I have found myself thinking of the Ant and the Grasshopper over the past 2 months as I have busily worked to build up a full freezer's worth of frozen tomato paste, whole roasting chickens and chicken breasts, butternut squash, spinach and basil hoping that each will manage to retain a bit of the freshness and vitality of summer.Storing the bounty of this year and hoping it will tide me over until the first farmer's market of the spring has inevitably led to thoughts of what next year will bring to the table and freezer. After much thought, planning, reading four Michael Pollan books, one Barbara Kingsolver book and watching more videos from Patti Moreno than I can count, I have decided to start my own garden for 2012 to supplement the organics I purchase from the farmer's markets.I will be experimenting with the Square Foot Gardening method created by Mel Bartholomew with heirloom, open pollinated seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds and Seed Savers Exchange. I have already learned that there are more different vegetables and varieties of each than our meager yard can contain so I have had to use the cold eye of an executioner to whittle down the roar of 'wants' to a manageable list of 'needs'. Maybe next year will herald some truly home grown goodness here at Nearly Home Grown...In the meantime, I will keep updating with recipes from this year, planning for next year and anything related to local food that sparks an interest!