Where Has All the Flavor Gone?

Science suggests that improving soil health can bring taste and nutrient density back to our food.

​You see the red, tempting slice of delicious on your sandwich. It was labeled “tomato” in the produce section of the supermarket where you picked it up. It certainly looks like a tomato and even has the faint, familiar smell of tomato. But after just one bite, your taste buds aren’t buying it. Meh. Blah. It might as well be a slice of water-filled balloon for all the flavor it offers. 
This reaction seems to be increasingly familiar. And it’s not just the tomatoes that betray our sense of taste and smell. When it comes to most commercially grown fruits, vegetables, and meats, consumers across the country are increasingly asking, “Where has all the flavor gone?” Have our taste buds been dulled, or is something more nefarious stealing the taste from our food?
 Science suggests it’s probably not the food itself, but how we grow the food that matters most when it comes to increasing taste and nutrition. Research now shows that what passes as food and what actually tastes like food is most affected by a secret that’s hidden under foot. 
 For some time, we’ve known that a single teaspoon of healthy soil contains more life (bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes, worms, etc.) than there are people on the planet. The soil biome is the single largest on earth, but is among the least understood. This mostly unseen and largely underappreciated ecosystem is responsible for all terrestrial life. 
Simply put, without our living soil, there would be no “us” or any other terra firma creatures roaming about.
 Today, scientists exploring this subterranean frontier are working not only to identify the microscopic organisms that make up this elegant ecosystem, but also to more fully understand the complex interactions and symbiosis between these organisms, the plants they feed, and the plants and animals that ultimately feed us. 

Read all about  An Introduction to Regenerative Agriculture
By Ron Nichols in our current edition. Order your copy today - quantites are limited!
Source: Soil Health Academy

---