[Foghorn-Leghorn]

the site on the right just after level crossing?
my ex's parents lived up there

We've not got a lottie but we do live fairly close to the ones you mention.  We've got a large garden which is slowly but surely being taken over by veg growing and chicken keeping (and I wouldn't have it any other way!).

(Sorry for hijacking this post juliec!  )

[TheSpartacat]

All you can do is ease them into it. They definitely taste completely different. And its not just a case of me being wistful for a long gone yesteryear through rose tinted taste buds...(i'm only 31)- the decrease in quality has been quite rapid.
I think intensive farming and full flavour just don't cohabit, and most of the veg we buy now is very, very intensively grown, and that wont change any time soon.

Carrots and tomatoes are the two things i notice the BIGGEST difference with shop bought for flavour. No comparisons at all. And much of the tomatoes we buy have been picked before they are ripe, and ripen instead while in transit - and never develop the flavour they should, or could if sun ripened.

Maybe look around for some milder flavoured varieties of cabbages etc?
And wash that mud off before they see it!!   (and the caterpillar nibbled leaves!!)

A dig for victory campaign would be exceptionally common sense, given the economic climate... we import far too much food. Not to mention waste too much food (and a large part of that is having to buy protectively packaged bags of veg that go off as soon as you open them... Anyone else notice how your home grown carrots keep for ages, but the shop ones go black/soft/bendy or sprout in a couple of weeks?)
And dont get me started on cucumbers... I had one that kept crunchy for 3 weeks in the fridge last summer that a neighbour gave me. (i was savouring it slowly) Try getting 3 days out of a shop bought one!?

The supermarkets make more money by selling you more than you need, that will go off quickly and need to be replaced the following week.... grr rrr rrr

[juliec]

All you can do is ease them into it. They definitely taste completely different. And its not just a case of me being wistful for a long gone yesteryear through rose tinted taste buds...(i'm only 31)- the decrease in quality has been quite rapid.
I think intensive farming and full flavour just don't cohabit, and most of the veg we buy now is very, very intensively grown, and that wont change any time soon.

Carrots and tomatoes are the two things i notice the BIGGEST difference with shop bought for flavour. No comparisons at all. And much of the tomatoes we buy have been picked before they are ripe, and ripen instead while in transit - and never develop the flavour they should, or could if sun ripened.

Maybe look around for some milder flavoured varieties of cabbages etc?
And wash that mud off before they see it!!   (and the caterpillar nibbled leaves!!)

A dig for victory campaign would be exceptionally common sense, given the economic climate... we import far too much food. Not to mention waste too much food (and a large part of that is having to buy protectively packaged bags of veg that go off as soon as you open them... Anyone else notice how your home grown carrots keep for ages, but the shop ones go black/soft/bendy or sprout in a couple of weeks?)
And dont get me started on cucumbers... I had one that kept crunchy for 3 weeks in the fridge last summer that a neighbour gave me. (i was savouring it slowly) Try getting 3 days out of a shop bought one!?

The supermarkets make more money by selling you more than you need, that will go off quickly and need to be replaced the following week.... grr rrr rrr

How do we get the country to dig for nourishment without a war?

[TheSpartacat]

How do we get the country to dig for nourishment without a war?

Call it The X-Farmer / X-Tractor and have Simon Trowel on it?  

It was necessity that made people start growing... I guess it'll be necessity that would kickstart that level of growing.
I have noticed at home (Ireland) a huge number of people I know who were never interested before have started growing veg in their gardens this year. I guess the increase in job losses and cost of food is having an impact. And the GIY Ireland campaign has completely BOOMED in the past year. (All started by a bloke (Michael Kelly) who jacked in his city job and started growing with no prior experience, and then wrote a book about it. He started the first GIY group in 2009. It's huge now, with about 80 groups sprung up around the country!

They all get together to teach each other, and have started up the old tradition of "meitheals' or 'working groups' where people go to each others places and get the big jobs done)
Video about it here:
Xa3h0crm6nU

But there's a worryingly large number of people these days who wouldnt know what to do with a raw vegetable...

EDIT: I've just watched that video again- from back in March, it says there were 35 GIY groups... i checked the GIY website and there's now 81 groups...  Thats amazing! :-)

[GrannieAnnie]

I agree with the others Jools!  It does take time to get the family ued to anything with an actual taste!  About 4 years ago, youngest stsep DIL wanted to grow a bit of veg, so I gave her some young plants to start her off.  In amongst them were 4 tomato plants.  Some time later, I asked her how it was going.  "oh okay" she said, "but a couple of the tomato plants were manky, so I dug them out!"

