I'm still working on getting a system together, and my partner had this quite pertinent question. She's never thought much of hydroponic grown vegetables in the supermarket.

How do home aquaponics grown vegetables compare in taste to home dirt-grown vegetables?

HEAPS better

Absolutely... like vegetables are meant to taste... and used to...

The best thing, is that they taste real, and you *KNOW* they are organic. you *KNOW* what is on them, and quite frankly? they taste the best because of the care and love you put into their growth. - it really is true.

I had the best Tomato *EVER* today!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

But be sure to grow traditional veggies for full benefit...
nothing much better than growing your own veggies in a system
as natural as possible.

[quote

How do home aquaponics grown vegetables compare in taste to home dirt-grown vegetables?
[/quote]
Fresher than Woolworths- the fresh food people (huh) and not brown or rotten.
Sorry, but I get disgusted at the quality of fruit and vegetables on the supermarket shelves. I don't even think the health dept. would okay the produce in some stores. We know that ours grows in Australia.
The produce grown in an aquaponic system can be picked fresh and eaten immediately. (No chemicals and pesticides.) Snow peas, cherry tomatoes, strawberries mmm. Stright from the plant. Also depends on the variety that you are growing, like C1 said.
When people ask me if it tastes better than what you can buy in the supermarket, I almost laugh. You can't beat growing it yourself.
And then there is the fish, no muddy taste cause the water is clean. MMmm I convewrted a long time ago, try it for yourself and be the judge.

We've been chomping on our celery SSOooooo much more flavour we have forgotten what things should taste like ........

The Celery was planted on the 7th Jan....only water no Nitrates....next photo on the 17th Jan still no Nitrates as you can see bugger all growth then on the 27th Nitrates for 4 days and they are growing and starting to taste great....last phot =o on the 6th Feb Only 10 day from start of nitrates and they are booming and taste awesome.....

many of the varieties of veggies grown for sale in super markets are chosen because they survive transport better. This applies to whatever growing method, truck farm or hydroponic. Now if you are talking about some tomato grown in a friend's hydroponic system, the question is what variety did they plant and do you know that that particular variety tastes better grown some other way? The truth is, grown in poor soil, many veggies will taste bland too.

When growing in your own yard and aquaponics system, you can choose to grow many different varieties of veggies and choose varieties that you prefer the taste of (yea, it might take some time to learn what you like best!) And some people say that when you salt your system, it can make the tomatoes taste better?!?

And it is so easy to wander through the AP system and graze as nothing is sprayed with dangerous chemicals. And the automatic watering means you don't have to remember to go out and check the moisture level and water the plants (or if watering restrictions are in place, watch them die) in the dirt gardens.

Most times...

some veggies take up excess salt a lot like celery, and at one point I had celery that tasted like rosehips, I have NFI how...

But the veggies are always crisper, fresher, last longer, generally taste better, have a higher nutrient value.
eg My tomatoes taste better than ANY I've ever had before, even my dirt garden tommies!

Some veggies and herbs don't work, ie they either grow stunted or just die. But most do fantastically!

I second KP's sentiment, realistically it's up to the variety you plant - heirloom toms taste ridiculously good compared to the stuff you can get it in the supermarket, can't say that lettuce tastes much different though. Freshness certainly has a contributing factor though - it's great to go out and pick a leaf of lettuce for your sandwich.

Whether it's better tasting than a normal veggie garden? I'd say it's probably not - it'd be about the same.

Let me amend that by saying that the human psyche is complex -the "satisfaction factor" is fantastic, and always makes the food you've grown taste great.

Yep! I love that aspect of it. Less wastage too I think, you only pick what you need at the time. Every time we have a salad with dinner I go out and cut the leaves from baby beat, baby spinach, various varieties of lettuce, a small capcicum and maybe a raddish. Toss it all together with a few other bits 'n' pieces and eat straight away. No more soggy vegies in the fridge

We have had the best tasting silverbeet i have ever grown