Broader inquiry re:mining and food production

Hello! My name is Anna Marie; I was named for my grandmama, Annie Vrabel, who's parents hailed from Porac, Slovakia. Her family was, in both the old country and the new, miners--coal, mostly. They moved relentlessly, from Indiana and Illinois to New Mexico and back, but one thing my grandmama valued throughout it all was her mother's (and later, her own) garden. I grew up in the city, but her stories about coal camps and the food they grew and ate there colored my world growing up. 

Now that im living as a farmer in a former coal town myself, I think of her and her family a lot. I've tentatively been researching food production in mining towns, with a focus on it as a window into healthier food production in small rural-urban areas today. Its struck me again and again how very important ethnic traditions, recipes, holidays etc were toward a holistic sense of well being for our forebearers! It may be a long shot, but I was wondering if anyone had any resources or insights into any part of this complex issue! Stories about family who were miners, and how they provided food for their families, perhaps. Or photos of old gardens. Recipes. Maybe just encouragement! Any and all welcome!