UK's super-veg?

treesa_2

Ok, so here's something I thought was weird: I went to Torremolinos to see my mum a few weeks ago (lovely trip!) and decided to go to the market to do some shopping. I've been on a bit of a health kick of late, so I'm really into my fresh fruits and veg and was in my element when I got to the grocery market. Bought (probably way too much) tomatoes there, got them home and I swear just two days later they started to turn. Didn't think anything of it then, but when I got home and did shopping, the tomatoes I bought here lasted at least a week in my fridge! What's the diff? Is there something different about our veg that makes it keep longer?

cagsd

I would hazard a guess that the veg you bought at the market was pretty organic and untreated, whereas what you bought here may have been treated with preservatives etc...

geordie_joe

Or maybe the veg on the market had been there longer than the veg in the UK.

treesa_2

I was thinking more along the lines of geordie joe initally and that the ones in the market have been ripened for a bit longer. Didn't even occur to me that there were preservatives in veg. Sure, pesticides and used to keep them from being eaten when harvested, but I thought fruit and veg is supposed to be fresh? From the ground to your plate (like the Morrisons ad claims), so how does that work then?

Thanks both for the reply

Trow

Probably a combination of taking longer to get from farm to fridge and being kept in warmer conditions prior to sale.

vicki+1

personally i think there is something quite suspicious about the way the length of time fruit and veg stays fresh when it comes form supermarkets. I amsure they must do somethign nasty to them

COOLTRIKERCHICK

I see a programme years ago about this with strawberries.....

I cant remember exactly what they done, but they do 'zap' them with something... I think it might be some sort of gas to stop the decomposing process

best thing to do is grow as much of your fruit and veg as you can, thats the only way you can know the way its been grown...

RHYSDAD

COOLTRIKERCHICK wrote: »

I see a programme years ago about this with strawberries.....

I cant remember exactly what they done, but they do 'zap' them with something... I think it might be some sort of gas to stop the decomposing process

best thing to do is grow as much of your fruit and veg as you can, thats the only way you can know the way its been grown...

Soft fruit is notoriously difficult to get from harvest to point of sale in A1 condition. Cold stores have precise levels of humidity and temperature. Also many strawberries (and other soft fruits) are grown under cover as rain will knacker the shelf life of it considerably.
http://www.appropedia.org/Cold_storage_of_fruits_and_vegetables_%28Practical_Action_Brief%29

juno

I bought some cherry tomatoes and they still looked fine a week after their use by date

cootambear

The top flavoured varieties of Strawbs spoil quickly which supermarkets hate. Hence they stock varieties like Elsanta which have the flavour and consistency of a squash ball, but they have a long shelf life. The number one determinant of flavour is the variety. Strawbs are very easy to grow, even in pots if you dont have a garden.

There are some great deals here;

http://www.dutchbulbs.co.uk/Index.cfm?fuseaction=product.search&q=strawberries

https://www.suppliesforsmallholders.co.uk/strawberry-plants-c-83_85.html

I am familiar with the Cambridge varieties so I can recommend them. If you plant now you will lose a few over winter though cos its a bit late. However I planted some a week ago and they are all fine. If you fancy spending a bit more for exquisite flavour, try Ken Muir for mara de bois. I post a lot on the greenfingered bit of this forum about strawbs.

Sambucus_Nigra

I've got home grown tomatoes in the fridge that were harvested a good month ago. It's all to do with the gases that surround them. And the varieties - some are good for storage and some aren't.

I never buy supermarket toms since growing my own. It just isn't worth it.