Jatfla hunny,
As an old WV gal like me you know about canning! Just get a pressure canner; that is the easiest way. For those of you who don't have a garden, there are "farmer's markets" available. The instruction booklet in the pressure canner has all kinds of recipes and I will give a "To die for" pepper recipe to anyone who wants it; just email me! We do tomato's, corn, green beans, applesauce, venison, apple pie filling, peaches, and pears to name a few. I have my own orchard and I raise my own blackberries (thornless) and I raise my own red raspberries to make a killer freezer jam. I've got the blackberries (Arapaho and Navaoh--thornless is the way to go) and I'm going to try to ...

Jatfla hunny,
As an old WV gal like me you know about canning! Just get a pressure canner; that is the easiest way. For those of you who don't have a garden, there are "farmer's markets" available. The instruction booklet in the pressure canner has all kinds of recipes and I will give a "To die for" pepper recipe to anyone who wants it; just email me! We do tomato's, corn, green beans, applesauce, venison, apple pie filling, peaches, and pears to name a few. I have my own orchard and I raise my own blackberries (thornless) and I raise my own red raspberries to make a killer freezer jam. I've got the blackberries (Arapaho and Navaoh--thornless is the way to go) and I'm going to try to make a blackberry wine this year (my first attempt) Good for the arteries you know
I also have a grape orchard with seedless grapes of all varieties BUT the black rot has driven me literally insane (short trip) in the last couple of years.
Like I said, it all helps a little and it's fun to grow a garden and can!

Let's see, you are from Florida, right Jatfla? So the soil should be sandy or red clay depending on what part of Florida. You should able to grow very easily in that soil (as long as you keep it watered) melons, vidalia onions (my favorite) tomato's or any type pepper. Just irrigate and fertilize well. Start clearing!

@Pokkets, wow, that is a bummer about the water restrictions. By bore water I assume you mean well water? At my cabin, I have well water and it is sulfur "happy" and I definitely know what you mean! It smells like rotten eggs and we don't run the water enough so that makes it far worse. We have to chlorate all the time. I definitely do not feel comfortable drinking th...

Let's see, you are from Florida, right Jatfla? So the soil should be sandy or red clay depending on what part of Florida. You should able to grow very easily in that soil (as long as you keep it watered) melons, vidalia onions (my favorite) tomato's or any type pepper. Just irrigate and fertilize well. Start clearing!

@Pokkets, wow, that is a bummer about the water restrictions. By bore water I assume you mean well water? At my cabin, I have well water and it is sulfur "happy" and I definitely know what you mean! It smells like rotten eggs and we don't run the water enough so that makes it far worse. We have to chlorate all the time. I definitely do not feel comfortable drinking the water but I've tested it and it's safe enough to water a garden with. I mean, everyone in WV that doesn't have access to city water uses it.

I was having a whinge. The same rain that is filling the dams is watering the garden. Even after 6 months of regular rain, because of the time without it, it is still a surprise, Now when it rains we don't run inside, we run outside to stand in the rain. There used to be a water tank for rainwater in most Australian backyards, maybe a while ago, but the government banned water tanks for health reasons. We found a loophole, when the council gave us new recycling bins, we collected a few old ones (well my brother did) They hold about 20 gallons, and we leave them open, and the rain collects.
My Grandmother had a patch in the backyard, where there was always mint and parsley, but what I liked, ...

I was having a whinge. The same rain that is filling the dams is watering the garden. Even after 6 months of regular rain, because of the time without it, it is still a surprise, Now when it rains we don't run inside, we run outside to stand in the rain. There used to be a water tank for rainwater in most Australian backyards, maybe a while ago, but the government banned water tanks for health reasons. We found a loophole, when the council gave us new recycling bins, we collected a few old ones (well my brother did) They hold about 20 gallons, and we leave them open, and the rain collects.
My Grandmother had a patch in the backyard, where there was always mint and parsley, but what I liked, were the baby carrots and radishes. They can grow in a short time, and are great for a garden snack.
Perhaps these days people want things too quickly to wait for a plant to grow, but it's just a matter of remembering that patience can be essential when something cannot be rushed. (A baby carrot can grow quicker than some of the files I've downloaded)
It seems that with a lot of commercially grown fruit and vegetables, they've traded off flavor and nutrition for the sake of appearance and shelf like. There are heaps of things that look great on display, but taste horrible, because they never seem to ripen (Tomatoes and peaches come to mind.) Might as well eat cardboard. Healthy food is much better home grown because it actually tastes like food, and if it isn't eaten, it isn't wasted, it can be composted, and put back into the soil.
People may start backyard gardens because they think they have to, but after the first crop, whatever it is, gardening easily becomes a labour of love.
The best way to avoid getting dirt under your fingernails, is to trim your fingernails.