Do vegetables grown in a green house taste different?

[Rainman]

In the small town I live in, no one grows any of their vegetables in a green house and I'd got used to the test. Recently traveling in another place in the state, I bought some veggies which the stall owner explained were grown to perfection in a greenhouse. When I cooked them, the taste was so bad, I didn't finish my vegan meal.

Was it just a reaction to vegetables grown differently or is it actually true that vegetables grown in a green house have an odd taste?

 

[firelily99]

I've never had any that were grown in a greenhouse that tasted badly. A lot depends on what the grower uses for fertilizer and if they spray for insects and diseases. I have eaten plenty of greenhouse grown organic veggies and they were excellent.

 

[Trellum]

I have heard about organic veggies and fruits tasting actually better that the mass produced veggies we buy at the grocery store, but never I had heard about a taste difference between those and the greenhouse ones. But I guess it all depends on how the farmer grew them, the pH of the soil, fertilizer used, etc.

 

[gata montes]

Although I can very definitely taste the difference between home grown produce and store bought - I have never ever noticed any difference in flavor between home produce that has been grown in a greenhouse or outside - as they both taste just as good as each other - but agree as has already been mentioned - that soil type and different fertilizers can make a difference to the flavor as can the variety - with some varieties having a much better flavor than others.

 

[claudine]

So far, I've eaten greenhouse grown vegetables only once or twice, when I was visiting my friends. I don't have my own greenhouse yet. Anyway, those vegetables were delicious, they tasted normal to me

 

[Dora M]

I have noticed that the taste of vegetables is determined by the climate of the region and the methods of how they have been grown. I guess it's superfluous to mention the condition of the soil.
I have had produce from green houses that tasted anything from divine to shockingly bad. I can say the same for vegetables that have been grown in fields or gardens. It's all a matter of getting all the ingredients right for the plants.

 

[Chuck]

Store bought vegetables are picked early, especially tomatos which are picked green. Homegrown green house vegetables are picked ripe or like I do at first blush. That is why store bought tomatos taste like cardboard. Commercial growers grow varieties of vegetables that can be shipped easily and have a longer shelf life not for their flavor.

 

[Chuck]

Why are store bought tomatos red if they are picked green? Because they are gassed and the gas turns them red

 

[Kansas Terri]

Carrots, lettuce, and tomatos are all very sensitive to growing conditions: if you were served any of those perhaps the greenhouse grower did not have things quite right?

I know that lettuce gets bitter if it gets too hot and carrots get bitter if they get too dry. My home grown lettuce and carrots tend to be a little harsh anyways and I do not know why: my soil is heavy clay and so perhaps they grow too slowly? I do not know. Fortunately my carrots loose the harsh flavor when they are cooked but it is quite noticeable when they are raw.

Tomatos get theri sweetness from the energy of the sun and the richness of the soil. I once protected a bearing tomato and had vine ripened tomatos in December but it was a mistake! The shorter days left me with a bland and tasteless fruit. I believe that most greenhouse growers give their tomatos supplemental light to increase both production and flavor.