Planning the garden.

Step 1 .... what do we eat. Easy to figure out since I have a pantry  inventory. I also noted what we have finished eating that I do not need to replace AKA Great Northern canned beans for one.

Step 2 ... how much do we eat of each thing, I based it on WHAT amounts we should be eating.Since we haven't been eating as good as we should be.Cheaper than paying medical bills and such according to our doctor.PLUS I can pretty much eat everything since starting my biologic.

Step 3... What can I buy for stock up that is regularly sold from the Amish and Farmers market. I can buy acorn squash, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, pie pumpkins, jack be little pumpkins, Jade green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, fall beets and tomatoes for juice and whole tomatoes and green tomatoes for the freezer. Banana peppers, red bell peppers, sweet *white or bicolor*corn for fresh eating, and canning corn for freezer (sweet but yellow). I can get horseradish also along with onions to store, dry and pickle.

Step 4 So what do we want in the pantry that isn't grown in the area or I should say sold due to they grow enough for themselves and what do we want for fresh eating during the summer.

Salad... different lettuces leaf and head,spinach, kale, mustard, Swiss chard.  Carrots... short and sweet or Little finger, radishes, white, red and black for fall/early winter. Scallions. Cherry tomatoes. Goal is to have salad at least 6 months and Hubby asked for 9 months,  this year with future to work to year around. I will do repeats of plantings to keep it going through until fall. I have a shady spot that I can roll carts into to keep the heat off them. Nasturtiums also.

Other with the goal to eat from the garden and not the pantry during the growing season.Will get the older stuff used up and less work canning something I don't need to can.

peas...for fresh eating and freezer. This can be a spring and fall crop. We use 24 lbs of peas a year, half of it has carrots added to it.

snow peas for fresh and freezer. No one grows these that we can find. Another spring and fall crop.

beets for spring... beets for sale are in the late summer as everyone is eating and canning their spring beets. It's served at Church so they need more than just their family needs. They only grow red beets. I would like some for fresh eating but of different colors like spiral red and white or golden. Plus beet greens

turnips more for fresh eating but willing to put some in freezer plus turnip greens.

pepperoncini peppers for fresh eating and canning.

cucumbers... salad, fresh eating and if I have more than that I can always pickle them. Armenian cucumber so if I don't pick it, it becomes a melon.

Yellow wax beans. I used them to make my own 3 bean salad but also as a side that a different color. I will can 3 bean salad this year as a pint is enough for us instead of opening 2 separate pints of canned beans and a pint of kidney or black beans.

Eggplant, fresh eating, canned as caponata or frozen breaded.

Tomatoes... paste tomatoes (not much available around here) I like fire roasted, red sauce and pasta sauce, along with pizza sauce and enchilada sauce. We usually grow over 100 tomato plants. But since I can get tomatoes for juice and whole tomatoes from N I dropped that down to around 25. I am trying a couple different varieties this year that are new hybrids.

Red noodle beans and purple beans for stir fries.

Scarlet runner and sunset runner for the humming birds. I will keep the beans picked to keep it blooming.

zucchini and crookneck... I always only get  4 to 6 off them before I kill them. Have never figured out what I do but I struggle to grow them. I bought a spiralizer so noodles also.

Garlic. I didn't plant any this fall so we will be out and I will have to buy them else where or at store. I grow hardneck. Might try growing some soft neck as the one Amish said they will be small but she can get them to grow. She doesn't get enough to sell.

Dried beans, black, small red, navy, lazy wife (planted with popcorn) cannelino, kidney, and pinto.

Sweet potatoes. Mine didn't grow at all last year. I have my sweet potato in water that I will cut slips from

Broccoli.. last time I am trying to grow it. We use 36 lbs a year between broccoli, broccoli and cauliflower and California blend of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots

Gave up cauliflower last year I will just have to buy it to can hot pickled cauliflower.

Cabbage ... hard to find for sale around here because they make it into kraut. IF I grow too much I have several willing to take it off my hands.

At Hubby's request Ancho chile, Guajillo chile,cayenne chile and Pasilla chile.

I have 2 apple trees but they are not good producers so I can order apples from the Amish or get some from the Amish store. BUT if I pick these E our neighbor said he would take them to the cider press for us. Hubby likes apple cider.

Pears... I will tell the neighbor as they also look for these and usually find someone that has extra.

Peaches that is the Amish store because I want cling free.

Assorted berries. I have blackberry bushes... I really hope they produce and I have blueberry bushes I hope they produce. We lost most of our rhubarb and strawberries plus all of the raspberry bushes. Grape vines didn't do well either. I didn't get anything off the grape vine when the year before I got 14 qrts of grape juice. IF I get grapes this year I would like to try to make grape butter instead of jelly.

Then comes the herbs and spices. Some of these won't get planted this year. My goal is to have all of them planted by next year.

I use ancho chile powder so when Hubby asked for it to be grown I was okay with it.

Basil. ON average I use a gal. of dried basil, not touching what I use fresh during the season.

Borage. Flowers in salad and leaves for herbs

cayenne about 1 qrt.

chervil about  1 pt

Chile powder, I make my own combination of what chiles I grow. Been using cayenne and red bell pepper with store bought paprika.

Crushed red pepper ...cayenne or red jalapenos (get from friend) with red bell peppers

garlic chives and regular chives tons fresh and 1/2 gal each in cabinet

dried cilantro leaves... we don't use much fresh but like the flavor when I dry it about 1 pt BUT cilantro is the leaves of coriander and we like coriander seeds ground 1 pt

Dill weed... I use the weed and the seeds I never grow enough to use in the pickling of asparagus and pickles.

garlic... fresh and powdered

lavender especially with teas

lemon balm ...teas

marjoram leaves and ground

onion powder I grind up my own dried onions but very seldom use onion powder so it's grounded as needed I have 3 qrts of dried onions one being dried red onion.

oregano ... I can use a gal in a year

parsley flat and curly.. a gal each

rosemary a gal

sage 1 qrt

savory... I would like to grow winter and summer

shallots. I already ran out this year.

Thai basil

Thyme  1 gal

We have some mint still growing around the back stoop and I need more rhubarb crowns but it's a start .. With the planning.