**GIVEAWAY CLOSED**
I don’t claim to be an expert at gardening; in fact, I often tell people that my garden grows in spite of me. I also don’t have the yard space to grow as much food as I need for my family.
How I Preserve As Much Organic Produce As Possible Each Year:
- Grow what I can, making the best use of my garden space.
- Utilize my farmer’s market and learn which vendors grow their produce organically and which ones are willing to “give me a deal” when I buy a large quantity.
- Talk to people. Many people have more apples on their trees and strawberries in their patch than they know what to do with. They are often happy to give me their excess for free.
- Trade. If I have an abundance of potatoes, I’ll trade it for a bunch of green beans. Or, if I don’t have an abundance of any produce, most people are happy to accept a couple loaves of fresh bread in trade!
During the Summer and Fall seasons while fresh produce is readily available, we eat as much as possible. Any extra goes into the freezer or into my jars (and oh wow is there usually extra!).
By the middle of October, I have usually put away enough potatoes, corn, green beans, peaches, pears, applesauce, strawberries, tomato sauce and tomato soup to last us for the entire year.
Also by the middle of October, I am so sick of looking at tomatoes I don’t care if I ever see another one as long as I live! I soon get over it and begin to realize the fruit of my labor as all throughout the coming months I am able to pull delicious organic foods out of my freezer and pantry for our meals.
How Gardening and Preserving Benefits Our Family:
- Our family has saved hundreds of dollars on groceries.
- I know exactly the kind of food going into our pantry and freezers and then into our bodies. I know what I put into my sauces. I know what soil my food came from. I know I can trust the food to be healthy for my family.
- Our family gets to work hard together. Planting, weeding, and picking all becomes a family affair. We are a family with dirt under our fingernails!
- The food is delicious! In my opinion, nothing is better than home grown organic produce!
Be on the lookout now for deals on garage sales on jars and other canning and preserving needs! Brand new jars can be pricey, but at yard sales, you can find them for almost nothing!
Gardening and preserving your own food is a wonderful way to help provide your family with great quality, delicious, inexpensive produce all year round!
Laura Coppinger and her husband have four sons ages 5-12. She blogs at HeavenlyHomemakers.com encouraging women daily in the areas of healthy eating, gardening, parenting, homemaking, faith and fun.
Would you like some help getting started with gardening and preserving? Well, Laura has graciously offered to give away 10 copies of her ebook, Heavenly Homemaker’s Guide to Gardening and Preserving, here today. To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post in the next 24 hours. Winners will be chosen and posted on Monday.
Subscribe for free email updates and be entered to win $100!
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I have had a garden for the past 2 years, but I continue to struggle with preserving what I grow. I would love to read her book. It would help me tremendously.
I want this book sooo bad!! Pick me, please?!?
wow- thanks!
This is our second year gardening and I am hoping to have a huge yield this time around. I would love to know what to do with all those veges!
I do a small garden, but would love to know how to put some more produce in the freezer or can it!
I would love to win this book! Thank you
Love to learn more!
We are planting our first garden this year so your ebook would be a valuable resource. Thanks for your post.
I’ve never gardened before, we bought our first place this fall, and I really want to give it a try this summer. I have NO clue where to start!
would love it! thanks.
Trying to figure out the gardening – would love this!
LOVE a copy of this! Thanks
I want to try my hand at some gardening this spring. Bring on the e-book!
oooh pick me, pick me!!!!
Living in an apartment doesn’t really lend itself to gardening and preserving, but this is great info for the future, unless you have advice for how to grow a garden from a small, 2nd floor deck.
We are moving soon out to some acerage partly for this reason. We would love as much help as possible as we learn!
I would love a copy of this book! My family has a couple of gardens each year!
I would love to win. I can’t wait to garden this year.
I would love to win! We have been gardening as organically as possible for the last few years, however I could definitely use some advice on preserving, specifically canning. I would love to make my own tomato sauce and can green beans. Thanks!
