Supermarket veg tastes of nothing – why aren’t more people ordering from local farms?

[Bottlesofrumonthewall]

I have recently been told I am pre-diabetic, so I am kind of forced to change how I eat and cook. Even a few weeks ago I genuinely thought ready meals were great, but now I have realised I need to actually cook properly at home rather than living off beige convenience food.

Chatting to my neighbours, who are also diabetic, made me think even more about my habits.

What has always put me off is that supermarket fruit and veg often tastes of nothing. I ordered a local fruit and veg box a few days ago and was honestly surprised that the veg actually tastes of something.

I did have to wash the veg, which is fine, and I am also going to get milk delivered to my doorstep. I have to admit, though, something felt a bit off about ordering it through a parcel service, you never quite know what might happen. My only worry is someone might nick the milk, but fingers crossed.

I know they are more expensive per item, before anyone jumps on me, but they are also more environmentally friendly. And weirdly, it has worked out cheaper overall for me because I am not filling the trolley with impulse buy rubbish, there is just less for sale.

Just in the last two days I have made a curry and some scones, which is more actual cooking than I have done in ages.

I really do wonder why more people do not do this, do they just not know it is an option? There are lots of farms that will deliver to your doorstep with ice packs so meat and dairy arrive properly refrigerated and everything stays fresh.

I am genuinely curious, is it cost, convenience, or something else that stops more people using veg boxes and milk delivery? Has anyone else found this works for them, or do supermarkets just make life easier?

I had a fruit and veg box delivery for 10 years. I stopped it because it was too much hassle- if plans changed ie you had some restaurant meals or fancied a take away you’d end up with a backlog, in the winter it was boring, and muddy. Filthy carrots beetroot and swede for weeks. Very repetitive. Completely missed non uk grown fruit and veg which was sad.

No it's not. They make an enormous profit which they've used to make a lovely little farm shop & cafe into a HUGE 'fancy' shop (now extortionately priced (homeware. Flowers, Gifts etc), 'farm shop' (food) & huge 'cafe' that's now very gourmet & very expensive. They've ruined it & certainly aren't 'poor farmers' I think they buy in most, if not all, the vegetables.

Their IN SEASON food is NOT 'a little bit more'

I did when we had a greengrocers in the village, the nearest greengrocer is now 18 miles away & it's not good. So I get my veg with my weekly supermarket delivery 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you have any outdoor space at all you could try growing your own. Lettuce, kale, broccoli for eg is very easy and tastes completely different to what you get in supermarkets. A big reward for a little effort.

Why didn't you do it sooner OP?

There are no farm shops or veg box services where I live, so I can't get that service.
I disagree about the veg tasting of nothing, I'm always happy with what we buy, but supermarkets fruit is pretty rubbish these days. For instance I've never had a decent orange for years they're either bland or sour and often very dry .

I'm not sure I get the thread... It's great that you are getting more veg in your diet OP, but lots of people cook homemade meals without relying on veg boxes?

So where do supermarkets get their food from? I presume some come from same places as farms that also do the farm boxes?

City life and extortionate prices
Oh the bourgeois is extraordinary @Bottlesofrumonthewall

Not being able to control what we get is a huge problem for me as I’m allergic to some produce.

i also have a local supermarket that typically has excellent produce. It’s more expensive and a bit further away, but it’s worth the extra effort and expense most of the time.

Supermarket vs veg box? It’s the same stuff! Husband’s cauli, cabbage, pots etc go to both.

FFS OP, you've done this once and now asking why no one else does this??

It reaks of someone who just discovered the gym this week, swanning about telling everyone she "just can't understand how you can manage without at least an hours run a day?!"

Respectfully, try another farm shop. They aren't all like that... I have no idea what specific shop you are talking about. I have 5 or 6 farm shops within 30 minute's drive plus a few farms that just sell eggs or potatoes. Yes one or two are profiteering with a cafe, play area, gifts etc etc. More are just making a fair living selling their own produce. Cutting out the middle man and investing the money in sustainable farming methods which benefit everyone.

Maybe I'm lucky. I'm in Scotland and enjoy a good choice.

Slightly off topic but I once bought a chicken from a local butcher & it was from Norfolk - I live in Cornwall!

Same M&S fruit and veg wins hands down.

We get local veg boxes sometimes and the flavour is definitely better. What stops me doing it regularly is that (especially this time of year) it's a tonne of potatoes and root veg and you can't make substitutions. Too carb-heavy for us as we are trying to lose weight.

One word, slugs. I planted a load of salad crops this year in my tiny back garden and congratulated myself on the fact that I'd not need to buy salad again. Came out one morning, everything stripped to stalks, apart from the spring onions.

I won't use slug pellets because I encourage birds (who also had a good go) into the garden and have pets. This was in an ultra dry year and planting in raised beds. I was so disappointed I cried, and I'm going to carry on with the supermarket stuff now because my nerves can only take so much!

Interesting thread.

I think it is a UK supermarkets issue as well because I noticed that when I was in countries like France, Italy and the Netherlands supermarket fruits and vegetables tasted a thousand times better than what we have in the UK.

I live in Kent and we have a couple of good greengrocers in our small town and a weekly market with much better produce thankfully.

I actually noticed in (northern) France this year how industrial and similar to the uk it was- just hypermarkets and lidls selling the same stuff sold here

It's not hard. It's the price, time, and convenience. I work full time and have a toddler, as does my partner. I want all my shopping to arrive in my click and collect for convenience, and it's expensive having things delivered from farms. My veg also tastes nice 🤷 I roast it with herbs, garlic etc, it's lush!

I follow a youtuber who is based in California but who comes to the UK every summer as her PILs live here. She always does a shopping haul video and really raves (in a good way!) over the quality of fruit and vegetables here, even the citrus fruits which considering she comes from where she does always surprises me. She shops at Sainsbos and Waitrose usually.

I've always assumed that people who describe perfectly normal things as bland or tasteless probably just have fucked-up taste buds

Reminds me of someone I know who became a vegan in their 30s and immediately started hitting everyone else over the head seeming to want to know why everyone else wasn't a vegan now too. Like what took you so long? Its almost like everyone makes their own decisions and comes to their own conclusions in their own time, just like they did.

Note: I don't have any issue with vegans or people talking about being vegan (I was a vegetarian for years), just this specific situation.

This is why I don't bother. The amount of slugs in my back garden is mental. Bad enough that they sometimes make their way into my house without them making their way into my food as well.

Ah, you just need some pet ducks! Until we got ours I wondered how on earth anyone managed to grow vegetables against a tide of slugs. They clear those fuckers like nothing else.