....the size of the ingredients. My expectations were that the cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and bell peppers would be better discerned. Those ingredients, however, are chopped very fine which makes it hard to distinguish. I would have expected them to look more like the vegetables one would SEE in a vegetable stew. Therefore, I give this product five stars for its value and four stars in the "meets expectations" category. Now, the reason I gave four stars in that category is because the stew tastes really great.
I noticed immediately when opening the can that the smell of the vegetables is very, very fresh. As if they had just cooked them. So, I added some chunks of tomatoes, celery and potatoes in some broth along with this vegetable blend. Again....it's flavorful!
What I plan to do from now on is to use this vegetable blend when I make ramen noodles. It will be a nice addition to add flavor and nutrition to them (IMO). I am NOT sorry I bought these vegetable because it is still a good idea to have them on hand to use as I explained before AND if I just want to have a quick light soup, they are perfect for that. The little pieces of potato flakes will work as a thickener to the soup.
My overall opinion is that this is a good product and there are some recipes on the back of the can that seems to be tasty. I recommend it. Just be aware...the vegetables will disappear, but, you will still know they were added.