Welcome to the 4th part of the Almost Lost Domestic Arts Series. Today we’re taking a look at Growing and Preserving Produce.
I’m a beginner at both gardening and canning. I’ve had a vegetable garden for two years and I’ve only ever canned two different things; tomatoes and strawberry jam. My yard is small and only gets about a half day of sun in the summer so it isn’t an ideal garden spot. That’s ok with me though. I see these as my practice years for when I get a good “garden yard.” The things I’ve grown include: tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, banana peppers, cucumbers, squash, zucchini and beans. I’ve had varying degrees of success with each item but will readily admit that every minute of my time and energy spent gardening was worth it.
Why is Gardening Worth Your Time and Energy?
- It’s a valuable skill. Learning to cultivate and grow your own food is a sensible thing to learn and not at all a waste of your time. Don’t get many habanero peppers where you live? Grow some.
- Gets you out of the house. There’s something about being outside and working in my garden that makes me relax and think clearer. Does this happen to anyone else?
- Peace of mind. That green pepper in your fridge; where’d it come from? How long ago was it picked? How many disgusting places did it go before your house? What was it sprayed with?
- Money saver. Although this isn’t the top reason for me I do have to toss it in here. The cost of produce where I live has really shot up in the last year or two.
Ok, so you’re at the end of the season and your garden is producing more than you can consume (awww shucks, you poor thing 
).
What’s to be Done With Your Excess Produce?
- Can it. Canning has nothing to do with cans. It’s all about jars and lids and rings. Canning preserves your food without preservatives by sealing it in an air-tight container. For more information check out this site.
- Freeze it. I don’t have a stand-alone freezer so I can’t do too much of this, but if you do then you should definitely try it. I froze some garden beans which I later steamed. Wow. I wish I had more.
- Give it. Friends, family and coworkers would all love to have some fresh tomatoes. Get creative and make up a cute little hostess basket of fresh produce from your garden. Try a local soup kitchen or food pantry too.
A great place to start … try growing a tomato plant in a pot on your porch or on your front steps. I’m actually considering doing this with my tomatoes this year to get them a little more sun. Also, I can’t write this post without sending you over to Get Rich Slowly. J.D. has some great posts on gardening. Start with this one.
Where are you on this one? Do you believe you have a black thumb? Are you an experienced gardener? Throw some tips to the beginners!
Check out the whole series here!
January 7 – Sewing
January 14 – Knitting & Crocheting
January 21 – Cooking From Scratch
January 28 – Growing and Preserving Produce
February 4 – Purposeful Menu Planning and Grocery Shopping
February 11 – Being Your Children’s First Teacher
February 18 - Home-making
Why I do what I do ~ My daughter just went to bed with her new library book. Her room is too dark to read it but she loved it so much she had to take it along.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I am thinking of planting a few things in containers this spring and seeing how it goes. Never did a vegetable garden before.
momstheword’s last blog post..WHAT IS YOUR "ROOM OF DOOM" AND WHY?
That’s a great way to start. The beautiful thing is that you really don’t have anything to lose if you try. Good luck!
Thank you for this post. I did a small garden for the first time last year and while I had quite a few errors, the vegetables that I did grow successfully were wonderful. I am really hoping to improve on my gardening skills this year as I wouldn’t say that I have a green thumb. I am looking forward to some money saving by growing our own produce. For now, with the snow covered ground, I guess I will continue to do some research and planning. Thanks for passing on the link to Get Rich Slowly gardening post.
Jenny’s last blog post..Nice & Toasty Snow Fun!
Great post. We’re going to try our luck with a square foot garden this year. I’m excited about it and hope it goes well.
I really like your new logo, by the way.
Beth – Smart Family Tips’s last blog post..Need Vitamin D? Try Eggs
That’s a great way to start!
And thanks
I did a post a few weeks ago called Frugal Traditional Skills, with almost the same skill list! Funny. I do have a garden but haven’t tried canning. My garden space is small so I don’t have an overabundance that needs to be preserved. Usually we just freeze the excess, we have a chest freezer in our basement. I want to try canning this year, I have a small peach tree, canned peaches are good.
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