Wondering about wild grapes

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Wondering why things don’t taste right.


Is it just that I am getting old and my senses are dulling or do a lot of the foods we by today not taste the same as they did a few years back.  Take onions for example.  They seem to be getting milder over the years.  Are the people who control what is commercially grown decided that we all like toned down onions?  I can’t seem to find my favorite habanera pepper sauce anymore.  The ones I get now don’t seem to have that great habanera taste and punch.  I used to get the one that Tabasco put out and it was perfect and a few drops went a long way, but I can’t find it around here.  I looked it up on their web-site and went to the stores that were suppose to carry it but couldn’t find any.  Maybe I need to do that again.

We have bought a lot of vegetables that seem to be lacking in flavor.  Have they all been genetically altered or are they picked too soon or are they stored, shipped, and handled poorly?  The answer may be all of the above.  Got to start going back to the farmer’s markets.  There used to be one in Conroe, the closest town to me of any size, but have not seen it unless they moved it somewhere.  I did a search (  http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/  )  on line and the closest one listed is in Huntsville.  Try it for your area, just type in your area code and within how many miles.  I had to go to the “within 50 miles” setting to find any.

Years ago, I used to go to a co-op that brought in fresh food once every month.  So that everyone got what they wanted and that there wouldn’t be any waste, we had to put in our order a month in advance.  Worked out real well and we got great food at a reasonable cost.

All this talk about food is making me hungry, so I guess I will go get a bite of something that still tastes great.  I buy crunchy almond butter and it is really great tasting and very satisfying.  It is made from real nuts, not some legume that grows under ground and breeds mold like peanuts.  Now, you all have a great day and I hope you enjoy the food you eat.

18 comments:

  1. If you want to take that a step further, buy a pound of ground beef at your supermarket, and buy a pound of organic ground beef if you can find it nearby. Make hamburgers and try them side by side. The difference in taste is astounding. I think you hit the nail on the head as far as the producers toning down the taste of everything. I realized how bland our food is when I moved back to the U.S. from Ireland, but the organic products are still pretty tasteful. Beer sold in the U.S. is another great example of our selection being tasteless and watered down compared to what you get in any other country.

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    1. The best meat I ever ate was some I ordered from a place that sells only certified grass fed cattle with no antibiotics or hormones. The fat is a different color and actually has omega 3 in it and it is good for you.

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  2. I second Gypsy. waiting for summer local foods...we get sweet corn on the 4th of July. they start growing it under plastic long before our growing season starts. the last few years I think the taste has slipped but picked that day v.s. sitting in around in a store ....road side stands is the place to buy sweet corn.

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    1. We have removed all corn products and peanut products from our diet. But you are correct, fresh from Mother Earth is the best, for sure.

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  3. Dizzy,, you're not dizzy or in a fog about the bland foods being forced on us.

    My bitch is Jimmy Deans breakfast sausage. Has no taste anymore and no chiles to speak of.

    I like Gypsy's comment about organic foods.. But I ain't paying the inflated price just cause it says " organic" on it.. It's a ripoff...

    Guess I'll shut up and head out to the stores in an attempt to find the few items I need and want.
    You can bet that NONE Of it will have come from China!!

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    1. The best sausage I ever had was when we made some from part of the wild pig my youngest son shot and part of the deer that my oldest boy got. Both got their game on the same weekend.

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  4. We have a farmer's market on the square during the growing season. I'm waiting on that truck with watermelons...lol..
    There's a great road side stand (garden right there too) about 15 miles from here. BUT,,i don't pay their prices.

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    1. Trouble, do you get Hempstead melons out your way? They are suppose to be the best.

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  5. I don't buy tomatoes out of season anymore until I really need a fix. When I do I don't buy unless they smell like tomatoes. Beauty of form does not count. I'm growing 5 different heirloom tomatoes this year and they ain't pretty but each taste like a tomato and each plant taste different from the rest.
    Taste buds age but not to the extent that Big Ag and Monsanto would have you believe.

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    1. It is getting to the place where we can't even get good old natural seeds anymore. Do you save your own?

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  6. The older ya get, the more everything tastes like chicken. Had me a couple pancakes this morn'n what taste just like chicken, with chicken butter an' chicken flavored syrup on 'em. Yum boy howdy!!!

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    1. Dang Bill Bob, you are right. Even turkey tastes like chicken, as does alligator and rattle snake.

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  7. I have noticed this too. Esp tomatoes and watermelon and cucumbers. Yes, I fondly remember the good ol days.

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    1. Michael, I am afraid that the "good old days" are gone for good. I feel really blessed to have grown up in the good old days.

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  8. I'm a big fan of almond butter myself. Can't wait for the local farmers' market to reopen. Good veggies that taste the way they are supposed to.

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  9. Sixbears, we don't eat peanut products but do love almond butter. I get the crunchy and my wife gets creamy. We have his and hers jars. There are other tree nut butters, but almond is the best for you. We also like farmer's markers.

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  10. watch Food Inc even if you rent the CD http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXmF_erEv1o

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  11. Hi Dizzy,
    You can get real meat delivered to your door here: http://abetterwaybeef.weebly.com. They are in Willis. If you don't want a whole 25lb at $5.85 a lb, maybe we should split one? Being more nutritious, your body feels more satisfied with less, so it is cheaper than that awful factory-farmed meat from the stores.

    For other grass fed beef locations: http://www.eatwild.com/products/index.html

    I make my own nut butters in my Omega auger juicer, it is really yummy. Today, I made cashew butter. At least I know what is in it!
    Happy Tails, and Trails, Penny.

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