Taking a walk down the markets in France especially over the weekends is such a treat! Thank you for giving us a dose of that through your post. The lure to sit by the roadside table and chairs in one of the café's /brasseries for either a pint or a cup of café allongé (sigh).
"When I first arrived in the country I was actually surprised at how fresh everything was and how flavorful everything tasted."
You hit the nail right on the head. We brought (ahem smuggled) seeds from France and tried growing them in both Dubai and the Philippines. In Dubai we managed to grow those exact radishes with good imported garden soil, they were not bad but the taste was not nearly as good as those in France. When we tried them here in the Philippines in an agricultural town, they grew but they tasted bad. Horrible even. It seems the tropical climate and the soil quality changed the taste drastically.
That's interesting that the taste would change that much. I'm surprised, but I suppose it also makes sense given it's a different climate. I think the main reason everything is so good is because the produce is picked when it is ready to be eaten and then brought to the local markets and supermarkets right away, so everything is fresh and ripe. Very little is imported from other countries. When produce is imported it is often picked before its ready and then it ripened on a truck, which is not the same. Chemicals like Ethylene is used to ripen vegetables as well. So I think the key I that the produce is local and not imported. I always find that tomatoes grown at home taste better than store bought - that is, if I'm consistent in taking care of them, which is typically not the case hahaha 😝
"Oh crap, I should check to see if the tomatoes need water!"
The soil is dried to the bone and the tomato leaves are turning brown...
"Well I guess I'll go buy some tomatoes are the grocery store" 😆
I very well agree that homegrown veg and fruits are the tastiest. Yes, the prime ripeness timing in picking and offering them also makes a huge difference.
Oh no, hope your tomato plant recovers.
Haha, it happens. 😆