flavor Does Organic Garden Produce taste better?

[Omri]

Well when I used to work at that damn place that its name we should not mention, they had tomato greenhouses near by grown in mass quantities (full commercial). well they weren't organic at all, full of industrial chemical fertilizers, probably pesticides and so on... the ones they sold were crap because, well... they picked them unripe. BUT! I once had a few tomatoes ripe of the plant and they weren't too bad. not as good as my soil/coco/hydro grown tomatoes that I selected especially flavor, but pretty damn good. had to wash them real good, but yeah. besides the fact it was a bit of a juicy variety and not what I would have grown and that maybe I'll die a brutal death caused by pesticides, the non-organic, commercial tomatoes were tasty.

Still think mine are better.

 

[RedtailForester]

I think one of the big issues here is whether the produce is generated on an intensive scale. You can have a large scale operation that is organic but when you are just chugging out the production rates, I think there is some quality lost there in my opinion. Back to the original question of "does organic taste better" I would say in our small scale operations and home gardens, there is a difference but everyone's experiences will vary depending upon the amount of care they are able to devote to the crops. I choose to go organic because my environmental ethics lead me to believe it is better for the environment as a whole. Just my opinion... nothing more.

 

[POTAWIE]

That's the nice thing about local agriculture community markets. When you've got several people selling heirloom tomatoes, the farmer with the tastiest ones is going to get the business. The other growers see that and make a better effort to grow better stuff. At the supermarket, they buy only from their distributor.

+1
Now heirloom is becoming a buzz word too, and corporate farms are trying to take full advantage I love farmer's markets. Where there is competition the best product usually stands out, and the tastiest are usually grown locally and picked ripe off the vine for full flavor. Most heirloom types grow with some blemishes, and although this is not a problem in many parts of the world, in North America we have been brainwashed into only buying perfect looking produce even though they are older, less nutritious, and less flavorful. Personally I like to have my tomato customers try blind taste tests so they judge by taste alone. Most people are surprised at what they choose as their favorites. I think its amazing to have so many different excellent flavors all within the tomato family

 

[Smokey Mick]

Short answer is no, Given the same seed, organic and using non organic methods will produce same taste.
Problem is comparing apples with apples Generaly, organic is brought to a more ripened state. hence more flavour.
But I can grow the same using chemicals and produce a food that taste same if not better.
Its a science thing.
It comes down to what the plant wanted and liked at the time.
But Im open to new ideas, I have about 50 fruit trees that are failing by trying to keep as organic as possible.
Organic is increadibly complicated when you try to apply it.
Ive got heaps of onion, garlic and basil though

 

[DudeThtsBad]

yeaah of coursee they tastee better !
& its always cool to eat somethingg that you planted

 

[POTAWIE]

yeaah of coursee they tastee better !
& its always cool to eat somethingg that you planted

"Of course"?? This is a discussion, please explain!
Because you plant it yourself doesn't make it organic, and it doesn't neccessarily make it taste better.

 

[Guerilla Chef]

I did find some great San Marzanos and small Cherokee Purples at the natural foods store here that were ripe and very nice. I ran them through my dehydrator to make "sundried" tomatoes. They came out great. But since then, the ones I have seen there have not been good. I mean, they LOOK good. But if I was buying produce for its looks, I'd buy flowers.