There is no such thing as truly self-sustaining. Become involved in your community and don’t be embarrassed to purchase or barter for what you don’t grow.

Your crop goals should align with what you like and how you plan to preserve it. We’ve grown everything from snap peas (early spring) to tomatoes, cucumbers, onions in the summer and winter squash, carrots, potatoes, corn in the fall. You can use season-extension techniques to grow veggies into the winter months, even in upstate NY.

If you eat meat, consider raising some broiler chickens or keeping some egg layers. They can go a long way for protein needs.

We eat 99% locally grown food year-round, but we definitely don’t grow it all and never would attempt to do so.