Already potting

For the last month, the only fresh, homegrown food we have been eating is sprouts and garlic greens. Right now we have a good crop of pea shoots. Our herbs have developed their usual Feb. infestation of aphids, so I had to cut them back today. I am trying to tell myself I am still growing things, but I don't really believe me. I am burning to be planting and eating a wide variety of our own foods.

Since it is the last weekend in Feb., I started my slowest bedding plants plans today. I predominantly planted peppers and herbs, but also started just a few tomatoes I plan to put on the patio.

Types of herbs:

• Mint (as much usually dies with winter kill)
• Basil (an entire flat of it)
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• Sage

Types of peppers:

• Green
• Yellow bell
• Mini Bell
• Chili
• Jalapeno

Types of tomatoes

• Yellow pear
• Cherry
• Early Girl

We start all the items on a homemade grow table we got from a friend of Mike's. It has two layers and adjustable lights. Some things we plant in peat pellets, and others go immediately in pots because we plan to have them under the grow lights a long time (think basil, which won't be happy outside until the hot days of June). Adapting for our zones 2-4 (depending on micro climates) means that many things need extra help inside.

I also did an inventory of our remaining garden items, prompted by Anna's question about how things were holding up (if you haven't check out Anna's food blog lately, you should - she has done some nifty organizing). At this point in the year, I still have six months left before I get to eat anything fresh from the garden besides asparagus, spinach and strawberries, so my inventory needs to hold out. Check out what we started with in my final post of last gardening season.

Frozen

• 12 cups apples
• 9 cups saskatoons
• 10 cups zucchini
• 10 cups raspberries
• 1 cup strawberries (I need to put more of those down next year)

Canned

• 12 500 ml cans of tomato sauce, 6 liter jars
• 4 500 ml cans of salsa, 6 liter jars
• 1 small jar taco sauce
• 3 250 ml jars plum jam
• 4 250 ml jars chutney
• 3 250 ml jars stewed rhubarb of questionable colour
  
• 5 250 ml jars raspberry jam
• 29 250 ml jars of apple sauce

Fresh
I just have about 5 pounds of potatoes left, and they won't make it through the weekend. I am going to use them and some garlic shoots to make me some potato soup.

There are already areas where I know I did not have enough, like rhubarb and strawberries. Likewise, I am pretty sure I have way more applesauce than one family will eat, even though we use it as an oil substitute in baking. As for the rest of the harvest, I will have to wait until July to know for sure.