Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Where Has The Flavour Gone?

For many years I spent my summers, filling 3 freezers with foods directly grown in our own soil.  What wasn't frozen was preserved.  Potatoes and carrots and onions were put in the root house to keep all winter.  When I cooked meals I knew there would be flaours in the food.

Sadly, because times do change, I am forced to purchase produce in the stores. 

So I ask the question, Where Has The Flavour Gone?  Tomatoes are in the stores, half ripe, and even if you let them set for a week they are tasteless and tough.  Potatoes are a disaster.  They are nothing more than fillers.  Onions, used to bring the tears immediately to a person's eyes.  On occasion you get an onion that will bring a slight watering, but I repeat only slight. 

I try to purchase Ontario produce.  It doesn't matter what store, it's all the same.  I often buy from roadside stands.  Same thing----no flavour.

Is the soil depleted?  Is it the very seeds themselves, which have had the good bred out of them?   Have our vegetables become just a fillers?  Is this why so many spices are being used in foods?I know my conversation thread will offend some, but I am serious and I find it alarming as our Ontario farmers compete with USA and other countries.  How can we return to good old fashioned Ontario farm produce that was second to none? 

Frances

Views: 374

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by frances thurlow on September 5, 2010 at 5:59am
Wouldn't it be wonderful if one of the grocery chains would open up a section of the produce counter for vegetables grown from "Heritage Sees" and "Tubers"? If nothing else it would be an exercise to see which produce appealed to the majority of shoppers, whether they be rural or urban. Because many of todays young people have no idea what the flavour of a particular item such as a tomato should taste like, they do not visit famers markets and road-side stands.
Another classic example happened this week, when I was invited out for lunch to a private home. The frustrated young lady who was preparing a salad finally said to us "Can anybody tell me how to peel this tomato"? She ended up peeling it as you would a potato. It was the only way the skin would come from the tomato. Yet another time this week, at a restaurant I ordered a hamburg with all the trimmings. There was a full slice of tomato on the meat,and in the centre of the slice was the hard green core so common with today's variety and typical of what is being offered in the stores. The onion, was so bland, I hardly knew it was an onion. No flavour, no smell. Am I correct, that a few years ago there was a movement to produce onions without their distinct aroma. There is nothing like the smell of a good onion to give one an appetite. So I still ask Where Has All The Flavour Gone"---Is it the very seed itself which has been modified---is it the soil that is depleted----is there any hope of returning to our wonderful foods once grown? I fear the answer is no. It's a big world and our farmers are competeing and having to produce and harvest foods at a faster rate and in greater quantity. I also add, that nobody should feel offended when their is criticism given for a good cause.
Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on September 9, 2010 at 11:53am
It is hard to compete Taste for Taste with memories of meals/produce/onions in the past.....so the Good Old Days will likely never be beaten in this crazy world...

I do know that my Dad told me that during the Second World War, if they wanted fresh meat he had to go hunting and hopefully got a deer with the one bullet he had saved...rationing and they were poor on the farm. Only 70 years ago...

He also remembered the big treat at Christmas in the stocking was a navel orange from Florida...they were a real treat...

I agree with you that fresh produce, picked from our large garden...ripened on the vine or fresh corn off the stalk and boiled is hard to beat....

I do think that maybe flavour is the price we pay for our abundance and variety of food at ridiculously low prices.

Good discussion....

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Which Situations Require the Use of a Soybean Inoculant?

If soybeans have been in a rotation on the field, an inoculant is not normally recommended. Most universities recommend that if the field has not grown soybeans in the last 3 or more years an inoculant may help to prevent a yield loss. Some environmental conditions, such low pH, floods, and drought may increase the need for periodic inoculation even in fields with a history of soybean production. Care must be used when storing and handling these products as they contain a living bacteria. Soybeans form a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that live in the soil (Figure 1). In this relationship, Rhizobia bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen into a plant available form in exchange for plant-derived carbon. Because soybeans are the host for the bacteria, if soybeans are grown in rotation the bacteria will persist in the soil. However, if soybeans have never been grown or have not been grown in an area for several years, the bacteria can become deple

Effects of Frost & Freeze Conditions on Young Corn and Soybeans

Air temperatures at or below 28 °F can be fatal to corn and soybeans, depending on their duration and crop growth stage. Waiting a few days after the freeze or frost event to examine affected plants, is the best way to assess the extent of damage and make management decisions. Certain management practices such as herbicide applications, may need to be delayed when frost-freeze injury occurs. Air temperatures at or below 28 °F for just a few hours can kill corn outright, even when the growing point is below ground, while air temperatures above 28 °F have a variable effect on young corn. For soybeans, when the air temperature drops below 28-32 °F, plants can experience some degree of frost damage. If the freeze period lasts for several hours and damage occurs below the cotyledons, soybeans can die. When light frost occurs, it typically shows up in bottom ground and lower parts of fields where the cold air has a chance to collect. It may also show up in fields protected by trees, since

Bfo Statement: Ontario Court Upholds The Legislation And Intent Of The Security From Trespass Act

The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) is pleased to hear that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has upheld the legislation and intent of the Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act (2020), which has been under a court challenge since 2021. We understand that while the Act has been upheld, a ruling on sections of the underlying Regulation has been suspended. We will be actively monitoring further developments regarding this case. The Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act is a critical safeguard to protect farm animals, the food supply, farmers and others from risks that are created when trespassers enter places where farm animals live or when persons engage in unauthorized interactions with farm animals. The repercussions include the risk of exposing farm animals to disease and stress, as well as the risk of introducing contaminants into the food supply. Animal neglect, abuse and cruelty is never acceptable, and animal welfare is of the utmost importance

Federal Budget 2024 Misses Key Opportunities, says Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada

Budget 2024 unfortunately overlooks several significant measures that could have greatly supported the fruit and vegetable sector, such as a carbon tax exemption, financial protection against market volatilities, and the establishment of a Grocery Code of Conduct. Similarly, no funding was allocated for greenhouse agriculture or the Sustainable Agriculture Strategy, both essential for climate adaptation and sustainability. Nevertheless, Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) is cautiously optimistic about several included initiatives, like the extension of the Advance Payments Program’s interest-free limit to $250,000 and the introduction of the New Canada Carbon Rebate for Small Businesses. The budget also proposes funding for maintaining the pesticides regulatory system and promoting sustainable pesticide use, which underscores the importance of sustainable crop protection practices. FVGC is particularly concerned about the rising costs affecting both growers and consumers. As

Altona's E2 Trucking acquires Rosenort-based trucking firm

E2 Trucking, an Altona-based company, has expanded it's operations by acquiring PK Friesen Trucking in Rosenort. A big step for the company, the deal closed on February 9th. . E2 owner Evan Erlandson says they learned a lot and got to know a lot of good people that he's proud to have on the team. "That added 12 trucks to our fleet, roughly an even split of north-south routes and east-west routes. The east-west trucks and trailers and business was new to us, we were not involved in that business. The north-south wasn't new to us, so we just kept those guys on. Well, we kept everyone on, and we're doing our best to keep everybody busy." The fleet now totals about 35 units. Along with the repair shop, support staff, is made up of some 10 people, including three full-time mechanics, dispatchers, administration, a couple of managers and all the drivers. From the perspective of a business owner, Erlandson feels a responsibility, especially in small town, to do what he can to preserve

© 2024   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service