"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message

Artichokes and asparagus. In the supermarket they are to often weeks old.
Aside from shrinking and toughening the flavour changes with age, I think
it has something to do with sugar conversion but there is probably more to
it than that.

I recall the taste of tinned asparagus from my youth. Then I tried the
store-bought 'fresh' stuff, there is no comparison, I have never eaten the
tinned rubbish since. Then I grew it and had it really fresh, there is
some comparison but it is so much better. I still sometimes buy it in the
off season if it looks good, addicts have to do things like that.

Ooooh yes. Asparagus has got to be one of the best of the home grown
foodstuffs.

I can't really remember any specific thing that caused me to grow veg. I've
been growing veg all my adult life - "have ground, will plant".

Himself (my supposed better half) has always said he hated beans and every
single time I've smuggled them into a dish (always with a heavy sauce so he
couldn't really identify them before they hit his mouth) and asked him how
he liked them, he's said they weren't beans but were peas. I don't bother
arguing as I know they are beans not peas. It's been years since I grew
them but this year I finally decided that I would grow them again and put
them undisguised and obviously bean like and simply steamed on his plate.
The bloody man has been eating them and enjoying them but he just won't
harvest them.