newsminer.com

Women walking around naked in locker rooms talk about some very personal stuff — parents or spouses who have dementia, miscarriages, and who among us is missing because of cancer surgery or a middle-of-the-night heart attack.

In the decade or so that I have been taking advantage of the best deal in town by swimming at Mary Siah, I have overheard many worried conversations. However, it has only been the last month or so that talk about the price of food has come up. Not as in, “Oh, eggs have really gone up,” but as in “We had to go to the food bank for the first time because otherwise we couldn’t have paid for my medication (or the rent, or fuel oil, or electricity…).”

So this week I want to talk about serious gardening, the kind you do to feed yourself and your family because otherwise you may go hungry. For while you may love artichokes, for example, the truth is that they don’t give you a great return on your efforts. They are interesting looking and tasty, but one plant won’t feed your family over and over all summer long. What you need are vegetables that are not finicky, are versatile in the kitchen and are wickedly prolific.

Start with potatoes. While they fell out of favor during the low carb craze, the truth is that the potato is a multi-talented and filling staple that can be served alone, used to bulk up soups, or put to work dressing up leftovers. They also are easy to grow, although you have to hill them a few times as the season progresses. The one pound of seed potatoes you planted in May will yield approximately 10-15 pounds of edible spuds by September — a great return for your money and effort.

I grow lettuce because my husband loves it, but, honestly, it has minimal nutritional value. Much better in terms of yield, cooking versatility and fuel for the body are the greens chard and kale. A few kale or chard plants will produce larger leaves and more of them, and they can withstand September frosts that turn lettuce leaves into liquid. And, unlike lettuce, they can be tossed into soups, sauteed and served as the main dinner vegetable, stir fried, or used in vegetable lasagna. You can also use them instead of cabbage in stuffed cabbage recipes.

By all means, plant some lettuce for salads (and even some spinach, realizing that will bolt in the heat of the summer). But be sure to reserve some space for chard and kale — for yield as well as nutritional purposes. One cup of raw chopped lettuce gives you some fiber and protein, 70 percent of the daily minimum requirements of vitamin A, 20 percent of the vitamin C, 2 percent of the calcium and 4 percent of the iron. On the other hand, half of a cup of cooked kale gives you some fiber and protein, but 180 percent of the minimum daily requirements of Vitamin A, 45 percent of the vitamin C, 14 percent of the calcium and 4 percent of the iron. The same amount of chard will give you fiber and protein, 110 percent of the vitamin A you need every day, 25 percent of the vitamin C, 6 percent of the calcium and 10 percent of the iron.

Summer squash is another must in a serious garden, and there are many varieties to choose from: finger or round zucchini, the teardrop-shaped Middle Eastern zucchini, Romanesca, scallop (or pattypan), yellow crookneck or straightneck, or the yellow-topped but green-bottomed zephyr. While the nutritional values may be slightly different among the various varieties, in general one-half cup of raw cubes of a soft-skinned squash will give you small amounts of fiber and protein, 15 percent of your daily requirement of vitamin A, 10 percent of the recommended amount of vitamin C, 2 percent of the calcium and 2 percent of the iron. One plant per person in your family will give you more than you know what to do with, although they are at their best flavor and texture when small. If you get tired of the fruits, use the blossoms in salads or in a stuffed squash blossom recipe.

Peas and green beans also provide plenty of food for very little effort. Kept picked, they will produce all season long and preserving the excess for the winter months requires only blanching and freezing. Broccoli won’t give the same rate of return, but it is worth planting because you’ll get one meal per head and plenty of nutrients. Additionally, you can get a small second yield from each plant if you harvest just the main head, leaving the plant to develop small side shoots of broccoli later in the season. Cabbages, most of which are big enough for two meals, also often will generate brussels-sprouts-sized heads from stems left and cared for until late August.

Tomatoes are another vegetable that provide a lot of fruit per plant, and you don’t need a greenhouse to grow them. Over the years, I have successfully raised Northern Delight, Oregon Spring, Siberia, Sub-Arctic 25, Sub-Arctic Maxi, Taxi, Lemon Boy, Red Robin, Glacier, Early Tanana and Willamette Pink Cherry, Galina, Celebrity, Orange King, Golden Nugget, Bush Early Girl, and Husky Gold.

Cucumbers also give a great yield per plant and the more you pick, the more you’ll get. — Like tomatoes, they will do best if you do what you can to warm up the soil — like planting through clear plastic, in raised beds or in large containers. I have had good luck with Early Pride, Northern Pickling, and Sweet Success.

Finally, tuck some scallions in the corners, in pots or between plants in your flower garden. If you harvest the scallions by slicing them off just after the white section starts, leaving the bulbs intact and in the ground, you will get new green shoots almost all summer long. I also put beets wherever I have a 4-inch space. They don’t come back, but each plant can be used twice, once for the greens and once for the bulb.

Co-workers often have extra starts they are desperately trying to give away rather than destroy, and local nurseries and box stores sometimes have specials on vegetable transplants and seeds. On sale or not, whatever you spend will be paid back many times if you plant any of the vegetables mentioned above. It’s like having extra money in the bank.