Try Gardening, Preserving Food and More to Save Money
As we usher in the fall season and continue to face high prices at the grocery store, it’s the
perfect time to take your family’s food needs into your own hands. To save money on produce and store food items for later, consider several approaches, such as starting a garden, stocking up on fresh and nonperishable foods when they’re on sale, freezing produce and meat for future use, and canning fruits and vegetables. Here are some resources and tips to help build your food supply for colder months:
Grow a Fall Garden and Preserve Food
Do you have a green thumb or have you always wanted to try gardening? Growing your own vegetables is a great way to save money on fresh produce, and there’s still time to plant a fall garden. Even if you don’t have a lot of backyard space, consider having a patio garden using containers, raised beds or vertical planters.
If you need help getting started, reach out to experts who can offer guidance and answer
questions about best practices. Coweta County Cooperative Extension: The Coweta County Cooperative Extension offers a variety of resources for anyone interested in gardening or food preservation.
The Master Gardeners will have an “Ask the Master Gardener” booth at the 2026 Kiwanis
Coweta County Fair on Sept. 26 from 4 to 6 p.m. in front of the Walker-Horne Stage. They’re also available for questions at Main Street Newnan Market Day events. The next Market Day is scheduled for Oct 3.
On Oct. 13 at 7 p.m., the Master Gardeners will have a Backyard Association presentation on “Soil for the Southern Gardener” by Hillary Thompson. On Oct. 27 at 11 a.m., the Morning Glory Backyard Association will have a Master Gardener presentation on “Fall is for Gardening” by Jason Powell. Both events are free to the public and hosted at the Coweta County Cooperative Extension office at 255 Pine Road in Newnan. To attend, call to register at 770-254-2620.
In addition, the Family and Consumer Sciences calendar offers monthly canning and food
preservation classes. While the September and October classes are full, several other classes are coming for the fall and holiday seasons, including classes focused on canning, baking and gift making. Information about these classes can be found in the extension office’s newsletter, The Dawg Digest, which comes out on Oct. 1. To subscribe to the newsletter, visit https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/coweta/news—events-.html.
Lastly, the Coweta County Cooperative Extension plans to host some “Spice It Up” classes at local libraries, where they will make lower salt spice mixes. These events will be advertised through local libraries. For more information about the Coweta County Cooperative Extension’s resources, visit https://extension.uga.edu/county-offices/coweta.html.
Country Gardens Family Farm:
At Country Gardens Family Farm, Mike and Judy Cunningham offer classes and workshops to help customers learn how to grow, cook and preserve healthy food. To find out about upcoming classes and receive recipes and organic gardening tips, sign up to receive the farm’s weekly newsletter at https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/fbaMHDz.
On Sept. 26, Country Gardens Family Farm will host a class on Good Garden Soil where the speakers will discuss what makes good garden soil and how to build and improve it.
The teaching farmers are also available for private speaking engagements on a variety of topics.
Online classes are also coming soon, the farm’s website reports.
Customers interested in purchasing seasonal produce can visit Country Gardens Family Farm at 2050 Sharpsburg McCollum Road (Hwy. 154) in Newnan. The farmstand is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fall vegetables include baby greens mix, field peas, spinach, eggplant, sweet potatoes, peppers (sweet and hot), okra, arugula, butternut squash, winter squash, lettuce, malabar spinach, salad turnips, radishes, mild mustard greens, canned pepper sauce, collards, bokchoy, muscadines, apples from Beech Creek Farm, beets, broccoli, turnip greens, cabbage, Swiss chard, carrots and herbs. Please note: every item won’t be available each week.
The farm also has milk and pastured egg subscriptions and sells several meat products,
including grass fed beef, pastured pork and pastured chicken. Its vegetables are Certified
Naturally Grown following the same standards as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic standards. All food sold by the farm is grown without chemicals, antibiotics or any added hormones, according to Country Gardens Family Farm’s website. For more information about Country Gardens Family Farm, visit https://www.countrygardensfarm.com or call 770-251-2673.
Stock Up and Store or Freeze Until Later
To stock your freezer and pantry, look out for deals on food items, such as canned and
nonperishable goods, as well as produce and meat that can be frozen. Buy these items on sale to stretch your dollars and then freeze or store them until you need them later. Make a
shopping list and buy ingredients for your favorite cold weather meals and dishes, such as chili, stew, soup, casseroles or chicken pot pie. Fruits and vegetables, such as berries, tomatoes, beans, greens and corn, can also be frozen for smoothies or ingredients for your desired meals.
