Check with your state's Extension Service. Each county should have it's own Cooperative Extension Office which provides free publications and information for the asking. They can also tell you the average last frost date for your area and ideal planting times for specific crops and varieties in your area. The following two images are excerpts from the Vegetable Planting and Planning Calendar for Missouri (download the pdf complete with spring and fall planting dates, how much to plant per person, etc. Just call up the office in your county. Look under the "Government" section (usually blue pages) of your phone book under "Extension". They will have valuable vegetable/gardening tables available specifically for your area from data they've collected from growing those crops in your state. Violet

Wow, I am racking up the money today from sharing these recipes, LOL ! VEGETABLE ANTIPASTO Makes about 7 (500 m)l jars This antipasto recipe was specifically formulated to be processed safely in a boiling water canner. Do not deviate from the recipe ingredients and quantities as any change could affect the safety of the end product. 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) green beans cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) cauliflower florets, about 1/2 medium head 2 cups (500 ml) diced onion, about 2 large 2 cups (500 ml) diced green pepper, 2 medium 2 cups (500 ml) diced red pepper, 2 medium 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) diced carrots, 3 to 4 medium 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) diced celery, 4 to 5 stalks 2 cups (500 ml) lightly packed brown sugar 3 tbsp (45 ml) pickling salt 2 cups (500 ml) red wine vinegar 3 cans (each 156 ml) tomato paste 4 tbsp (60 ml) worcestershire sauce 2 tbsp (30 ml) hot pepper sauce 4 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups (500 ml) diced peeled eggplant or unpeeled zucchini 3 tbsp (45 ml) dried basil 1 tbsp (15 ml) dried mustard Prepare, measure and combine vegetables (including zucchini if using), except garlic and eggplant; set aside. Place 7 clean 500 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat water to a simmer (180F/82°C). Set screw bands aside; heat SNAP Lids in hot water, NOT boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and SNAP Lids hot until ready to use. Combine brown sugar, salt, vinegar, tomato paste, worcestershire and hot pepper sauce and garlic in a large stainless steel saucepan. Stirring occasionally, bring to a boil. Prepare eggplant (if using); stir into hot sauce along with remaining vegetables. Stirring occasionally, return mixture to a boil; boil gently, 5 minutes to begin to soften vegetables. Remove from heat; stir in basil and mustard. Ladle antipasto into a hot jar to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top rim (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. Centre SNAP Lid on jar; apply screw band securely & firmly until resistance is met Âfingertip tight. Do not overtighten. Place jar in canner; repeat for remaining antipasto. Cover canner; bring water to a boil. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process Âboil filled jars  25 minutes.* When processing time is complete, turn heat off and remove canner lid. When boil subsides - bubbles no longer rise to surface (3 to 5 minutes) - remove jars without tilting. Cool jars upright, undisturbed 24 hours. DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands. After cooling, check jar seals. Sealed lids curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. Note: Because antipasto is available commercially, many people believe they can preserve their own recipe at home. Most traditional antipasto recipes cannot be home canned safely in a boiling water bath canner. (However, some can be frozen successfully.) When the recipe adds low acid foods such as tuna (or other canned seafood), olives, mushrooms, vegetables and/or oil the resulting food mixture needs to be processed at temperatures higher than those that can be reached in a boiling water canner. These higher temperatures are essential to avoid the risk of deadly botulism poisoning. Processing filled jars of homemade antipasto in a pressure canner is unsuccessful because the temperature/time combinations required to eliminate the risk of botulism destroys the integrity of the vegetables resulting in a product that is almost spreadable. This Vegetarian Antipaso recipe has been specially formulated and tested to allow low acid vegetables (with added vinegar) to be processed safely in a boiling water canner. It yields a product with a well-balanced flavour and varied texture. Do NOT alter ingredients or measures. When ready to serve, to make a traditional antipasto, toss the contents of a jar of Vegetarian Antipasto with tuna, salmon or shrimp and add your personal finishing touchesÂmushrooms, olive oil and/or olives. Or, just serve this delicious Antipasto on its own. It`s delicious as a spread, dip or appetizer.

Decided to add this to an existing thread instead of starting a new one to make it easier for the next person who searches this topic ; ) i have a recipe from Edon Waycott's book 'preserving the taste'. i made it several years ago and remember that it was pretty tasty but that i couldn't get a good seal and was dubious about the safety anyway so i just refrigerated it and ate it. After reading a few eggplant threads i'm pretty sure that was the right decision. The recipe includes eggplants, peppers, olive oil, garlic, red pepper, salt and basil. Not safe, right? There's another recipe that i plan to try-this one calls for dehydrating sliced eggplant and then freezing it. It can be added to pizza, salad or tomato sauce. Most of the posts i've read mention that frozen eggplant gets soggy and this seems like a way to avoid that. i'll post it here so others can give it a go. *********************************************************** Oven-Dried Herbed Eggplant Slices 3# Japanese eggplant, sliced 1/2" thick 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 2 Tbs chopped fresh basil 1 Tbs chopped fresh marjoram 1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme 1/3 c. olive oil Combine all ingredients except eggplant. layer eggplant on baking sheets and brush both sides with mixture. Place in center of oven at lowest setting for 24 hours undisturbed. Remove from oven, cool completely to room temperature and pack in freezer bags, expelling as much air as possible, before freezing.

Carrots surrounding a tomato plant. There is actually an italina basil on the left corner which blends in, and the corner to the right has thyme which got completely overtaken. I love the purple basil. I am going to use more next year as accents. The square is laid out in 4 foot by four foot squarees, and there are about 8 carrots in each square. It worked out really well because weeds can't survive, and I've been thinning the carrots (larger ones first) and eating them for months and the others just fill in.