If I asked, "How would you like to put at least $1,000 in your pocket this summer while enjoying the great outdoors?"—you'd probably alert the authorities and report me as a possible scam artist.

No scam, trust me.

The truth of the matter is that in spite of the rather rotten economic times, you really can pocket a minimum of $1,000 (instead of forking it over to the local grocery store) by planting a family garden and storing the harvest for the next year's family food supply.

Raised beds such as these can provide a lot of produce in a 4' x 8' space.

You may have noticed inflation in food prices here in the United States continues to peg upward on a non-stop race course. A gallon of milk costs about $4 with a $4/gallon of gas expense to boot if you have to travel 20-30 miles to purchase it...and everyday veggies are running upwards of $2 a pound. You also may be privy to the fact that because of the downward-slope of the economy—plus whacky weather conditions ‘round the sphere—some of those healthy staples we love (rice and beans) are now in limited supply in some areas.

You can produce a slew of these goods by investing the time and effort to do the old-fashioned home garden thing, and then preserve the fresh products by freezing, canning or dehydrating to carry your family through to the next harvest.

As an introduction to those who may not be regular reader, I'm a veteran COUNTRYSIDE/homesteading follower, who lapped up all of the tips, advice and how-to's publisher Jd Belanger has laid forth from the beginning of this periodical—and I've managed to put most all of them into practical use throughout the span of nearly 40 years.

While I've enjoyed some lucrative endeavors over the decades (when the economy was ripe for the homestead-produced goods that I offered), there have been times that I must admit relegated me to being barefoot and muddy in the fields just trying to maintain.

I can attest that this lifestyle has kept me not only content, rewarded and challenged, but most importantly, never hungry—from the time I was a single mom to my two daughters (34 years ago), into the retirement-age status I have now comfortably progressed to. And trust me, if there ever was a moment in your life when you considered providing for your needs from your own land (whether it's from an apartment flower pot or acres upon acres), the time to use your creativity, resources and energies is definitely now.

While there are many aspects to the full-scope homesteading deal (like raising your chicks for meat when you can feed them garden-truck waste to supplement their diet and plop their waste into a compost pile), it all boils down to this:

Start off with growing your own garden!

If you've got a garden plot rolling already you're in good stead. While we normally have a long growing season here in southwest Missouri, we are about a month behind schedule because of the massive flooding and late frosts—but we'll still give it the old college try.

If you don't have a garden, help out the folks who do this for a living (CSAs, produce farms, etc.) and buy some of their stuff on bulk sale. You'll be happy with your bargain and they'll be happy to sell their perishable stuff while it's still fresh.

Over the past decade, Jimmie and I at Timberlakes Farm grew veggies to supply upscale restaurants plus our own household's yearly needs. But, as many of you already know, when that flush of zucchini, other squash, peppers and tomatoes ripens, you'll feel there's enough fresh produce to serve the entire armed forces! Most growers, like us, prefer to sell it at a "fresh" bulk-discount price to someone who can take advantage of it and feed a family, than to let it spoil and get dumped onto a compost pile or go to waste.

In either instance, the biggest question that always raises its ugly head is: how much do I have to grow (or purchase) to supply my family's food needs throughout the year? Since I've done this for so long (first to feed me and the two kids [as little tykes] and eventually just the two of us seniors—Jimmie and me), I'll give you the best average to yield a year's supply of stocked food for a household of four. (I am saying "average" because of the varying ages, appetites, and menu preferences that come into play.)

How much money can you save by doing it yourself?

Over the years, we've pretty much supplied ourselves with all of the veggies we need for a year by canning and freezing our fresh garden produce—and kept a lot of the money we could have shelled over to the grocery store in our pockets. Depending upon how much time and effort you want (and have) to invest in this endeavor, you should be able to shave a generous amount off your grocery tab. How much you plant, how much you'll want to put by and how much you'll save, of course, will depend upon the size of your family and of course, your family's eating habits.

The plant, processing and yields:

Three of the hardest things for me when I began gardening with an eye toward filling the family pantry, was getting a handle on the relationships between the quantities I planted, how those quantities would translate into pints and quarts in the cupboard or freezer, and whether the processed amounts even came close to filling my family's food supply needs.

For example, in the early years I was be-gifted with bushels and bushels of apples from a neighbor and I went nuts processing applesauce, apple butter and apple juice. I probably cranked out enough of those goodies to feed the armed services for a couple of years, and I'm fairly certain that some 20 years later, some of that stuff is still sitting in the pantry where I left it when I sold the place...and has probably turned into hard alcohol by now.

After that ordeal, I decided to go about the whole thing backwards. In other words, figure out what products your family will eat and wants to eat. (My daughters never had apple butter prior to my mass production and probably have never had it since.)

