Which veggies have the biggest difference in taste compared to store bought? - Page 3

Medbury Gardens · January 22, 2009

salsify - (a purple-flowered, composite plant, Tragopogon porrifolius, whose root has an oyster-like flavor and is used as a culinary vegetable.) it is pretty as a flower too. Take a look at this: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TRPO

Can be a bad weed though,grows wild on the side of the roads around here.

the999bbq · January 23, 2009

hmm, shouldn't we all yell : "all vegetables taste better homegrown" ? and why do we even wonder ...
Homegrown veggies are fresh, compare your onions with the ones you can buy in the store, mine are solid as a rock, the ones in the store aren't always so (I've seen a television show the other day where they explained onions are stored by the farmers sometime half a year to sell them off-season since they have to give money to get rid of them at harvest time - where are your fresh onions now ??). Homegrown raddish can make your eyes cry of their strong flavor but eat them instantly or be sure to run to the kitchen or they look 'different' already - the ones from the stores seem to last for days (no difference if you remove the loaf or not).
"You say tomato I say potatoe". I have never liked store bought tomatoes and never can get enough from my own. Growing tomatoes also is economically interesting - just look at the price of the "commercially odd varieties (the market wants a black tomato, we'll let them pay more for a black tomato)"... on the other hand people sometimes think that growing potatoes isn't worth doing so since they are that cheap and they can take up quite some space in the garden. But the difference is huge (taste and structure) and they seem to be treated a lot ... Same as the onions : by the end of season my own potatoes still look better than some you find in stores...

As average consumers we don't know anything anymore about how our food is grown - don't expect italian olives in all italian olive oils, don't expect meat from a single animal in your slice of protein-glued-meat, don't expect all cheese in your pizza-cheese,... expect the oil maffia, expect meat-binding, expect fake cheese,.... My region grows strawberries, but the seemingly commercially interesting soil grown varieties don't have the same amount of flavor as my own varieties (same soil, same air, same care, different varieties) but again mine don't store as long...

When you have the opportunity to buy local what they grow local things might be different, but as long as we buy stuff that is selected to be picked half mature, fly the world (sometimes more than once), get brutalised (handled and added value added ... duh) by a dozen of intermediate companies AND be cheaper than the locally grown food, don't expect better products than the ones we grow ourselves since the biggest qualities for selection are not taste ...

so my answer would be potatoes, tomatoes ... and everything else

sfmathews · January 27, 2009

Of course tomatoes! But alot of herbs too, parsley, cilantro, green onions. But so do leafy greens, like lettuce, chard and others.

Polar_Lace · January 27, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by the999bbq

hmm, shouldn't we all yell : "all vegetables taste better homegrown" ? and why do we even wonder ...

Yeah... I ditto that!

~* Robin

feldon30 · January 29, 2009

I truthfully was not blown away by the carrots I grew at home. Maybe I didn't do something right.

Medbury Gardens · January 29, 2009

I agree with carrots in that they seem to lose there sweetness a day or so after been picked.

OmahaJB · January 31, 2009

When I lived in Miami a lady at work brought me a date from her tree at home. I thought I was being nice to try it, since I hate store bought dates, but her's was absolutely oustanding! I'd eat those every day if I could. I have no idea what variety it was, but it seemed to melt in my mouth it was so good.

Not sure if a date is considered a fruit, and while surely not a vegetable, I still had to tell that story here.

cdbva · February 10, 2009

Omaha, I thought I loathed dates. But when we lived in Tucson, we'd stop at date farms (ranches?) on the way to Los Angeles. I discovered dates are wonderful.

Unfortunately I haven't found a source for them now that we're back east. The ones in the grocery store are rarely enticing, especially not the big medjools they keep in stock all year long.

The rest of my family still loathes dates and thinks I'm nuts.

I'm going to take a stab at peas this spring as I've heard they're much better fresh. Having been raised on unadulterated canned peas

, I'm looking forward to re-education.

