Money Saving Tip - Grow your own Vegetables.

Growing your own Vegetable Garden is one of the best ways to save a significant amount of money.

I enjoy gardening so ever year I plant a large vegetable garden. This year I have planted the following items:

• Herb Planter - Oregano, Basil, Flat Leaf Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Tarragon, Cilantro, Dill and Chives.
• Various Lettuce Plants
•  Strawberry Plants
•  Tomatoes
•  Pepper Plants
•  Garlic
•  Onions
•  Carrots
•  Beets - Golden and Red
•  Peas
•  Snow Peas
•  Beans
•  Zucchini
•  Butternut Squash
•  Eggplant
•  Cucumbers

As my vegetables grow throughout the summer I will harvest and eat what we can.What we can't eat right away I will process and freeze for us to consume over the winter. One of my current favourite things to freeze is Butternut Squash. My family really enjoys Butternut Squash Soup, or Ravioli. Buying Butternut Squash can be very expensive when it is not in season, therefore I grow my own (or stock up at the farmers market), peel and cut the squash into cubes, vacuum seal and then freeze. When we want a big pot of soup on a cold winters day, long after the garden is covered in a blanket of snow, I just run to my freezer and grab a bag of frozen squash at a fraction of the cost that buying a squash would be.

For more Freezing Tips Click Here.

Herbs - Grow your own herbs and when the weather is getting colder, pick the herbs, wash, chop and freeze them, It's great to grab some fresh herbs to add to a stew or pasta sauce in the winter. You can also dry the herbs, but I prefer to freeze them instead.

Various vegetables - Peas and Beans are great to freeze. When they are ready to harvest, clean and blanch the veggies before vacuum sealing and freezing.

More tips to come :)