Contents
- 1. Flavor is unparalleled with store-bought produce
- 2. You get access to new varieties with better flavor
- 3. Bottomless well with available varieties
- Final thoughts
- MEG’s Edible Landscapes
1. Flavor is unparalleled with store-bought produce
Flavor is one of the biggest advantages to growing your own food when you have the opportunity. Tastebuds don’t lie. Store-bought produce is always going to lag behind in flavor and taste due to the simple fact the produce was harvested long before it made it to the super market aisle! One of the best compliments I ever received was from my youngest daughter after trying her first homegrown strawberry. She said “this is better than the strawberries from the grocery store”! You can’t get a fresher taste and flavor than from your own backyard.
2. You get access to new varieties with better flavor
An often overlooked aspect of growing your own food is the access to new varieties that are not offered for sale at grocery stores or even farmers markets. The food you see at the store is a compromise of flavor and taste for shelf stability and travel characteristics. For example, melon varieties with thicker skins travel better although they may have less sugar and a bland flavor.
3. Bottomless well with available varieties
Speaking of varieties to choose from, this is practically a bottomless well of opportunities. There are countless number of seed catalogs and companies to choose from all the way from the hottest peppers in the world to the largest pumpkins. Research and Development universities continue to improve old standard varieties and add to the already large selection of plant varieties on the market.
Final Thoughts
We’re going to continue on this quest to give you the 101 Greatest Reasons For Growing Your Own Food in future posts. There’s so many different options out there for seed varieties that it can sometimes be overwhelming. Our advice is to start slow and try a couple or few new varieties of plants each year.
MEG’s Edible Landscapes
MEG is continuing to add new and exciting products to the lineup every year. This year, we’re adding more than half a dozen new hot and mild pepper varieties alone plus special projects like Operation Cup of Joe!
Have you checked MEG’s new CSA starting this Spring? We had requests for CSA memberships last year and thought “why not”? It’s a brilliant idea coupled with MEG’s tried and true method using grow bags. Our automated watering system is complimentary to each CSA package this year too! No more worrying about watering plants. We’re taking that chore off your plate. Check out the premium membership here and the basic membership here. Don’t delay, we only have 20 CSA memberships available for 2023!
Keep growing!
Andy
MEG’s Dad and Founder