Christine

OmahaJB · February 10, 2009

Christine,

If I lived in a warmer climate I'd definitely be trying to find fresh dates somewhere. Never could stand to eat them, but I'll never forget the one I had in Miami. Really, REALLY, delicious!

barkeater · February 12, 2009

Homegrown carrots are much sweeter than storebought, if they are grown for fall/winter harvest. Just like brussel sprouts, a few frosts really sweetens them up.

Even better is storing them right in the ground, and digging them up when they are under 2 feet of snow in February!

The variety makes a huge difference too. Sugersnax and Mokum are so much sweeter and tender than those big horse carrots sold in those supermarket cello packs.

Polar_Lace · February 13, 2009

I bought these kind of carrots Tonda di Parigi (a French Heritage) I can't wait to try them. Small round 1" to 2" size ruddy orange, for my window boxes. By the time they're ready to pull up, my annuals will be up enough to take over the window boxes. The foilage is so pretty.

~* Robin

FlipTX · February 14, 2009

Turnips! I always thought I loathed turnips, but it turns out I just hate the ones from the store. I planted Oasis and Hakurei last fall for my grandmother and as I was cooking some for her, I decided to be "brave" and try some for myself. Delicious! Sweet, sweet, sweet. I just picked the last of them and I'm sad they'll soon be gone.

Ruth_10 · February 14, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by barkeater

Homegrown carrots are much sweeter than storebought, if they are grown for fall/winter harvest. Just like brussel sprouts, a few frosts really sweetens them up.

Even better is storing them right in the ground, and digging them up when they are under 2 feet of snow in February!

The variety makes a huge difference too. Sugersnax and Mokum are so much sweeter and tender than those big horse carrots sold in those supermarket cello packs.

Mokum are the very best. I dug mine up in early December and am storing them in the refrigerator. They are still great to snack on (as a matter of fact, I just now had a few). In the past I have left them in the ground, but we don't get much snow cover and I have never succeeded in mulching them thickly enough to keep the ground from freezing over and making harvesting impossible. So this year I harvested them before the deep freeze hit.

There is no comparison between a store-bought carrot and a Mokum harvested in late fall/early winter.

fantoma · November 13, 2009

Great question

b54red · December 21, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by feldon30

I truthfully was not blown away by the carrots I grew at home. Maybe I didn't do something right.

Try starting some seed in early September and then agin each month until December. Make sure your soil is dug deep with a lot of organic mater and well limed and keep well watered. Here in the south carrots that mature when it is still cold are much better than the ones maturing in late spring or early summer. You can also leave them in the ground longer in cool weather but when it gets hot you have to get them out or they will be bitter, pithy or tasteless just like the ones in the grocery store.

January 23, 2009	#32
the999bbq Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Belgium Posts: 191	hmm, shouldn't we all yell : "all vegetables taste better homegrown" ? and why do we even wonder ... Homegrown veggies are fresh, compare your onions with the ones you can buy in the store, mine are solid as a rock, the ones in the store aren't always so (I've seen a television show the other day where they explained onions are stored by the farmers sometime half a year to sell them off-season since they have to give money to get rid of them at harvest time - where are your fresh onions now ??). Homegrown raddish can make your eyes cry of their strong flavor but eat them instantly or be sure to run to the kitchen or they look 'different' already - the ones from the stores seem to last for days (no difference if you remove the loaf or not). "You say tomato I say potatoe". I have never liked store bought tomatoes and never can get enough from my own. Growing tomatoes also is economically interesting - just look at the price of the "commercially odd varieties (the market wants a black tomato, we'll let them pay more for a black tomato)"... on the other hand people sometimes think that growing potatoes isn't worth doing so since they are that cheap and they can take up quite some space in the garden. But the difference is huge (taste and structure) and they seem to be treated a lot ... Same as the onions : by the end of season my own potatoes still look better than some you find in stores... As average consumers we don't know anything anymore about how our food is grown - don't expect italian olives in all italian olive oils, don't expect meat from a single animal in your slice of protein-glued-meat, don't expect all cheese in your pizza-cheese,... expect the oil maffia, expect meat-binding, expect fake cheese,.... My region grows strawberries, but the seemingly commercially interesting soil grown varieties don't have the same amount of flavor as my own varieties (same soil, same air, same care, different varieties) but again mine don't store as long... When you have the opportunity to buy local what they grow local things might be different, but as long as we buy stuff that is selected to be picked half mature, fly the world (sometimes more than once), get brutalised (handled and added value added ... duh) by a dozen of intermediate companies AND be cheaper than the locally grown food, don't expect better products than the ones we grow ourselves since the biggest qualities for selection are not taste ... so my answer would be potatoes, tomatoes ... and everything else Last edited by the999bbq; January 23, 2009 at 08:39 AM.

