Growing and Preserving

Growing my own food is one of my greatest pleasures.  Sometimes it's a highly successful endeavor, while others it's an exercise is patience and tenacity.  But harvesting and eating something I've grown myself gives me such a sense of satisfaction, I keep coming back to the garden season after season.

Last year's sugar snap peas

I'm learning a great deal about what it takes to feed myself (and how very grateful I am that there are farmers who dedicate their lives to the vocation!) as I strive to grow more and more of my food myself.  I love that I know exactly what went into my food, where it came from, and that it was my hands, my heart, and those of my family who participated in the garden that coaxed a living, growing thing from simple soil and that it could actually feed us!

Whether it's a simple window-box herb garden or full kitchen garden, growing food is a deeply rewarding exercise.

Though we live in one of the easiest growing climates in the world, we by no means grow all our own food.  We try, each season to do better, grow more; that doesn't always work and some years, like this one, we end up cultivating the world's best wildlife-buffet.  The ravens ravaged our fruit trees while the squirrels, quail, and foxes devoured pretty much everything else.

Last year, not a thing was touched.  In fact, I had enough to give away at the local organic food co-op more than once.

Most of my harvests are relatively small and we eat the foods immediately.  There's nothing like a vegetable picked 10 feet from your kitchen to remind you of how delicious fresh food really is!  A carrot or zucchini plucked from the vine and eaten in just minutes can even win over a skeptical toddler.

Ahhhh, the yukon gold potatoes... such promise at this stage.  

And then, there were the squirrels.  Le sigh.

Whether I have a little extra from the garden or pick up extra at the market, I also love to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables.  I dry apples; pickle cucumbers; freeze corn, berries, and zucchini; dry, stew, sauce, and salsify tomatoes; and if I *ever* get a decent apricot crop before the birds get them, I'll be making jam as well.

Preserving foods is a great way to keep summer alive just a little longer, but it also saves nutrients, money, and time.  Most preserving can be as simple as drying or freezing, which takes just a small amount of active prep-time.

Gardening and preserving food is growing in popularity, and the resources available to those interested in trying it are numerous.

I've got several recipes and "how to" guides here already and plan to add more.  If you've got a wonderful technique, trick, or recipe for preserving food, I'd love to hear it.  What's your favorite thing to preserve?  Do you garden?  Is your garden big or small?  Thriving or, like mine, struggling?

Here are a few links to get you started:
Los Angeles Common Ground Garden Program
    Gardening tips, ideas, questions & answers
Watch Your Garden Grow
    Gardening answers from the U. of Illinois Master Gardeners.
Seed Savers
    Sharing and saving Heirloom seeds
Gardener's Supply Company
    Garden How-to guides
    Kitchen Garden Planer (good for beginners!)

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
Great resource for a variety of home canning techniques
National Center for Home Food Preserving
    Research-based canning & preserving info from the U. of Georgia