I have had a great crop of pickling cucumbers this year. So many, in fact, that I have managed to put up almost 20 jars of 3 kinds of pickles. And they'll be used. Dill spears for the kids to chomp, hamburger dill chips for, of course, hamburgers, and bread & butter pickles for everything else are busting off my shelves. But, I have realized that while pickles are all well and good, I need more useful veggies from my garden for preserving. My corn hasn't done so well. Hopefully my successive crop will give me some for summer eating as well as freezing for the winter. And the peppers are maturing, so I will have something to preserve from that harvest. But, cantaloupes, watermelons, and squash are not known for their great preservation qualities. My tomatoes are struggling. My beans are barely producing. My pumpkins have failed.
However, even if those three crops were doing better, it just feels that the garden is not providing all I need. It's supposed to provide a way to keep my grocery bill down, but that hasn't happened yet. I am still spending as much as I ever was and my freezer and pantry shelves are still bare for the coming winter. I think this means I am going to have to reevaluate what is grown in the garden. Maybe more beans, especially the kind I can dry. I may have to pay a little more attention to my tomatoes. This is going to take better planning for next year. None of my normal slapdash, last minute tomfoolery.
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