As our nation’s birthday draws near I find myself thinking about what food production has looked like in the past and the role it has played in our culture. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about victory gardens.

Having instructed in Pima Community College's Culinary Arts program for over 10 years, I’m familiar with all the standard practices—what students need to know to survive in the restaurant industry, to open a bakery, or just to ensure they (not to mention their friends and their family!) will eat good food for the rest of their lives. But over that time...