Tired of gnawing on a bland celery or carrot stick when all you want is a good potato chip? I recently decided that eating healthy doesn’t mean that I have to eat flavorless food. I began to wonder what is the best tasting vegetable. Well to my surprise, there are many best tasting vegetables and they are all heirloom! 

Here’s why heirlooms are the best tasting vegetables:

• They have been chosen for their superior taste for generations. Heirlooms are at least 90 years old, many reaching hundreds to thousands of years back. Heirloom seeds have been saved from only the best tasting vegetables for generations. They have lasted this long because their growers were so dedicated to continuing their exquisite taste.  Now they can easily be grown and tasted by you.


• They are without chemicals. Unless otherwise stated, almost all produce available in supermarkets have been treated by chemicals in one way or another – including organic produce. It’s simple: chemicals don’t taste good. Food grown without chemicals does. Heirloom vegetables are grown without any chemicals whatsoever.


• They ripen on the vine. Fruit and vegetables taste a million times better when allowed to fully ripen on the plant before being harvested. Today heirlooms are some of the only vegetables allowed to still ripen on the plant. Commercial hybrids are harvested before ripe, shipped to their destinations across land and sea, and then artificially ripened with chemical sprays. Bet you didn’t know you were eating that every day, huh? You will find that heirlooms are juicier, zestier, and have a much fuller flavor than any other vegetable you’ve tried.


• They are not inbred for commercially favorable qualities. Most produce is bred to grow quickly, store for long periods of time, repel pests, be resistant to diseases, and withstand chemicals. These characteristics are obtained by severely inbreeding a select 3 to 4 plants and inserting them with genes from various other organisms. Hybrid vegetables tend to be watery and bland. Heirloom vegetables on the other hand are saved and favored specifically for their powerful flavor.