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

duajones · January 6, 2009

Someone posed this question at GW and I though it was a good question. While I am fairly new to the whole home garden veggie growing, I really notice the biggest difference in tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and okra out of what I have grown. Squash was one I couldnt tell much difference and Eggplant was one that I couldnt compare since its been so long since I have bought it. Just wondering what everyones thoughts are on the subject.

Barbee · January 6, 2009

I'll add sweet corn to your list. Eating sweet corn from a grocery store is not comparable to eating home grown. Grocery store corn is hard and dried out. When you pull back that shuck and the juice squirts you in the face, then you've got some real sweet corn.

Trice · January 6, 2009

Store bought tomatoes and garlic cannot even be compared to homegrown ones.

shelleybean · January 6, 2009

Tomatoes
Eggplant-big ones at the store can be bitter, I pick smaller from the garden
Sweet Potatoes-I like the white ones, which I can't find at the store
Sugar Snap Peas
Snap Beans
Field Peas
Okra
Corn
Carrots-the ones at the store are not as sweet, maybe it's storage time?

tuttamatta · January 6, 2009

I agree with all of the above, and I would like to add one more that really surprised me: CELERY.
Let me say here that Celery is my least favorite veggie, but since it is good for High Blood Pressure I make a drink with it, plus I add a banana, some flax seeds and a bit of honey; but I found that the homegrown celery is somewhat more intense and I like it A LOT BETTER.

tessa · January 6, 2009

potatoes, potatoes, potatoes.
i had no idea what fresh potatoes actually tasted like...until i grew some!

i agree that carrots are sweeter when home grown, as are onions.
also swedes (rutabega) are very buttery, actually, when home grown.

i did not notice any difference in the zuchinnis, pumpkins, capsicums (bell peppers) or herbs and other leafy greens, except that the stems on the silverbeet (swiss chard) was sweeter.

gosh. come to australia and re-learn the names for most of your favourite foods! LOL!

montanamato · January 6, 2009

I can eat fresh cabbage out of the garden raw with a little sea salt, and I sure can't with store bought...
Radishes too.

Jeanne

Wi-sunflower · January 6, 2009

i did not notice any difference in the zuchinnis

Oh my, you've never had zucchini like I grow it then.

We try to pick it about the size of your hand, young and tender. You don't need to peel it and there are no seeds. Plus when it's fresh it's not rubbery like the stuff I find in the grocery stores here.

Ruth_10 · January 6, 2009

Strawberries. The strawberries you get in the grocery store are a laugh. Big and tasteless. A homegrown strawberry is ambrosia.

Tomatoes are another obvious one. What they have to do to something soft like a tomato to make it shippable 'cross country (or between countries) makes it darn near inedible.

Sometimes peppers from the grocery store are waxed to keep them from drying out and I hate the feel of the wax when I handle the pepper. Makes me want to put a match to it and see if it would burn.

I am starting to lose my memory of grocery store fresh vegetables. We are able to pretty much eat all year long on what we grow in the garden, preferably fresh but if not, then frozen. We still have to buy garlic and potatoes and part of our onions.

HBKitmitto · January 6, 2009

I'm new here but wanted to chime in. I just tasted my first homegrown carrot from my garden and it was soooo much better than store bought carrots. Really nice and sweet!

gssgarden · January 7, 2009

Everything !!!!

But Peas the most for me

Greg

RosaDawn · January 7, 2009

Tomatoes,green beans and spinach..Spinach tastes so much better when you get it fresh from the garden.

Tomaat · January 11, 2009

I'd like to add broccoli (also the sprouting broccoli),cauliflower, collards,chards and a lot more.
Home grown vegetables are eaten very fresh (max 1 hour after harvest).
I am afraid no supermarket bought vegetables can compete it!

Tania · January 11, 2009

arugula, mustard greens and lettuce - absolutely wonderful from the garden, very bland from the store.

duajones · January 12, 2009

wont be long until I can compare brussel sprouts, hope to harvest some in the next couple weeks

January 6, 2009	#1
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	Which veggies have the biggest difference in taste compared to store bought? Someone posed this question at GW and I though it was a good question. While I am fairly new to the whole home garden veggie growing, I really notice the biggest difference in tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and okra out of what I have grown. Squash was one I couldnt tell much difference and Eggplant was one that I couldnt compare since its been so long since I have bought it. Just wondering what everyones thoughts are on the subject.

