Trips to the grocery check-out lane are sending greater numbers of people to their back yards for sustenance.
   It’s too late for a summer garden, but there is time to prepare for such fall produce as greens, cold crops and root vegetables – and lay the ground, if you will, for planting warm weather foods next spring.
   A good place to start is at local Extension Service offices where expert advice on planting and food processing is available.
   Similar and different challenges are present in urban and rural areas. Rich loam may give way to sand and clay soils in some regions; in new subdivisions anywhere, disturbed subsoil is a grim reality. In all cases of less than ideal dirt, the solution is a system of raised beds.
   A garden of mixed edible plants including fruits, vegetables, herbs and ornamentals planted on raised beds is a great way to supplement grocery shopping.
   A series of four raised beds, four-feet wide on average (and as long as space and realistic ambition allows), with paths in between, prove accessible, easy to plant, water and weed. You can rotate crops from one year to the next to reduce pest problems and add more beds as your gardening skills increase.
   My sister uses this system and feeds her family of four well with just a small plot of herbs, potatoes, onions, greens, peas, carrots, beets, beans, peppers and tomatoes.
Instead of buying a bag of spinach for $4, she pulls the same amount every couple of days from a crop that started with a seed packet that cost $1.95.
   I have more space for gardening, and my own personal experiences on saving money as I enjoy seasonal bounties. During April and May, I serve asparagus every evening; I grow enough salad greens to supply friends, too; in June the blueberries come in so I start making jam (which lasts until next June); in July we have squash, peppers and tomatoes. We eat potatoes and parsnips into winter.
   As the season progresses, my trips to the grocery store become less frequent. I buy meat and some other staples but I spend very little otherwise.
   There is a long list of health benefits from working in a garden and eating the results.  The exercise involved in preparing, planting and caring for your garden is like a free trip to the gym. I use modified yoga moves as I stretch to weed, hoe and harvest.
   The quality of the harvest provides benefits as well. Using composted manure to feed your plants slowly throughout the season eliminates the need for expensive (fossil-fuel-based) fertilizers. Rotating crops throughout your raised beds helps to reduce soil-borne diseases and eliminates the need for pesticides. Fresh vegetables picked at their peak and eaten in a timely fashion have higher nutritional value than those grown far away and hybridized for shelf-life and uniformity in shape and color.
   Freezing is the easiest way to preserve food for later and retains more taste and nutrition. There are some tricks to the process, however: Vegetables contain enzymes that aid in growth and ripening and when the vegetable is harvested these enzymes continue to work, pushing the vegetable past its peak in flavor and nutrition.
   Check seed packets for optimum harvest time and any curing needs and store accordingly. Refrigerate for fresh eating and blanch for freezing right after harvest in order to retain flavor and nutrition.
   Making jams and jellies is easy; pickling is, too. Pressure canning is for the more ambitious.
   Asparagus, cucumbers, peppers, beets and carrots can be pickled using any number of herbs, spices and vinegar. A hotwater bath in a large canning kettle seals the jars so they can be stored in the pantry for winter eating.
   Berries can be turned into jars and jars of jam by simply following the directions on a Sure-Gel packet. You won’t have to buy store-bought jam again.
   Not enough space in the back yard? Start small with a couple of tomato plants and as you grow more confident in your abilities and to put into the effort, consider enrolling in a community garden; or starting one with your neighborhood association, church or school.
   Another great option is to shop at the many farm markets in the state. If you aren’t going to grow it yourself at least support the local farmers in your community who do.
   If you are uncomfortable in the kitchen, cooking fresh from the garden may change that. Fresh food really does taste better and preparation can be simple. Grilling, roasting and sautéing are the best ways to cook fresh vegetables to preserve taste and nutrition. A little olive oil, some herbs and maybe a little salt and pepper is all you need.
   The financial saving, taste and satisfaction of growing some of your own food will likely win you over in one season.

By Jeneen Wiche
SPECIAL TO KENTUCKY FARM BUREAU

Jeneen Wiche writes a weekly syndicated garden column, co-hosts a radio program and produces a gardening segment for television in Louisville. Contact her at JWiche@aol.com or write to her at 2340 Connor Station Road, Simpsonville, Ky. 40067.