I just picked up my half-a-share from a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm in my hometown. It takes only a few minutes to get there, and inevitably I return much happier than when I left. The smells of the fresh produce get me thinking of the all the things I can cook with my bounty, including many dishes I’ve never made before. (Ever used kohlrabi in a recipe before?) But the really, really big thing for me is the taste—the objects found in the fruit and vegetable section of the supermarket are another species than what is in my box.

It didn’t used to be that way, but “designing” vegetables for shipping and storage means that taste takes a back seat. Am I happy that I can eat fresh vegetables in the winter in the northeast? Sure, but it’s pact with the devil, since now even in the summer most vegetables in the summer still have the wrong texture and no taste when bought at the supermarket. (It’s not a surprise that lots of kids won’t eat their vegetables!)

There’s a way we can design the taste back in—support your local farms.