Kitchen Garden Forum

Would you honestly be able to tell the difference in taste between the various varieties of vegetables you grow? And if not, why do we grow so many different varieties and the seed marketeers sell them ?

I was pondering this question whilst picking beans and tomatoes. Blindfolded I reckon I could pick out a Sungold tomato but I'm not honestly sure about some of the other varieties I grow. And I certainly couldn't tell the difference in flavour between my Scarlet Emperor and Moonlight runner beans even if the experts at the RHS can who award their merits.

I know we also grow different varieties for appearance and other characteristics (eg blight resistant varieties) but I'm thinkfing of the multitude of seed packets in my seed boxes and wondering if we arn't sometimes being conned a little by the seed producers and suppliers every time a new variety of something is introduced.

Primrose, I have wondered about that, although not as deeply philosophically as you ....

To me, the most important criteria in choosing varieties are their suitability to our local conditions and whether they do well at all. Taste comes very secondary. The only exception I might make are potatoes because there really seems to be more distinct tastes. Having grown vegetables on the same allotment for over 30 years, I tend to stick to those varieties which do well here and rarely try new ones.

Good thought Primrose!

Agree about peas & beans, might be able to distinguish some of my tomatoes especially the beef ones, but that would probably be texture maybe. I think I could tell some of the pumpkins apart, QLD Blue & Crown Prince are sweeter than butternut for example, and maybe a pointed cabbage which is again sweeter & less sulphary than a round cabbage and agree about the taste of potatoes!

I think we grow lots of different varieties as we grow for all the senses, not just taste & your eyes can definitely help our perception of what we are eating.

Westi

One of the effects of treatment I am undergoing is partial or full loss of taste buds at times. I am told that once I finish the course taste buds should return. If it doesn't then stronger tasting varieties will be the order of the day.
The result of this is that some things I can taste others I cannot so the blindfold is superfluous. Tomatoes are on the tick list for instance, I reckon that at present I could tell a Sungold from other varieties.

I have always tried different varieties not so much just for taste difference but more importantly to me is germination/propagation plus growth/yield results.

Another effect of current treatment is waking up at 01:20am wanting a cuppa because mouth has dried up and ending up posting on here

Being a cynic. I am convinced that any seed not selling well is re-branded with a fresh name for the coming season. Why would anyone pay over the odds for F1 seed is beyond me, as you probable only take home one cabbage at a time, having a row of them like pea's in a pod has no advantage to me. You know I feel better now.

I have my regular varieties but particularly with tomatoes i do like to experiment a little every year and try a new one. I suppose I'm on a fruitless quest for a tomato with the flavour of Sungold,, the blight resistant properties and size of Ferline, and the number of fruit on trusses as Gardeners Delight. I fear it's going to be a long wait.

As always I think the lack of continual sun this year has affected the flavour of tomatoes.

My father is blind and the veg he likes most from their raised troughs (well they are 91 and 93!) are carrots, with french beans a close second. Don't think he can tell one variety from another but can certainly tell them from shop bought! Home grown tomatoes can be discerned by them having a not so tough skin and a more intense flavour, probably because they ripen on the plant.

I think we do eat with our eyes when it comes to having lots of varieties and lets face it we are all eternal optimists when it comes to trying a new variety.

MW

I would definitely be able to tell the differences between the varieties I grow because I've tried so many over the years and selected the ones I like best. I rarely grow f1s or whatever is being promoted as the latest fad I try them occasionally, but am not usully impressed. . There is no need as there are already so many wonderful so called heritage varieties to choose from. It is just a matter of trying lots out until you find the taste, texture, colour and crop that suits you and your gardening conditions.

I try at least one new variety a year if there is something interesting or one I've never tried, and I save seeds from the best plants of my favourites. And yes it is easy to get too many so I give some away to the local gardening group and sow others as ground cover in autumn or as a quick mixed salad crop, or even to supply a few greens for the hens to whittle them down a bit, (The seeds not the hens). You can also use spare beans and peas in stews if it isn't treated seed.

I know you are coming at it from a different angle - all the latest wonder plants the seed companies are promoting. My main worry is that they are reducing the diversity by selling fewer open pollinated varieties and selling f1s that don't come true and cost far more. We need to keep as large a gene pool of all the open pollinated varieties as we can and these are disappearing from the lists every year. Yes, I'm in the Garden Organic's Heritage Seed library and quite a few of my favourites are from there.

Hi Plumpudding, I too belong to the Heritage Seed Library. I would recommend anyone thinking of investigating how to save seeds to start with climbing french beans and tomatoes, (non-F1 hybrids) they are easy to do. I've taken growing favorites from the french beans a stage further and selected characteristics that I like, such as splitting white and dark seeds when harvesting and seeing what grows from what. I've ended up with a great green podded climber that suits my allotment and always does well. I direct sowed about the middle of May having left the seed beans in their dry pods over winter.

My best potatoes this year were from own saved Charlotte and a red that I've forgotten the name of. We're always told not to do it because they carry disease forward but I'd question that. Just need to be careful what you save. I already have my seed ones saved for next year along with shallots, it's very satisfying.

Most varieties of veg are developed for the commercial grower and it would be a great shame if the domestic varieties used by ordinary people were lost.

Plus of course...it's cheaper...

MW