Gina and Rob's Winter Larder

Gina and Rob, our esteemed registrars have been gardening intensively in their plots.  They store much of what they harvest and here is a quick narrative and inventory of what they are eating from their winter larder.

As we continue to enjoy our fresh garlic supply, I look forward to my currently growing garlic that had been slumbering since the fall covered by a bed of leaves. I briefly recall what fruits of the 2014 MCGA  season am I still eating now in March 2015...

I just dug up some potatoes in mid-February that had been winter stored (left right in the ground) where they grew last summer - and they are yummy!
  

I have some frozen rhubarb that is ready to be made into rhubarb preserves/jam.

Ready for use, I still have tons of fresh, organic garlic (my husband often eats 5 cloves of freshly-baked garlic on toast each day!).

We have many freshly-picked late-summer tomatoes now canned in glass jars, ready to be made into a flavorful spaghetti sauce.

From the freezer, I just cooked some of my frozen Swiss chard that became the main part of a hearty soup.

I still have carefully stored delicata winter squash that's ready for quick cooking in the oven or microwave...

Cilantro seeds are ready to be crushed into coriander, but might become this year's cilantro plants if I plant them in the soil.

My dehydrated celery, onions, and yellow squash slices are being used in soup making this winter.

I am already picking fresh chives and Chinese garlic chives straight from the garden!

My frozen shredded zucchini is just waiting to be used in soups and zucchini bread...

As you plan your gardens, consider what plants you'd like to grow and what plants you would like to eat so that you can enjoy their bounty in the spring, summer, fall and winter... it took years to figure it out, but year by year there was more that we could can, freeze, dehydrate and preserve.

This Saturday, March 14th, I will drive to Seattle to obtain from the Seattle Tilth Plant sale most of my organic vegetable starts.  I have orders from a couple of my gardening friends to get them broccoli starts in particular.  

They have lots of variety all in one place, they have 3 free classes on gardening.  They wrote my favorite reference book specifically written for this climate:  Maritime Northwest Garden Guide, 2014 ($16.95 plus tax is about $20) with month by month listing of what to plant as seed/start and what particular varieties do well in the Pacific Northwest.  This is the book to own if you are going to own a single gardening book= true advice from Patty (our gardening neighbor) 3 years ago.  If you would like me to pick up a book and not to have to pay for shipping, email me at  Rob.Gina5@gmail.com