Catering to Different Tastes

I was recently honored with a request to speak to a group of professionals in the fields of Nutrition and Dietetics about local foods.  Of course, I made no pretense about being well-versed in their fields, but I certainly could share things I understood about growing good food.

One thing I actually know a bit about is the struggle to get a picky eater to eat vegetables.  So, of course, that topic came up as part of the presentation.

Many of the fine people in the Cedar Valley who know the Genuine Faux Farm probably don't know Rob in any other context other than as his role as a small-scale, diversified farmer.  In fact, if you are from the area and you haven't done much reading of this blog, you will probably make some erroneous assumptions.  For example, a vegetable farmer has to be someone who has ALWAYS loved vegetables.  Therefore, Rob has always loved all vegetables and must have no idea how hard it might be for a person to eat more veggies.

I am sorry to burst your bubble - but my parents can assure you that the list of things I would eat when I was growing up could probably fit on a 3"x5" card.  When it came to veggies it had to be green beans, lima beans, peas, corn and potatoes.  Tomatoes would be ok if it was a cooked sauce with very little evidence of skin or chunks of tomato. There were numerous incidents where shredded lettuce ruined a sandwich for me and my college friends encouraged me to get the mixed vegetables to watch me quickly and efficiently root out the carrot squares.  I could eat my mixed veggies as fast as anyone else and not eat a single one of those icky, orange things.

As a matter of fact, I could make small towers out of those carrot squares while successfully eating the beans, corn and limas out of the mix.

So, what happened?

Touchstone Gold Beets

Is it true that I like each and every vegetable that we have grown at our farm?  No, of course not.  But, I very much like many of them, I kind of like others and tolerate still others.  There are a few that I still haven't found a way to tolerate, but I make less of a stink about it when they show up (and I pick them out and go about my business).

Perhaps I grew up a little bit.  Maybe the taste buds changed some.  But, both Tammy and I are pretty certain that a big part of it had to do with the fact that we started growing our own produce.  The quality and freshness have much to do with flavor and texture quality.  And, of course, if you put some of your own effort into growing it, you might be more willing to try it - even if you do find yourself still not liking it.

But there is more to it than that.

Can't Beet This

We have learned that different varieties of a vegetable can have very different tastes and textures.  It is true that some people might not be able to detect a difference.  It is also true that some people who do not initially find a difference in different veggie varieties begin to develop the ability to tell the difference over time.  In my case, I can often detect a difference in taste between different varieties quickly.

I had always found the earthy taste and slippery/slimy texture of the standard red beet to be - shall we say - choke worthy.  Please, if you like boiled red beets, do not take offense.  This is why we grew red beets on our farm as well - so people could enjoy them the way they wanted to enjoy them!

In this case, I am speaking to that large group of people who think of beets as an 'evil' veggie, just as I did.  We tried the striped beet (Chioggia) and a golden beet (Touchstone Gold) several years ago.  And, since I take my job seriously, I had to taste what we grow.  I don't have to like each thing, as long as others do.  But, I feel like I have to be able to say that I tried it.

In any event, I tried these beets with MUCH TREPIDATION.

We roasted some Chioggia's and found them to be less earthy and to have a pleasing texture when roasted.  Then we tried Golden beets and I found I really liked those. 

In this case, the two keys were vegetable variety AND preparation method.  I have learned not to give up on a vegetable until we have explored a range of cultivars and a series of ways to prepare it for eating.

The result?  Now I very much like Golden and Chioggia beets either steamed, grilled or roasted.  I will tolerate standard red beets presented the same ways.  I can even eat boiled red beets with only some complaints.  But that was only after I was introduced to the "gateway beet" varieties that were cooked in a way that fit my palate.  

Who knew?

White Wing Onions

Opinions About Onions

If I recall correctly, my father has always liked onions, but they don't always like him.  At least, that's how he put it.  I have not always liked onions and I think I inherited the part about raw onions not liking me so much too.

However, we've learned that the shorter season white onions tend to agree with me more.  They sautee up nicely and have a pleasant taste.  On the other hand, storage onions tend to disagree with me more.  Happily, if they are sauteed longer, they "sweeten up" and give me less troubles.

Onions are a bit of an oddity for me because I've always liked the smell of them (raw or cooked).  In this case, it was probably more of a texture thing.  But, again, it isn't so much that MY tastes have changed, but my willingness to figure out how to make things work for my preferences (and my digestive requirements) has improved. 

Goodman Cauliflower

It's Not CauliFLOUR

Tammy and I were given the impression when we first started gardening that cauliflower was a near impossible veggie to grow.  And, sadly, when we would try cauliflower from the store, my first impression was that it tasted a bit like 'flour.'  Yick.

Tammy got me to try more broccoli and cauliflower by adding cheese to the mix.  That was great, but probably not the best long-term solution if you want your spouse to eat healthier.  This was especially true if the volume of cheese was greater than the volume of veggie.

We still tend to prepare our cauliflower steamed or raw and it will occasionally appear in soup as well.  We've added roasting to the list of options, though I admit I don't like broccoli, cauliflower and romanesco roasted as much as I do steamed.

