Vegetables are not grown at Publix...
My kids have no idea how most fruits and vegetables are grown, and to be honest, neither do I.
So I am making an investment in a farm near Boynton Beach. For $400, Green Cay Produce will deliver part of its bounty to our house every other week from October through May. We will also be able to visit the farm to see how our fruits and vegetables are grown.
They call it community-supported agriculture, and it's considered a way to keep small farms afloat and eat food as it's fresh and available, instead of frozen and bland.
It sounded pretty expensive, and I chose the least costly option (you can also get a bigger box and get one each week instead of every other week). If we have a hurricane, I likely will lose my money.
But I want to see if fresh-off-the-vine produce actually does taste better than what I buy at Publix. For more information, go to http://veggies4u.com.
Comments
Well depending on how it's grown you may or may not taste a difference. If you've never picked a green bean, say, from a garden and eaten it right there, raw, then you may not notice anything right away. I don't know if saying farm-fresh produce tastes "better" than Publix produce, but I do know that farm produce is more flavorful. As well the nutritional content tends to be a bit higher as well since the produce is harvested when it's supposed to be. Non local produce has to be picked much earlier which can prevent the produce from developing certain characteristics which enhance its nutritional content. To compensate for this, corporate growers have to add stuff like hormones, dyes, or other chemicals so we'll think the produce looks normal and we'll buy it.
Posted by: Jenny | August 30, 2007 9:20 AM
I know what you mean; I hesitate to buy produce that doesn't look "perfect," even though I know it's really fine to eat.
Posted by: Lois | August 30, 2007 11:33 AM
Back in the 70's, my mother joined a food co-op. Each week she would pick up a huge box of fruits and veggies. It was always fun to see what would be in each weeks allotment. Back then, there were very few kids bring pomegranates to school with lunch!!!
Posted by: DadofTwo | September 6, 2007 9:42 PM