On Food

I want to say the recent Salmonella scare got me thinking about food, but any more now, there is a food scare several times a year. The reasons for this are well documented, but nothing changes in the large scale public consciousness. I have come to believe that Kimba may be right about the only way to deal with this is to eat local organic food whenever possible.
The problem, which she and I have squared off over in the past is cost. There are a lot of people in America, a lot more since the economic meltdown began, who can't afford to eat the way I choose to and there are a lot of military families in that category too.
Our town has started a number of gardens outside the local schools, and the jail, to allow kids to grow the food they eat for lunch. The excess over the summer is sold at the farmer's market with the proceeds going back into the school system which is strapped for cash. It's a great idea and it got me thinking, as I was eating my completely safe local eggs this morning, that this is something military spouses can and should do.
We know lots of military families are strapped for cash thanks to the constant moves, on top of all the normal household expenses (and nothing is ever paid for at what it actually costs). Wouldn't it be great if every base housing community started a local garden that we could all work in and share in the benefit from. I can't tell you how many times I have planted a garden only to wonder if it is laid waste by whomever moves in after me, because I never seem to be there to harvest it.
Wouldn't it be great to know someone was benefiting? Wouldn't it be better for us to know our food was safe to eat and healthy options are available for those who might otherwise struggle to buy fresh fruit and vegetables?
Maybe it is to pie in the sky, but I think it would be a neat thing to try.