Today, I harvested a single pea pod for my wife and son to try. Just a little taste of what is to come in the next few weeks. There was one pod that was beautifully green, long, and plump. They ate it right when I gave it to them with great eagerness. Then, I was asked by my wife why the ones we bought at the store tasted so much different. She said the ones I grew were much sweeter.
Now keep in mind what I am going to tell you goes for most item bought in the produce section that can be grown at home. Nearly everything in the fresh produce section is sold to the consumer by weight. This is the reason most items are overgrown when they are sold to stores for consumer purchase.
You have no choice when the produce you buy in the store is harvested for sale. You do have the choice when it is growing in your garden at home. At home, you can harvest the produce a little earlier in the plants life cycle. They have way more flavor when they are not "overgrown" for weight purposes.
Another very noticeable one is carrots. Carrots from the produce section at the store are often close, if not more, than a foot long and they tend to be very firm in the center. I harvest at home when they are about 6-8 inches long. They are very tender and have a certain sweetness that I do not taste from the store.
This is just something to keep in mind later in the season when it is time to harvest the veggies. Do you want a larger vegetable or a much better tasting vegetable? Size is not the most important thing here. So, let your crop mature, but be sure to harvest it while it is fairly young. When the time gets closer, I will go over each crop seperately regarding harvesting. This is just a guidline to keep in mind for the future.
Remember, Mother Earth smile when when you garden!
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