Check with your local extension office and nurseries for guidance on the varieties that do best in your area. You can see the recommended varieties for commercial growers in Oregon, including the Lower Columbia Basin, in Oregon State University's Vegetable Culture Guides. Choose varieties selected for canning, freezing and fresh eating. Over the centuries, and in some cases over the millennia, edible plants have been selected for those characteristics desired by human consumers. Now you can find corn that retains its flavor, carrots that retain their texture, and peas that retain their color when frozen or canned.
Catalogs often tell which varieties are best for freezing, canning, and eating fresh.
The OSU Culture Guides also describe which varieties are best for each purpose. Choose varieties suitable for storage. If winter storage is in your plans, note that some varieties store better than others. Walla Walla sweet onions, for example, don't store well at all. At the opposite end of the storage spectrum, high-sulfur onions such as Copra can be stored for several months under appropriate conditions.