[Sca-cooks] I finally got some land to garden on..

[Jenn Strobel]

..but i've never gardened before.

I'll have on the order of up to half an acre to build a garden on and
the ability to have a mulch pile (but that takes a while to "pay off"
as it were).  It is located in SouthWestern, PA and is mostly shaded. 
I don't want ornamental, i'm more focused towards a theme of "things I
can eat".

Given those conditions, what kinds of vegetables/plants would y'all
recommend I put in?  What advice would y'all have for the novice
gardener?  What books/websites would y'all recommend for me to peruse
for inspiration/information?

Stories of dream veg gardens that have little or nothing to do with my
question are completly acceptable and are, in fact, encouraged.

Jenn
-- 
"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring
production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
-Frank Zappa