As we enjoy the last few days of summer, it feels like the right time to pause and reflect on the season that has been – and how this has moved us (even incrementally) towards a more self-sufficient way of living.

For me, self-sufficient living isn't about perfection or producing absolutely everything ourselves. It's about moving closer to nature. Closer to garden-to-table (or pantry). Closer to food that is wholesome, nourishing, and thoughtfully prepared, while still honouring the reality that we are busy people juggling many things each day.

Because I prefer a slow and steady approach, layering skills season upon season, I think it's wise to take a moment now to reflect on where we're at. To look at what went well, what didn't, and what we can learn from both.

As I write this at the end of February 2026 (I'm in New Zealand, so this is my end-of-summer), I want to share how this summer unfolded for us, particularly in the garden and in the preserving that resulted.

I've been growing and preserving from our quarter-acre section for many years, but the results change every year. And that, in itself, is part of the lesson.

What Went Well This Summer

The tomatoes we started early absolutely pumped – and then gave up (more on that below). But that first flush was excellent. We grew enough for a year's worth of tomato ketchup and tomato relish, which feels like a solid win.

For the other tomato preserves we want to make, we'll be tapping into tomatoes from an ex-commercial grower (so grateful for that acquaintance). We'll harvest those soon and focus on putting up more basic tomato preserves (stewed tomatoes, tomato soups etc.).

Our green beans have done well. We've put many kilos of beans into the freezer and one batch through the pressure canner. Right now, I'd estimate we have enough for about half a year, given how often we eat them.

The basil has been fabulous. We've enjoyed plenty fresh in salads (with those early tomatoes), and I'm dehydrating everything left in the garden, which will see us through the rest of the year.

Zucchini did well too. Most were eaten fresh, but I made an amazing chocolate zucchini cake for the freezer (made and eaten a few times over) and one batch of zucchini pickle for the pantry.

The eggplants have been slow producers – lots of flowers but not much fruit. I haven't completely given up hope, as I can finally see more forming, but more learning is required there.

We were gifted access to many different plums locally (Damson, Louisa and Black Doris). I made Damson paste (wow, so good) and about 7 L of plum sauce, which is enough for two years.

We harvested most of a large tree's worth of apricots, which meant apricot jam (my absolute favourite) and plenty for fresh eating.

Telegraph-style cucumber have done well and we've eaten those fresh. Gherkins, less so, and I'll take full responsibility there. I kept forgetting to pick them and they get too large for decent pickles. Still, three jars of sandwich pickles added to the shelves.

What Didn't Go Well This Summer

The tomatoes started with so much gusto and then petered out. We suspect they needed more fertiliser, so we'll address that next season.

I largely missed my window to harvest the chamomile and powdery mildew set in. That was disappointing. The bees loved it though, so there's that.

We had peaches coming from our own trees and three other properties. It should have been abundant. But rain set in, most of the fruit split, and much of it rotted before fully ripening. We did manage a few batches of peach BBQ sauce (which is insanely delicious), but no sliced peaches which we love.

Corn has been particularly disappointing. We planted lots, and while we have cobs, they're small. Smaller plants, smaller cobs. I had planned to freeze a good amount for corn salads (which we love with nacho mince), but that didn't come to fruition.

Strawberries were underwhelming too. We'll be working on improving that patch for next year. Three jars of strawberry jam made it to the shelves.

And currently, we haven't put up any jars of fruit in syrup. Aside from the strawberry jam, no other jams were made. Thankfully, we still have lots from last summer, so we're not short.

Lessons From the Garden When Working Towards Self-Sufficient Living

This summer has been a mixed bag – but I've come to expect this.

Following cyclones and unpredictable weather in recent years, I no longer rely on ever having a "perfect" summer. Too hot, too dry, too wet... it's out of our hands.

The good thing is, we don't need a perfect summer.

What we need is to preserve more than we need when we have the opportunity. And to prioritise preserving what we actually use (experimenting with new recipes comes when we have excesses past making what we know we'll actually use). 

I like to think in two-year cycles. When I can, I aim to make enough for two years rather than just one. That way, if we have a dud season, it doesn't matter so much.

Right now, I have years' worth of jams in our pantry. Likely enough stewed and bottled fruit for this year because we made more last year (and I'll focus more on apples and pears now that our summer fruit has been lacking). We have stacks of pickles, relishes, and chutneys. And, the garden is still producing – we've barely bought vegetables all summer which is a massive win.

When I look back on this summer, it didn't go as well as I'd hoped, particularly for preserving, but it has still fed us and we've been able to continue to stock up our pantry (and freezer) with food where we know exactly what's in it.

We've also learnt more about our site and what grows best in different locations, and we have crops we'll pay extra attention to next time.

This summer has also reinforced my own mantra that preservers' pantries are made outside of summer. Summer preserving season is not the be-all and end-all. In fact, we get most benefit from the foods we preserve from Autumn through to spring.

My Focus for Autumn

As we move into autumn, we'll start by clearing some areas in our garden beds and getting new crops going for winter. 

I'm looking at herbs such as oregano, marjoram, basil, mint, thyme, and rosemary that are all ready to be dehydrated. There's nothing better than home grown and dried herbs.

Chillies and capsicum are just coming into their own here now, so those paired with tomatoes and the eggplants I hope will get there are going to be made into a beautiful Puttanesca sauce and other pasta sauces. I'll be dehydrating and freezing lots of chillies too.

We'll be keeping an eye out for pears and apples locally to top up the jarred fruits in our pantry.

And, I'll be moving back into getting more meats, poultry, soups, and meals into jars because these provide the biggest benefit to my family.

I hope your summer preserving season has moved you further steps towards the back-to-basics, self-sufficient lifestyle you're wanting. One that is full of nourishing food and, as nature always provides, lots of learning.