But let me try again to make myself at least more clear and hopefully unmistakably about the main subject (I of course agree with that point). What about exact NUTRITIONAL VALUE one can actually achieve through growing with hydroponics and specific mixes? I have to admit that I have little knowledge about scientific data on this particular topic. During the topic I started about "taste and flavour" with hydroponics, gringojay came up with many information that was truly interesting. But I guess that on the topic of nutritional value, scientific data should be more conclusive -as taste is and remains a rather subjective matter after all. With this topic we also understood that nutrients have clear limitations concerning taste, as some of the taste may come through decomposition processes in the soil. What about proper nutritional facts, may there be limits too, compared to soil culture? Ones intentions and goals are one part of the equation only, aren't they? Have you investigated the topic from your side (but from a objective and rather scientific perspective), and what is the outcome and your conclusion? No test here or any other hidden alogations - I am truly interest and curious.

Hi Jan, Welcome to the forum! In South FL, you can probably grow tomatoes outdoors year round. in fact any day neutral or short day plant should be fine provided they can tolerate the summer heat. (i.e. spinach will have problems in south FL) Though a native of the area, I haven't lived in florida in years, but with the massive population in that area, I feel certain there is a nearby hydroponics store. go to anywho.com and type in hydroponics and boca raton, fl and then search. on the next screen you can choose to display stores by distance. that's the easiest way to find who's close to you. I personally used General Hydroponics 3 part 'flora' series nutrients with never a complaint. though others will suggest other things. buy yourself one quart of each part and you'll have several seasons to experiment so long as you don't grow too large too fast. when you decide to expand, you'll want to contact southernAG to buy commercial quantities of hydroponic fertilizer. I recomment you start by growing tomatoes in deep water culture (DWC) this is a DWC system I am currently using to grow 2 tomato plants in my office window. the system is inexpensive and rarely fails. the most expensive part is the $20 air pump, or in you case it'll be the nutrients.

Brad, For every study that says organic produce is not any different than conventionally-raised produce, you can google and find one that says it is. You'll note that this is merely a summary study that looked at previous studies. There is no way to know who funded each and every one of those previous studies so we cannot know if they were truly independent or were funded by someone who had a vested interest in the outcome. We also don't know if they merely raised oganic crops in depleted unimproved soil that was previously conventionally farmed (and, thus, stripped of many nutrients by prior crops) or if they raised it the way most serious organic producers do--in soil that is continually replenished through the additive of organic matter. This is an area of huge controversy because the agricultural industry that produces/markets food raised conventionally with chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides doesn't want for the organic food industry to grow and compete with them. Those involved in organic food production, of course, want to prove that their techiques produce healthier food that is better for the consumer. For several decades, studies have shown the organic produce tests higher in the content of some minerals and vitamins. That has been proven many times, although I suspect it would vary a great deal depending on the soil the food is raised in. If the organic producers are continually adding compost, manure, green manure crops and other sources of nutrition to enrich their soil, then there is no doubt in my mind that the soil is producing healthier crops. One thing we all have to remember is that produce contains from dozens to hundreds of phytonutrients and phytochemicals, many of which have not yet been isolated well enough to be measured or studied. With the various phytochemicals that are being studied using cutting edge techniques, scientists are finding that organically raised produce does have higher levels of those phytonutrients. My personal opinion is that I believe organically-raised produce is healthier as long as it is produced in soil whose own nutrients are regularly replenished. I prefer organic produce anyway, on the basis that it does not contain residues of synthetic products used by the farmers. I do not eat 100% organic but I eat organic as much as I can, and I am not a vegetarian. I don't even garden 100% organically, but I try to grow as organically as possible. This area of study is likely to remain controversial forever and it really is all about who is going to grab a larger share of the market--conventionally-raised produce or organically-raised produce. Like all industries, the opposing parties are battling for market share and each will continue to produce studies that favor their side of the story. It is sort of like the Dish Network--Direct TV battle for market share, only as applied to food. Each side is going to tell you what they want you to believe and each side will claim they can prove they are "better". The battle between the two sides is part of a larger cultural phenomenon known as Food Politics. And just like regular politics, Food Politics can be very ugly. I say go with your gut feeling and trust your own intuition. There are lots of good books out there about food and how it is raised and marketed. Some of the best of them are by Michael Pollan, who himself is a serious gardener. One of his more recent books is "In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto" and I have read it and re-read it several times and highly recommend it. Another book of his that is great is "The Omnivore's Dilemma". If, like me, you raise a significant portion of your family's veggies (and, to a lesser extent, fruit), then another great book is Barbara Kingsolver's account of her family's effort to eat locally for one year and to raise as much of that food themselves as they can. It is called "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral" and it is a very inspiring book. Since reading it, I have been working harder to raise more of our produce (and eggs!) although I am still a long way from producing all of it or even most of it. I find the food we raise ourselves tastes better to us, and even when friends or relatives eat at our house, they will comment on a particularly tasty dish and say "you raised this yourself, didn't you"? People who've eaten our eggs say the same thing. To me, both gardening and raising eggs is all about knowing what specifically is going into the food we eat and also about having the freshest, best-tasting food possible. If the home-grown organically-produced food is healthier for us in terms of nutrient content, that's just a bonus. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: In Defense Of Food: An Eater's Manifesto

Great mashed potatoes--- Peal and cut potatoes into good sized hunks. I like to use red potatoes for mashing because that is what my mother taught me. Bring to a simmer in an inch to three inches of salted water in a covered pot. Start on high heat and lower to a simmer as soon as the water starts to bubble. Test for doneness in about 20 minutes--a sharp kitchen knife inserted into the center of a hunk of potato meets no resistance or crunchy raw center. Drain the potatoes. Now the secret is to return the drained potatoes in their cooking pot back onto the burner and let the remaining water on the pot and chunks evaporate with the lid off the pot. Stir the potatoes briefly so all the surfaces have a chance to dry out. If cooking on a gas stove, turn the heat way down for this step. If cooking on an electric stove, you might find you can leave the heat off and let the residual heat of the electric burner do this. Be careful not to scorch the potatoes. Heat some whole (preferably) milk. Use a hand masher (if you have one) to break up the potatoes in the pot, add salt, pepper and several chunks of butter cut in small pieces so that they will melt quickly. Now take your portable electric mixer, pour 1/2 cup of warm milk into the potatoes, and beat the potatoes, starting on low speed and moving up to high speed. Add more warm milk quickly to get the proper consistency while beating (don't let them beat at a too thick consistency) and use a rubber spatula to mix the potatoes on the edge and at the bottom into the mixer blades. Serve immediately.