January 6, 2009	#2
Barbee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: SW Ohio Posts: 1,818	I'll add sweet corn to your list. Eating sweet corn from a grocery store is not comparable to eating home grown. Grocery store corn is hard and dried out. When you pull back that shuck and the juice squirts you in the face, then you've got some real sweet corn. __________________ *Barbee*

January 6, 2009	#4
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Tomatoes Eggplant-big ones at the store can be bitter, I pick smaller from the garden Sweet Potatoes-I like the white ones, which I can't find at the store Sugar Snap Peas Snap Beans Field Peas Okra Corn Carrots-the ones at the store are not as sweet, maybe it's storage time? __________________ Michele

January 6, 2009	#9
Ruth_10 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MO z6a near St. Louis Posts: 1,349	Strawberries. The strawberries you get in the grocery store are a laugh. Big and tasteless. A homegrown strawberry is ambrosia. Tomatoes are another obvious one. What they have to do to something soft like a tomato to make it shippable 'cross country (or between countries) makes it darn near inedible. Sometimes peppers from the grocery store are waxed to keep them from drying out and I hate the feel of the wax when I handle the pepper. Makes me want to put a match to it and see if it would burn. I am starting to lose my memory of grocery store fresh vegetables. We are able to pretty much eat all year long on what we grow in the garden, preferably fresh but if not, then frozen. We still have to buy garlic and potatoes and part of our onions. __________________ --Ruth Some say the glass half-full. Others say the glass is half-empty. To an engineer, it’s twice as big as it needs to be. Last edited by Ruth_10; January 7, 2009 at 08:41 PM. Reason: Whoops, strawberries are usually considered fruits. Oh well. Still holds.

January 7, 2009	#12
RosaDawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Indiana Posts: 70	Tomatoes,green beans and spinach..Spinach tastes so much better when you get it fresh from the garden. __________________ To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves. ~Mahatma Gandhi~

January 6, 2009	#3
Trice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Coldspring, Texas Posts: 22	Store bought tomatoes and garlic cannot even be compared to homegrown ones.

January 6, 2009	#5
tuttamatta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: portland,Oregon Posts: 52	I agree with all of the above, and I would like to add one more that really surprised me: CELERY. Let me say here that Celery is my least favorite veggie, but since it is good for High Blood Pressure I make a drink with it, plus I add a banana, some flax seeds and a bit of honey; but I found that the homegrown celery is somewhat more intense and I like it A LOT BETTER.

January 6, 2009	#6
tessa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: perth, western australia Posts: 1,031	potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. i had no idea what fresh potatoes actually tasted like...until i grew some! i agree that carrots are sweeter when home grown, as are onions. also swedes (rutabega) are very buttery, actually, when home grown. i did not notice any difference in the zuchinnis, pumpkins, capsicums (bell peppers) or herbs and other leafy greens, except that the stems on the silverbeet (swiss chard) was sweeter. gosh. come to australia and re-learn the names for most of your favourite foods! LOL!

January 6, 2009	#7
montanamato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Montana Posts: 1,038	I can eat fresh cabbage out of the garden raw with a little sea salt, and I sure can't with store bought... Radishes too. Jeanne

January 6, 2009	#8
Wi-sunflower Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 2,591	i did not notice any difference in the zuchinnis Oh my, you've never had zucchini like I grow it then. We try to pick it about the size of your hand, young and tender. You don't need to peel it and there are no seeds. Plus when it's fresh it's not rubbery like the stuff I find in the grocery stores here.

January 6, 2009	#10
HBKitmitto Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 23	I'm new here but wanted to chime in. I just tasted my first homegrown carrot from my garden and it was soooo much better than store bought carrots. Really nice and sweet!

January 7, 2009	#11
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	Everything !!!! But Peas the most for me Greg

January 11, 2009	#13
Tomaat Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 154	I'd like to add broccoli (also the sprouting broccoli),cauliflower, collards,chards and a lot more. Home grown vegetables are eaten very fresh (max 1 hour after harvest). I am afraid no supermarket bought vegetables can compete it!

January 11, 2009	#14
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	arugula, mustard greens and lettuce - absolutely wonderful from the garden, very bland from the store. __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

January 12, 2009	#15
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	wont be long until I can compare brussel sprouts, hope to harvest some in the next couple weeks