January 29, 2009	#35
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I truthfully was not blown away by the carrots I grew at home. Maybe I didn't do something right. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

February 13, 2009	#41
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	I bought these kind of carrots Tonda di Parigi (a French Heritage) I can't wait to try them. Small round 1" to 2" size ruddy orange, for my window boxes. By the time they're ready to pull up, my annuals will be up enough to take over the window boxes. The foilage is so pretty. ~* Robin __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

January 22, 2009	#31
Medbury Gardens Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Medbury, New Zealand Posts: 1,881	salsify - (a purple-flowered, composite plant, Tragopogon porrifolius, whose root has an oyster-like flavor and is used as a culinary vegetable.) it is pretty as a flower too. Take a look at this: http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=TRPO Can be a bad weed though,grows wild on the side of the roads around here.

January 27, 2009	#33
sfmathews Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Allen, TX Posts: 398	Of course tomatoes! But alot of herbs too, parsley, cilantro, green onions. But so do leafy greens, like lettuce, chard and others.

January 31, 2009	#37
OmahaJB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toledo, OH Posts: 1,821	When I lived in Miami a lady at work brought me a date from her tree at home. I thought I was being nice to try it, since I hate store bought dates, but her's was absolutely oustanding! I'd eat those every day if I could. I have no idea what variety it was, but it seemed to melt in my mouth it was so good. Not sure if a date is considered a fruit, and while surely not a vegetable, I still had to tell that story here.

February 10, 2009	#38
cdbva Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Falls Church, VA Posts: 538	Omaha, I thought I loathed dates. But when we lived in Tucson, we'd stop at date farms (ranches?) on the way to Los Angeles. I discovered dates are wonderful. Unfortunately I haven't found a source for them now that we're back east. The ones in the grocery store are rarely enticing, especially not the big medjools they keep in stock all year long. The rest of my family still loathes dates and thinks I'm nuts. I'm going to take a stab at peas this spring as I've heard they're much better fresh. Having been raised on unadulterated canned peas , I'm looking forward to re-education. Christine

February 12, 2009	#40
barkeater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NE Kingdom, VT - Zone 3b Posts: 1,439	Homegrown carrots are much sweeter than storebought, if they are grown for fall/winter harvest. Just like brussel sprouts, a few frosts really sweetens them up. Even better is storing them right in the ground, and digging them up when they are under 2 feet of snow in February! The variety makes a huge difference too. Sugersnax and Mokum are so much sweeter and tender than those big horse carrots sold in those supermarket cello packs.

February 14, 2009	#42
FlipTX Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 271	Turnips! I always thought I loathed turnips, but it turns out I just hate the ones from the store. I planted Oasis and Hakurei last fall for my grandmother and as I was cooking some for her, I decided to be "brave" and try some for myself. Delicious! Sweet, sweet, sweet. I just picked the last of them and I'm sad they'll soon be gone.

November 13, 2009	#44
fantoma Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Israel Posts: 57	Great question