This morning I went to the local farmers' market in the town I live in. I met the owners of an organic farm. They're not certified organic because they're too small and it costs $500 every year plus scheduled inspections by state agents, but the owners use organic farming methods and they do NOT use synthetic fungicides, pesticides or herbicides on the crops. The husband and wife seemed to be very aware, and I enjoyed talking with them.

Thus far in my life, I've never had the opportunity to talk with (or meet) the people who grow the food I eat. That's pretty sad, but I guess it highlights the modern, disconnected society we live in. The owners encouraged me to come visit the farm, as they give free tours. While I don't have the time (or inclination) to visit the farm, it's good to know that if I wanted to, I could have a look at how the food is grown.

With the sole exception of talking to the owners of the farm mentioned above, I found my town's farmer's market to be rather disappointing. The organic farm mentioned above offered only lettuce and cabbage for sale, along with lots of antibiotic free meat. (They raise free-range, grass-fed poultry and cattle). Since I wasn't interested in buying meat or eggs, that left cabbage and lettuce, which were also for sale. So, I ended up buying two bags of locally grown, pesticide-free lettuce.

The owners of the farm told me that they'd have sweet bell peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes within the next five weeks. So, I'll head back down to the town farmers' market in five weeks for the veggies. But I won't be going back until then. There's just not enough organically raised produce there.

Next Saturday, I'll be heading down to the state farmers' market in the city, which is a LOT bigger, and should have some organic produce. (Let's hope so, at least.) I want to buy produce in bulk/volume.

I have considered moving to Winter Park, FL (right outside of Orlando), partly because the organic produce at the Winter Park Whole Foods store is spectacular. According to the Whole Foods website, the Winter Park store has "the most abundant organic produce selection in Central Florida, with a minimum of 80 organic fresh fruits and vegetables daily." Now, that's a great selection! Plus, there's no state income tax in Florida, which is always nice! :-) Right now, moving is not an option, but eventually I would like to live in another area of the country.