Fresh or Frozen.

[catherinecherub]

If I gather veggies and fruits from my garden then I know they are fresh but if I buy veggies from the supermarket then how do I know that they are fresh? Some of them showing their country of origin make it obvious that they didn't arrive there that morning. Even English ones are not always transported from a few miles away and do not have any dates on to show when they were picked.
If I buy frozen then I know that they were frozen at their peak and are probably a lot healthier than some of the ones touted as fresh.
Does anyone else have this dilemma?

 

[kateincornwall]

I grow veggies too, not loads but the usual runner beans , courgettes and salad stuff . Our local farm shop has recently changed hands and the prices have rocketed beyond my pocket so I decided to try frozen . So far , the ones that have passed the test are :
Green beans
sliced peppers
broad beans
sliced leaks
peas
sweetcorn

All were great and a fraction of the cost too ! The dismal failure was a bag of mixed cauliflower and brocolli , just went to mush but for the rest, thumbs up !

 

[noblehead]

Hi Catherine,

I always try to buy fresh, more for the taste and texture than anything, frozen veg to me never has the same taste, and holds to much water. Nutritionally, frozen veg has been proven to retain more goodness by being pick and frozen on the same day, as fresh veg can often be traveling across continents to arrive here, and in this time they are decaying and losing nutritional goodness.

Even with veggies that are grown in this country, there are still issues with how long is it since they were picked, time traveling on the road, time spent in warehouses etc, there are no guaranties of freshness. How often do you buy fresh veg, get it home and within a day or two it has gone bad. As Kate says, local farmers shops are by far the best way of buying veggies, may be a little expensive but worth it overall.

Nigel

 

[phoenix]

I'll buy frozen rather than from too far away and to add variety in winter. I can remember when I was first married that there were few fresh veg available in the shops during February and March anyway, though then there wasn't much frozen available either, other than peas. You can rarely find frozen peas here...haricot verts by the tonne though. I'd agree about the brocolli and cauli and I don't find brussel sprouts very good either. I like frozen rasberries and it's the only way I can buy blueberries, strawberries don't work though.
Buying as seasonally as possible does make you appreciate things better when then come into season. The central part of my local market is local producers only and shrinks dramatically over the winter months.This week, there was the first Spanish asparagus in the outside part of the market. We're not really that far from Spain or even Morocco and some of the bigger stall holders seem to buy much of their produce from there and have big turnovers so it's usually reasonably fresh. There were a few bunches of local as well but at 7E (why won't the euro sign come out on here?) too expensive yet.
edited there to their!

 

[catherinecherub]

Thanks so far.


I have been buying a lot of frozen veggies lately and the only failure has been the broccoli. I buy the button sprouts and they seem to keep their firmness.
I do steam them and have found this to be the best method. I use an old rice cooker so that they are not immersed in water whilst cooking. I prefer my veggies al dente.
I understand that it is best to buy the seasonal products but even then they are not always locally produced. Runner beans are growing here in the summer and yet the supermarkets bring in foreign ones as an example.
Will have to try the farm shops and see what is on offer and ask a few questions or step up what I grow.

Catherine.

 

[kateincornwall]

One thing I`m trying to grow this year is celeriac, its so expensive to buy and we eat loads of it as mash or oven chips which are lovely ! Will have to try steaming the cauli and brocolli, thanks for the tip x

 

[kateincornwall]

One thing I`m trying to grow this year is celeriac, its so expensive to buy and we eat loads of it as mash or oven chips which are lovely ! Will have to try steaming the cauli and brocolli, thanks for the tip x

 

[cugila]

I try to use all fresh produce when I can. I always keep plenty of frozen veggies in the freezer as they are mostly much better than some 'so called' locally grown fresh stuff I have bought.

Most are steamed or cooked very lightly to retain colour and nutrition/vitamins. I cannot stand overcooked Veg of any sort. It has to have some 'bite' to it, whatever it is.

Some Farm shop's are becoming a rip off now as the prices are out of all proportion seeing as how they have very little packaging or distribution costs to cover. There is a great Farm Shop near me but unfortunately it too keeps upping the prices.....so supermarket and frozen has to be the way for me.

Ken

 

[noblehead]

Most are steamed or cooked very lightly to retain colour and nutrition/vitamins. I cannot stand overcooked Veg of any sort. It has to have some 'bite' to it, whatever it is.

That's what I was trying to explain in my post, fresh veg has a nice bite/crunch as where frozen always seems soft and watery.

I always keep a good supply of both fresh and frozen, but if I am eating out and I get served frozen veggies, I am not a happy chappy and do complain! :x

Nigel

 

[carty]

I agree cugila our best farmers market now charges £1.00 to take your car and it is miles from Public transport even if there was one.ps cant get smiles to work can someone help a computer dummy! Ta Carol.

Carol.
:shock: :? 8) :lol: :x :cry: :evil: :twisted: :roll:

Check that smilies are not disabled in the options tab......this is below where you type and submit a post. Let me know how you get on.
Ken/cugila