it also broadened my awareness of the relationship we all share with food.  The Imperial War Museum graphically demonstrated British families surviving on the occasional egg, an occasional serving of meat, a crust of bread and loads of home grown vegetables.  Britain imported the bulk of its food prior to the war, but in a massive effort the island nation returned to agriculture and self-sufficiency. As my trip unfolded a theme emerged: how the Brits fed themselves during WWII can help guide us today as we suffer from economic hardship, diseases related to obesity and a dependence on foreign oil. 

Prior to WWII many Britons suffered from too few calories and too few of the basic vitamins and minerals needed for good health.  At the onset of the war, the government created a Ministry of Food to teach people how to produce food for themselves as well as to get the basic nutrients they needed for good health.  Chicken coops, rabbit hutches and allotment gardens became the norm across Britain.  Despite German U boats destroying thousands of food bearing ships, Britons became the healthiest they had ever been or would be in the decades since.

Across Britain millions of acres of land were put into vegetable production thru an allotment program.  Each participating family got a nice large garden space where they grew cabbages, potatoes, leeks and lots more.  Many people joined pig clubs to turn their kitchen scraps into pork and desperately needed cooking fat.  Everyone helped with the work of raising the pig and when slaughter time came around everyone got their fair share. 

Today we fight more wars than I can count.  There is the war on obesity, the war on diabetes, on cancer, on a failing economy, and on nations and groups in the Middle East. A diet based on home grown, local and natural foods could go a long way toward slimming America and controlling the health problems that go with it.  If people can learn to grow part of their own food, it can save them money and help stabilize their checkbooks.  And of course, reducing our dependence on imported oil could help stabilize the environment and keep money out of the hands of terrorist groups.

Locally grown foods can be difficult to find, however, if you ask the produce manager at your favorite store to carry local fruits and vegetables when possible, they will quickly arrive on your grocery store shelf. Read labels and choose citrus from Florida rather than far away California and Mexico.  Visit a local farmer’s market and buy the freshest foods from the people who grew them with love and commitment.  It’s not really that hard to step onto the path toward better health, a better economy and a slightly safer world.   Take up the challenge.