Okay, it happens, but then further on, we went over there and I took her some of my tomato glut, in amongst them were some small yellow pear and Tiger stripe toms.  "Oh" she said, "that's just what my manky ones went like!"   She'd never seen a tomato that wasn't red!

Then earlier this year eldest grandaughter came over with her younger sister and her little girl.  "Nan, what's this smell in your fridge?"  "It's the juices out of the beef waiting to be made into gravy" I told her.  "Beef doesn't smell" she said, "at least not like this!"  lol  She'd never eaten proper beef before, only what comes out of the supermarkets

But don't give up on them!  They'll get used to it and so will you!!!!

[savbo]

I think things that have lasted into winter often taste stronger - they've just been around so long! Stuff you pick this spring is likely to be lighter in taste but still tasty

[Springlands]

A couple of years ago I gave a friend some of my hens eggs - her children complained that they tasted too "eggy". A lot of people are just not used to the taste of good, wholesome food. They have been brought up on processed rubbish and unfortunately do not know better.

I cannot wait to taste my own tomatoes and cukes - shop bought will never compete.

[Christo]

Couldn't agree more. For a start, I grow things that I and my wife like to eat (we have 2 very young children). I think it will be a matter of easing the children into the veggies (although hopefully that's what they'll grow up being used to). As for friends and family, they can take it or leave it.....

[rowlandwells]

i think there's a lot of misconception over what we eat these days especially home grown
produce obviously cost comes in to play as commercial growers are more inclined to put quantity first and foremost because supermarkets demand growers to wash and pre-pack  veg ready for the shelves i believe most of our younger generation don't actually know how vegetables are  grown may be there told it grows in  fields or they may have seen it in fields when they go on holiday or go out for the day  

they see mum picking up vegetables in packets at the supermarket not even a peck of dirt on it  almost ready for the pot the perfect thing for working mums as for the lottie grower well we know how our veg is grown where its grown and its always freshly picked to serve dirt and all

all our four children where brought up on mainly home produce carrot swede Brussels cabbage broad bean runner bean and so on now  grown up they are more picky with there veg some don't like this and that likewise my grandchildren are very fussy about veg some will eat some  veg some a definite no 

i gave one of the young grand kids a freshly picked tomato he said that's disgusting i said would you prefer a McDonald's he said yes my daughter said they won't eat vegetables apart from a few peas and would you believe my daughter has took on an allotment 

hopefully as they get older they will understand the taste of fresh veg and how good veg is for them years ago if you didn't eat it you when without as most families couldn't afford to waste food 

so jools your not on your own some of us have the same problem may be its the new generation 



                                                                                                                                               

[binner]

the site on the right just after level crossing?
my ex's parents lived up there

We've not got a lottie but we do live fairly close to the ones you mention.  We've got a large garden which is slowly but surely being taken over by veg growing and chicken keeping (and I wouldn't have it any other way!).

(Sorry for hijacking this post juliec!  )

i wish i had a big garden like that, not allowed hens as it backs on houses

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

Binner, it may be worth checking with the council as generally you can keep hens (obviously there are some exceptions), even in an urban garden, just no cockerel!  A few eggs can always work as a sweetener with neighbours too 

[binner]

it was the council tht told us as we were signing the lease, they are new plots they made to meet demand but under the understanding no hens etc as the new plots ran along the two sides with houses, this was supposed to be kept as a barrier between plots and houses

[Foghorn-Leghorn]

it was the council tht told us as we were signing the lease, they are new plots they made to meet demand but under the understanding no hens etc as the new plots ran along the two sides with houses, this was supposed to be kept as a barrier between plots and houses

Oh what a shame 

[SG6]

Juliec,
As an alternative especially if childrens are involved visit the plants of distinction site, http://www.podseeds.co.uk/ and order the tomato's currant goldrush and currant sweetpea.

They are pretty small but a great way for kids to have fun.
Grow a few of each, just 2 or 3, and grow them up a 6ft cane.
Not exactly practical for cooking but as said great for kids.

Grow onions, you peel them and chop them up so no one will have a clue if shop bought or home grown.

If you get the small tomato's get some normal/large ones and grow them, again use in cooking.

Basically suppliment what you would use for cooking with.

[prakash_mib]

Juliec,
It wont be too long before they say that shop bought one is rubbish. we are struggling with that sort of comment from our son..
1. We stopped buying strawberries at all (we just have 2 plants and we are satisfied with it)
2. our son likes scarlet globe radish in salad and munches sweetcorn on cob any time. after our summer produces, we bought a pack of scarlet globe last week and he ate just 3 and said "This taste like nothing. I dont like it". and he just had bite from the cob we bought from supermarket as well.

Prepare for the change.