Maybe check with Extension office in McCollum Park, on 128th just east of I-5.

Asparagus is pretty low upkeep, as is Good King Henry (Rumex).

First make sure that you are growing what you or your family will eat, then check if you have sunny spot or have to plant in halfshade. This will influence what you can grow. You can grow almost every veggy in our area if you have sunny spot (i was not successfull with watermelons and melons).
Some veggies will give you more "return" then other. For example, you can eat almost everything when you grow cabbage or salad but most part of broccoli plant will go to compost. My first teacher in gardening liked to say "Start small and then expand".

I'd suggest you locate a copy of Vegetable Gardening West of the Cascades by Steve Solomon. Most good bookstores carry it as well as nurseries that have book departments. Solomon is the founder of Territorial Seeds and a composting and organic gardening guru and this book is considered a bible for NW veggie gardeners.

While a huge variety of veggies will grow here relatively easily, not all are slam-dunks. Those that require significant summer heat to ripen - tomatoes, peppers, corn, etc. - often never reach harvest unless you choose cultivars that flourish in cooler climates or that have a short period to harvest. And growing veggies offers its own set of difficulties with assorted insect and soil pests and often, fungal problems arising from our cooler moist weather. Solomon's book will help you overcome many of these problems without resorting to chemical warfare.

Some of the easiest I've found to be are perennial vegetables like asparagus, rhubarb or horseradish, greens of virtually any kind, onions, peas and other cool season crops like the brassicas. And while the climate isn't ideal, I don't know many gardeners that don't try their hand at tomatoes, focusing on those cultivars that are known to be good producers in this area. I grow mine in containers and move them frequently to maximize their sun and heat exposure. And don't forget fruits - berries and some of the smaller fruits are very successful here with minimal effort.

Herbs generally are pretty carefree plants and even very simple herb gardens can be very rewarding. Most perennial herbs (like rosemary, oregano, thymes, lavender) prefer lean and very well draining soil as well as full sun so plan to site accordingly. And some herbs can be rather aggressive spreaders so it's helpful to do your research before planting and contain the more rambunctious types like mints, some oreganos, tarragon, etc.

Herbs like Lavender and Rosemary can be hard to keep healthy here because of our winter rains. If the soil drains well, and it's not too rich, then they are fine. Otherwise, the leaves start turning yellow. If it stays too wet around the plant, it may eventually rot away. They are great drought tolerant plants!

Thanks so much all of you! Very helpful information. And I will have to get a copy of that book, it can be so difficult to know which books will be helpful so thanks for that!

Can't miss with lettuce, spinach, greens of all kinds, peas, beans and berries. Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries. Onions and potatoes do very well if you have decent soil. Most herbs too. Radishes, carrots - with good soil. I don't bother with tomatoes, squashes, melons of any kinds, sunflowers. Need more heat than we get. Lettuce, on the other hand, can be grown year round.