If you look at the popular Sunset Western Garden Book's climate zoning they have the southern Oregon coastal strip you are in in the same zone as San Francisco etc. You can also look up vegetable plant varieties in the same reference and see which ones they have zoned for your climate.

Last time I checked the temperature range given by official sources for Brookings was 18F to something like 103F. So, as up here, it sometimes does get hot there. An additional factor not seen elsewhere is the Brookings Effect, where warm air from the Central Valley is attracted to the ocean right where Brookings is, causes mild spells there during the winter. One year I drove from cold in the interior through snow over the mountains (on 199) to be greeted by balmy breezes and 50s F. at Brookings.

The camp site I used had a recently planted avocado tree on it. The northernmost wild coast redwood grove is up the Chetco River from Brookings. In addition to you having moved to where there is a mild climate that you can grow all kinds of interesting decorative plants in the Siskiyou-Klamath Mountains complex immediately south and east of there is a botanical wonderland. Right in town there is a park with large native specimens of coast azalea (Rhododendron occidentale).

Brookings effect is caused by high pressure inland driving surface winds downslope from the Siskiyou Mountains and onto the adjacent coastline.

The thermal lows that originate in California are a separate weather event and can extend up the entire coastline.

I did mean Non-GMO seeds and went here to get them yesterday: http://stores.ebay.com/theheirloomseedcompany/HEIRLOOM-VEGETABLE-SEEDS-/_i.html?_fsub=10

and giant Butterscotch Parsnip seeds from this seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/220978265809?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

We will concentrate on food we can put by or donate. The lot is filled with exotic landscape plants and we will weave in veggies and herbs. I got seeds for: basil-curly spinach-yard long bean-Parisian round carrots-Armenian cuke-Beet-Dill-Scalloped Sqash-Rainbow Chard-Leeks-Green Onion-Salad Lettuce-Rainbow Heirloom Carrots and that giant Parsnip

The first thing I would do is get to know your exotic plants. Take pictures of them and take them to your local nursery and have them tell you about your plants. Parsnips are fine and all that, but the advantage of living where you do enables you to grow a lot of 'exotic' plants. You live in a special place as Embothrium pointed out.

Join a garden club. You will find a lot of people that grow both veggies, and or a large selection ornamental plants for the landscape.

Mike

Depending on where you lived before moving to Brookings, those "exotic" plants in your landscape may very well just be common west coast ornamentals :-) You can always post photos of them in the Name That Plant forum (or here, if you prefer) to get an ID.

And you really don't need to worry about GMO'd seeds. These are restricted to large commercial agriculture and with (to date) relatively limited application, primarily corn, alfalfa, cotton, soybeans, canola/rapeseed, sugar beets and cane and rice. Developing a GMO'd plant or crop is far too expensive a process to make them the slightest bit appropriate for home gardeners.

So you are pretty much safe purchasing the veggie seeds of your choice from any seed vendor. Territorial Seed Company is a local (Oregon) vendor that produces a huge range of seeds, many appropriate to PNW gardening conditions. They also carry both heirloom/open pollinated seeds and organic seeds and are available for purchase at most nurseries/garden centers or online (although shipping is steep - I'd vote for in-store purchase). Another excellent vendor that is very popular is Johnny's Select Seeds.