We strive to become more self-sufficient in vegetables. Since we live in growing zone 7, it is quite, if not very, difficult and also a matter of time. But we do what we can, and we get some vegetables even if it's not enough all year round.
However, it is possible to provide ourselves with carrots and potatoes all year round.

We have a growing tunnel, a cheap alternative to a greenhouse. It provides a lot of growing space at a low price but is not optimal for, for example, tomatoes, which thrive better in a regular greenhouse. We use two types of fertilizer, nettle water and cow manure, nothing else. Since we try to grow our own anyway, it feels unnecessary and silly to use anything else, both because both types are available locally and because we don't want more things added to the food.

However, some things yield good results in a growing tunnel. We grow chard, which is a bit like spinach. Chard is grateful to grow here in zone 7, and it can be frozen.

The chard is rinsed, and then we remove the hard central stem and cut the leaves into strips. The leaves are boiled in lightly salted water and then drained and cooled. We then freeze the chard in organic freezer bags (sugar cane-based ones are available to order from vasterbottenssapa.se). The chard is then used in the same way as spinach, stewed, in stews or in lasagna.

Black kale is another crop that yields good results, and it actually grows outside the growing tunnel. Black kale grows well as long as it survives the beginning of summer when pests like to attack all kale. A kale net is necessary.
Black kale is super nutritious and works like kale. You can use black kale for everything you can use kale for. We boil it in lightly salted water and freeze it. Black kale can be used in soups, fried or boiled.

We make sure to have a little kale left for Christmas. Then we fry it in butter with a little pork and syrup. Wonderfully delicious!

We also get a lot of cucumbers. We eat as many cucumbers as we can while they are in season. Then it's a matter of taking care of the surplus, and it becomes pickled cucumber! It's really easy to pickle cucumbers yourself, and even if you don't have your own grown cucumbers, you may have the opportunity to buy from a local grower, a local food network, or you can take advantage of the season and benefit from the low prices on vegetables in the fall. Feel free to choose locally grown and organic and pickle yourself so you know exactly what you are eating, and it's not so bad for the wallet either.

Here's how you do it:

Ingredients
1.5 kg cucumber (Västerås cucumber is a variety that works well for pickling, but other varieties also work)
1 bunch of dill crowns
3 tbsp mustard seeds
3 dl vinegar spirit, 12%
5.5 dl water
0.75 dl salt
5 dl granulated sugar

Do this:

Wash the cucumbers and then cut them into slices of even thickness. If the peel is very thick or a little damaged, you can peel half of the cucumber (so that it becomes striped). Cut moderately thick slices, thicker slices become crispier. A mandoline is good to have, but watch your fingers.
Layer the slices in well-cleaned glass jars, add dill crowns (if you like dill) and mustard seeds.
Mix a brine of vinegar spirit, water, salt and granulated sugar. Stir with a whisk until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Then pour the brine over the cucumbers and close the jar. After about 2-3 weeks, they are ready to eat, but those who are eager can certainly taste them earlier.

This is our level, and there are many who are so much more diligent and ambitious, but we have found this to be a suitable level for us. We also have a soap factory and an e-commerce to run. More about this: www.vasterbottenssapa.se