From a low maintenance longterm survival strategy - I would really recommend everyone ordering about 50 lbs. of Jerusalem Artichokes & planting a large area with them. If you have fairly good soil & water them they grow without any work at all. The only downside is they are an aggressive plant so they will dominate which is also their strength because you don't need to weed or spray them. (at least here)
The other fast growing low maintenance veggie I would recommend is zucchini. No need to spray or weed because they just take over & produce a heavy crop that can be canned or frozen fairly easily. I absolutely love to slice them about 1/4 inch thick - spray with cooking spray & grill them until they are golden brown on both sides. Healthy & Delicious - at least for me. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
I also have two peach trees, but will warn you they are a lot of work. A dead ripe peach is the best food on the planet except for maybe a dead ripe tomato. I guess it depends on which one I'm eating. Also have two more peach trees that are only couple years old that I'm not letting produce yet so they will grow faster. If you are going to try growing peaches I highly recommend you get a good sprayer (metal end - not the plastic ones) and order some
Surround Spray. The first 3 years I tried all kinds of different sprays including SEVEN, etc. and my peach crop was 95% or so wormy. I tried Surround & was stunned. Still have a 10% to 20% that get infected, but I pick most of those off. Last year I was eating 12- 15 peaches a day for about 3 weeks. And I froze tons of them. Canned peaches have virtually no flavor - frozen is better, but still nothing compared to when they are dead ripe. I have problems with the Surround clogging the sprayer, but have found if I mix SEVEN with it then it breaks it down. I read recently that you want to put a piece of panty hose over the intake hose in the sprayer.
I also have a raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and asparagus which are all nice crops to have because they don't need to be replanted everyyear.
Also grow some potatos so I can have some new potato soup every spring.
Four pear trees, but the only one I get fruit from is the Kiefer canning pear because the raccoons keep beating me to the fruit on the other trees. <img src="/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> But that's ok because I'm planning on eating every coon within 10 miles anyways if we ever have to start fending for ourselves. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> The three that they clean out early are the softer bartlett types. The Kiefer is a tough skinned canning pear, but I love it because it is very crunchy & sweet.
I have a yellow delicious apple tree, but between the viruses & bugs I just don't end up with much because I'm not faithful enough on it like I am on spraying the peaches.
Also grow 18-20 mostly Better Boy tomato's every summer & love making homemade spaghetti sauce. The dry powder sauce mix in the canning section at Wal-Mart is awesome. Tomato's will get eaten alive if you don't spray with SEVEN here is SW MO.