Even if you can't grow your own garden, you can still stock up on fresh produce at farmers markets, such as this popular one in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Then, figure out how much and how often they might consume that product. A good rule of thumb that I came up with and that works well for me is simply this: figure on one pint of veggies (frozen or canned) per two people per serving; two pints per four people per serving. Once you know the eating habits—how much and how often—use the list below (or one like it) which outlines the average yield (in terms of processed harvest) to figure out how much to plant.

For example: Jim and I love canned green beans. We eat them (a pint per serving) on average twice a week, so we need to process about 100 or so pints to carry us through the year. A 100-ft. row will yield about 40 pints, so we plant out 300 row feet—giving us an ample supply to can for the pantry plus loads to eat in-season fresh. (Plus, we take it all even a step further, and let the beans we haven't canned and consumed fresh, dry on the plants. Then, we take those dried beans and put them up for some wintertime ham and bean dinners.)

I've included a list which, I feel from experience, is fairly close to the mark. (It may not be exact, depending upon varying weather factors from year to year.) It's based on the average 100-ft. garden row and you can use it as a guide (by dividing or multiplying the row feet) to figure your family's food supply and pantry needs.

The savings amounts I've pegged in are based on one-serving-per-week for a family of four and the current average price (between name and generic brand) at the grocery store. (Most of the savings are estimated on the processed product at the grocer, but a few, such as potatoes and squash, are based on the fresh price, and the corn ears are based on an average between the fresh/fresh frozen price. If all prices were based on fresh produce prices, I'd say it would be fairly safe to figure a minimum of $1 per pound/pint.)

Beans (Snap/bush):

100-ft. row = 2 bushels = 40 pints = 20 meals (2 pints per serving) for a family of four.

A year's supply (one serving per week) = 300 row feet = $90 savings

Carrots (without tops—which you can feed to your chickens or goats):

100-ft. row = 32-40 pints = 1 full-year supply of this soup/stew additive for a family of four, if used once-to-twice a week in 1/3 to 1/2- pint portions for each meal, or 20 meals if consumed as a veggie side dish. A year's supply (one serving per week as a side) = 300 row feet = $100 savings.

Corn (Sweet, in husks):

100-ft. row = 120 ears = 20 meals (6 ears per family of four per serving).

A year's supply (one serving per week) = 300 row feet = $120 savings.

Cucumbers:

100-ft. row = 170 pounds = about 120 pints of pickles, give or take.

If you're a pickle connoisseur, with a little bit of dill (which you can seed practically anywhere on your place and watch it flourish), vinegar, salt and other relatively inexpensive ingredients, you can produce top-quality gourmet Kosher Dill pickles at home quickly and easily.

A year's supply (figuring on 2 pints a week) = 100 row feet = $120-$240 savings.

Potatoes (Irish):

100-ft. row = 200 pounds = 100 meals (1/2 pound per serving per person) for a family of four.

A year's supply (figuring on 5-6 servings per week) = 300 row feet = $240 savings

Pepper (Bell):

100-ft. row = 125 pounds = 250 peppers (approximate/average) = 50 meals = a one-year supply of frozen whole peppers (5 stuffed to serve 4 people).

A year's supply (figuring on one serving per week) = 100 row feet = $125 savings

Tomatoes:

100-ft. row = 250 pounds = 5 bushels = 34 pints = 20 meals (figuring on a pint for some meals and 2 pints for others used in soups, stews, spaghettis and other pasta dishes) for a family of four.

A year's supply (if put up in all forms—stewed, sauced, halved, chopped, etc. and figuring on a 3 time per week use) = 300 row feet = $75-$100 savings

Squash (Summer):

100-ft. row = 80 pounds = 2 bushels = 40 pints = 30 meals (figuring on 1-2 pints per meal of frozen as a veggie side dish, some turned into relish and/or 1-each frozen hulled out individual squash/stuffed per person per meal) for a family of four.

A year's supply (figuring one serving per week) = 200 row feet = $150 savings

I've only listed a sampling of garden produce that's easy to process (through canning or freezing or both) which can carry the average family of four through the year. Only you know what your family likes to eat and what you need to grow, and there's a slew of other vegetable options out there. As mentioned before, first figure out what your family members will want to eat—how much they consume—and how often you would likely be serving it (how many meals per week). Then, go to your local Extension service (or look them up on the web) and obtain a table which lists the type of crop/vegetable and shows the yield of what a 100-ft. planted row of that product would likely produce in your growing region. Then, armed with that information—divide or multiply the growing space (row-feet) accordingly to supply those needs.

Since many lists only translate the 100-ft. row yield into pounds, http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/hesguide/foodnut/gh1503.htm offers an easy guide to use when trying to convert those pounds into actual processed (in this case, frozen) pint yields.