Soil-grown food may have the edge when it comes to flavor, but hydroponic food has its advantages. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants in water or nutrient solutions without soil.
The roots are submerged in water and there is no need for fertilizers or pesticides because these are supplied artificially. As a result, you end up with tastier fruit and vegetables that last longer. And if you’re worried about feeding your family healthy organic produce on a budget, hydroponics can be cheaper than traditional farming methods as well.
Smell of hydroponic food
A lot of people are concerned about the smell of food grown in hydroponics. They think that it will be smelly and without any scent at all like those things they find when they go down to the basement to pick out potatoes from their storage. This is not true and can be compared to the smell of dirt, something you would find at a farm or even in your own garden. These types of smells are great for those who like to grow their own plants and flower crops, as it gives it a natural feel and appeals to the sense of smell that anyone can enjoy.
Taste of hydroponic food
A lot of people are worried about the taste of food grown in hydroponics. They think that it will be tasteless, bland and without the flavor they find in soil-grown foods. But is this true? Can you really tell the difference?
It turns out that there are no real studies comparing the taste of soil-grown versus hydroponic food.
However, the consensus is that hydroponic food will taste just as good, if not better.
For example, one blogger took on her own project to discover if soil-grown foods really tasted better than their hydroponics counterparts. She tried homegrown eggplants and strawberries (grown in dirt) against store bought varieties (grown in hydroponics) and had a taste-off between her husband and children to see which they liked better.
She recorded their subjective opinions on appearance, smell and flavor as well as objective measurements such as pH levels, soluble solids and Brix. After crunching the numbers she concluded that surprisingly the hydroponic strawberries and eggplants were rated higher on all categories, including their taste.
Vitamins in hydroponic food
Some people need supplemental vitamins in order to meet their daily requirements for things like vitamin D or calcium. One way is to take a vitamin pill every day – but another option is to eat hydroponic foods.
Since there is no soil in hydroponics, the roots have a lot easier access to nutrients and don’t need to work as hard to get all the vitamins and minerals they need. As a result, hydroponic food tends to contain more nutritious value than its soil-grown counterparts.