This looks like such a great book! I’ve tried my hand at gardening the past few years with my preschooler, and it’s so gratifying to be able to “harvest” our little crop. I definitely want to get into canning and such – esp. now that our family has expanded. Thanks so much for this great offer!
I’ve been thinking about doing some container gardening this year so this ebook would be a great resource.
This is my first year for a garden. I am very excited.
I have been thinking of a garden for years! It seems like such a daunting task, would love to know more for my home environment.
I would love to learn how to grow my own veggies. This book sounds great! I am always looking for fresh fruit and veggies.
Last year we lived on a busy intersection right outside of Atlanta. This year, we live in a rural area. So, I plan on doing a much bigger garden instead of just a few tomatoes and cucumbers. This would be such a welcome to gift to help me get started.
Thanks for your site, I love it!
I would love to get this book and learn more about gardening and canning – something I’m really wanting to learn!
I have been wanting to do a home garden for years! The task seems like such a daunting one, for my home environment.
Wow, could I use this!!! I was born from a long line of women with brown thumbs
I am attempting a container garden to start with so ANY help would be great. I am a huge fan of Laura’s blog (using Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil in dinner tonight, as a matter of fact) and would love to get some in depth instructions on how to garden and preserve all the yummy results.
My gardens never quite seem to work out
Zuccini is the only thing I seem to be able to grow. I can’t even keep a tree alive in my yard.
Thank you for this post!
We are a family of 8 and we garden every year. Last year we put in 3 apple trees and 2 peach trees and 3 blueberry bushes and a whole strawberry patch. Lots of hard work, and it can be so disappointing when the deer just come and snack in my garden whenever they want to!
But the Lord is faithful and other’s who had a bountiful crop are always willing to share and I am always here with my arms open! I do a lot of freezing, but I’d love to try and can some jam or pack some peaches this year and this would be a great help!
Great article! Springs almost here and I’m ready to get out there!
Oh, I so wanna win this. I’m hoping to start a “canning club” with some other women who can get together this summer, some to can and some to watch all our crazy kids. It’s the first year I will have tried something like this; I’m hoping it’ll work out and benefit those involved. Thanks for the post and contest. I’m planning to pass it onto my “canning ladies”.
I would love to win!
Looks like a cool book
I would love to be entered into the drawing. We recently moved to our new house that includes just under one acre of land. I am so excited about putting in my first garden this year, but nervous too.
We are doubling the size of our garden this year and I couldn’t be more excited. I already bought my seeds and started a few. It’s also a great learning experience for the kids.
Awesome post. I’ve been wanting to learn how to can. I live in a condo with no yard, so I’m limited to what can grow in a pot indoors and what I can buy when its super cheap in season. Thanks for posting!
I would love to win! This is our 2nd year of gardening, and I’d love to learn how to save some of our veggies for the winter months! We’re also expecting our apple and peach trees to start producing this year, too.
I’ve always wanted to have my own garden. I bet this book would be great to get me started!!!
I would love to have this book. We have grown gardens (quite small ones) for a few years now, and I still have lots and lots to learn. I have always wanted to learn how to can
I would love this book! We are planting our 1st garden this year and don’t know much about how to do it!
I wouls love that book. I’m thinking about doing a small garden this year.
I’m greatly expanding our garden and my canning efforts this year. This would be a great resource!
I love to garden and would enjoy learning from this experienced mother.
My garden is just a tiny patch, but I love it. My mom used to can all sorts of stuff, but I never picked it up. I would love to learn now!
This would be ever so helpful! ;o)
i need to get reading about what to do with a garden. i’ve got seedlings coming april 1 and no idea what to do with them! i would love a copy of the ebook. seems it might fit my needs better than the gardening for dummies book i was going to get.
Hi. I would like this resource!
This sounds great! Please sign me up!
This is our first year gardening with my folks, so our garden plans are big. In spite of a natural black thumb, I still plant a garden every year, and I learn a lot every time and we get some food out of it, too.
I would love a peek at Laura’s ebook.
Thanks!
Kris
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