This seems like a good time to remind you and me of something.  I have said this before and have had people extoll the virtues of roasting these veggies.  That's great!  If this is the method of preparation that you and yours really enjoy, go for it.  Just remember that each person may have different preferences for preparation options - and that's ok.  You like them roasted.  I like them steamed.  They like them raw.  This person likes them with cheese and that person with butter. 

We've explored different cauliflower varieties and found some range of taste.  It is our belief that soil and growing conditions can change the taste of this vegetable since we can still appreciate a head of cauliflower from our farm and not really be impressed with the same variety from other sources.  I sometimes feel that cauliflower in the late Fall has better taste - especially if it has experience a frost.  But, I have no proof of that.

Chervena Chushka sweet peppers

Sometimes it has nothing to do with taste

Tammy likes to eat peppers raw in the field.  I like the smell of peppers in the field and I am quite happy to pick her a pepper and toss it to her if she wants to snack on one.  In fact, I will toss snack tomatoes or peppers to anyone if they indicate they might like one.  But, you will rarely, if ever, see me crunch into one of these during a work break.

This has nothing to do with liking or not liking how they taste and everything to do with how they sit in my stomach.  Remember, I do a good deal of stooping, getting up and down and moving around when I am outside at the farm.  The last thing I want is to feel like I've got a rock in my stomach.  Sadly, that's what happens when I eat most raw peppers without something to accompany it.

I am not alone in this phenomenon.  Many people prefer red peppers because some of the things that cause discomfort are less prevalent in the more mature fruits.  I also prefer peppers that are not bells as they also give me fewer issues.  And, of course, if they are cooked, they seem to be easier to deal with.  

In the end, I'm just happy to have a couple of smaller slices on a sandwich and a nibble or two here or there.  But, since I won't eat too many peppers, I tend to be much pickier about the taste.  If I only get a little bit of a pepper, it had better be a good pepper!

Pride of Wisconsin melon

And - It needs to be ripe!

Then, there is the issue of ripeness.  I could tolerate certain kinds of melons, but I was never all that impressed with them.  In fact, this is something I have heard from many people.

I try to remind myself of how I USED to feel until we started growing our own melons and it has gotten harder and harder for me to do.  Why?  Well, it has been many years now since I have been forced to eat a melon that was NOT RIPE when it was harvested.  Most melon varieties will taste like a lot of nothing if they are harvested early.  And yet, that's what has been done for most grocery store melons.  They are harvested before they are ripe so they won't split in transit to the grocery store.  

Sadly, that is how most people are introduced to melons.

So, we sympathize with your opinion about melons.  In fact, we understand why you feel the way you do.  Some of you may not like the texture - so that may rule out many melons regardless of ripeness.  We can respect that.  But, for those of you that thought: "Melons.... meh."   You need to try some of the heirloom varieties that we have grown when they are truly ripe!  You might be so shocked by the taste initially that you might be tempted to decide you don't like it.  But, give yourself a second taste and you'll realize that your initial reaction was because your brain was telling your tastebuds that they shouldn't detect that much taste in a melon.  

After all, they've never experienced it before!

Are You Ready to Discover Tastes You've Been Missing?

I am still a picky eater and I always will be.  As such, I respect your right to decide what you will and will not eat - for whatever reasons you select.  But if you're looking to make some changes consider these thoughts:

1. Personal investment encourages attempts to try

In my case, it was the process of growing a vegetable and trying to figure out which varieties to grow.  The investment grew when we opted to grow veggies commercially.  

You, of course, don't have to go that far overboard.  Your investment could be a couple of plants in your garden or the support you give to a local grower of food.  Or maybe you agree to research and fix a dish for friends and family that like this veggie or food?

2. Reward yourself with the best examples of the thing you're going to try

Get the freshest, the ripest and the best specimens you can get of whatever it is you want to try.  So many people have stories of being turned off of a particular food because they were served some of the worst examples of that product at the point it was introduced.

3. Try each thing with more than one variety and using more than one method of preparation over time.

One of the keys here is to take your time with it.  The other key is to persist with the process of exploration over time.  

4. Keep it low key, don't make a big production out of it.

It is okay if you rediscover that you do NOT like something as long as you give yourself permission to discover that you DO like a certain variety, or a certain veggie prepared in a particular way.  For that matter, it could be a victory to decide it's simply "okay," but not going to be a favorite any time soon.  

If you need to, do your tasting with no witnesses for whom you might feel you have to perform (and it doesn't matter which way you think you have to perform).  After all, this is about what you are willing to put into your body.

5. If there are tastes and textures you like, build off of them.

I have always liked legumes, so it was not a big leap for me to determine that I liked snow peas and snap peas (peas you do not shell).  I learned that I liked the texture of spinach and not iceberg lettuce, so when we found some lettuces that had textures closer to spinach I was much more willing to give them a try.

As for me, I still won't eat carrots.  They're just one of those things that get stuck in my throat and are not allowed to pass.  There are other things that I have not found a way to appreciate, and that's also fine.  On the other hand, I have so many more options of things I will tolerate and things I have discovered I like.

Maybe you can too?