The kitchen garden

I spend time looking at the ingredients of the food stuff I buy from the store and think about how is it possible to make this at home? Even with a smaller back yard garden, a LOT of food can be grown and made right at home. Paprika? It's literally a dried pepper and ground to a powder. You can grow one plant and have paprika in your pantry for the next year.

My goal for this page is to keep track of the things that are POSSIBLE. I have been doing a lot of moving and have not established my kitchen garden so I get to use this valuable down time to do my planning [and what better way to plan than with HTML and CSS amirite....??????]
I have yet to see what I actually wind up doing, which is most certainly not all of what is listed here. [But like... we'll see, right?]

I garden in zone 5 with an ambitious dream of building an atrium for the house to grow more tropical and year-round plants.

As soon as I get this project rolling, I'll figure out a way to update this page to reflect the real life version of this.

If anyone reading this has any tips on anything listed here they'd like to offer, I'd gladly accept any advise!

Quick notes:

Source heirloom varieties whenever possible for seed saving purposes.
Shou Sugi Ban AKA Yakisugi. "By slightly charring the surface of the wood without combusting the whole piece, the surface becomes water-resistant ... which results in increased durability. It additionally protects the wood against insects, fungi and mold"
the raised garden beds for longevity

Asparagus
Main uses: Cooking
Preserving: Freezing
Variety: Mary Washington, heirloom
Growing notes: Takes about 3 years for full harvest.
Source[s]:

Garlic Powder
1. Peel garlic
2. Chop garlic
3. Dehydrate garlic in dehydrator [or oven @ 150*f] until dry and brittle
4. Grind up dried garlic and store for a year in a vacuum sealed mason jar

Make fresh once a year

Corn
Main uses: Eating, cornstarch, cornmeal
Preserving: pressure canning, freezing [whole cobs], dehydrate and then mill into cornmeal or flour
Variety: For eating fresh, Golden Beauty - heirloom. For cornmeal/flour, Nothstine Dent -heirloom
Growing Notes: Had critters devour my crop last time, consider a way to deter pests.
Source[s]:

Leeks
They're like onions without the crying!
Main uses: Soups!
Preserving: Plan to use mostly fresh in recipes. Can be frozen cut, blanched or unblanched for a year.
Variety: American Flag - heirloom
Growing Notes: Cool weather, can be planted before last frost. Plant deeply to encourage long stalks. Can hill them like potatoes- optionally.
Source[s]:

Onions
Main uses: Cooking. Get a variety for storage. Onion powder.
Preserving: Root cellar. Can keep in-ground until needed. Do not store near potatoes or behind closed doors [needs a lot of ventilation].
Variety: Heirlooms- Yellow Sweet Spanish [long day], Ruby Red [long day]
Growing Notes: Transplant out when thick like pencil. Heavy feeders. Succession plant two weeks.
Source[s]:

Garlic
Main uses: every single recipe ever.
Preserving: Powder. Can minced/chopped. Can jelly.
Variety: Can be grown from bulbs from store. Hardneck best for my zone.
Growing Notes: Plant bulbs in fall. Hardneck grows scapes, softneck does not. Softneck grows better in milder climate and mature quicker, opposed to hardneck that requires exposure to cold weather for a time.
Source[s]: n/a

Hot Peppers
Main uses: red pepper flakes, hot sauce, spice blend, jalapeno poppers!
Preserving: mostly just dehydrating
Variety: Heirlooms Ancho/Poblano, Cayenne, Tobasco, Jalapeno
Growing Notes: One plant per variety. Normally have so much excess in a season.
Source[s]:

Sweet Peppers
Main uses: roasted red peppers, snackies, cooking, spices
Preserving: dehydrating for spices [paprika namely], canning fire roasted red peppers, freezing for cooking
Variety: Heirlooms Sweet banana, Corno di Toro Rosso, Alma Paprika
Growing Notes: It’s possible to dig up plant and keep in pot over winter inside for a quicker harvest next season. Grow different varieties that ripen at different times.
Source[s]:

Lentils
Good food for PCOS
Main uses: soups
Preserving: dehydrating
Variety: Heirloom French Green
Growing Notes: Haven’t experienced growing this yet, but it seems like a PITA to grow. Up for the challenge :)
Source[s]:

Lettuces
Main uses: Salads, sandwiches
Preserving: n/a
Variety: Heirlooms Romaine, Iceberg
Growing Notes: Sucession plant! Do NOT let go to seed, very invasive! [Keep one plant for seeds but be on top of it]
Source[s]:

Spinach
Main uses: salads, cooking, sandwiches
Preserving: freeze
Variety: Heirloom Bloomsdale Long Standing
Growing Notes: pick slow bolting varieties. Sucession plant! Pick leaves when small for better flavor
Source[s]:

Tomatoes
28oz crushed/diced tomatoes are common in recipes.
Main uses: sauces, cooking, snackies, soups
Preserving: canning [diced, crushed, paste]
Variety: Heirlooms San Marzano, Rainbow Cherry Mix, Small Red Cherry, Heirloom Rainbow Mix
Growing Notes: Remember to thin out plants late in the growing season for airflow. Grow many different types for all the sauce blends!
Source[s]:

Potatoes
Main uses: Cooking
Preserving: Store in root cellar, ventilated container, don’t wash prior to storage. Keep away from onions and light.
Variety: Heirloom German Butterball
Growing Notes: Hill the plants to prevent greening tubers until hills 12” high.
Source[s]:

Pumpkins
Let's be serious here, we don't eat much pumpkin but they're so much fun to grow!
Main uses: puree, decor, seeds
Preserving: Let cure in sun. Freeze puree
Variety: Heirlooms Rouge Vif d’Etampes, Fairytale, Small Sugar, Musquee de Provence, Galeux d’Eysines, Jack Be Little
Growing Notes: Make SPACE! Grow small pumpkins on a cattle panel
Source[s]:

Zucchini [Summer Squash]
Main uses: cooking [stir fries!], zucchini bread
Preserving: freezing-shredded
Variety: Heirlooms Early Prolific Straightneck, Black Beauty, Fordhook
Growing Notes: I only need one plant per variety. Heavy producer. Trim off leaves behind fruit to keep airy and for the plant to not get too overwhelming. Can train upwards on a heavy stake for airflow.
Source[s]:

Luffa
Main uses: Sponges [can also be eaten when young]
Preserving: Dry out on vine
Variety: Luffa Gourd
Growing Notes: Certainly needs trellis, grows large! Let Luffa grow large on vine before picking.
Source[s]:

Quinoa
Main uses: Cooking
Preserving: Drying
Variety: Brightest Brilliant Rainbow Quinoa
Growing Notes: About 1lb quinoa for every 10 plants [not confirmed, haven’t grown yet]
Source[s]:

Carrots
Main uses: snackies, soups, cooking, juicing
Preserving: Canning, Freezing
Variety: Heirlooms Little Finger, Rainbow Blend
Growing Notes: Make sure soil is good not compacted for several inches for good root growth. Don’t pick too early!
Source[s]:

Celery
Main uses: cooking, soups, snackies, spices, juicing
Preserving: dehydrate for spice, can for soups
Variety: Tall Utah
Growing Notes: Cool season plant
Source[s]:

Strawberries
Main uses: snackies, smoothies, baking, jams
Preserving: canning jams, freezing for smoothies
Variety: undecided
Growing Notes: Runners take over. Give lots of room for growth over the years. Groundcover. Plant variety of early, mid season, and late season cultivars.
Source[s]: