I read an article about antibiotics turning up in manures and organic veggies this week. I agree that the organic certification leaves much to be desired, for instance, working conditions and treatment of labor. What it really comes down to is size. Size matters.A farm needs to be big enough to be efficient, and small enough to be well-managed using best practices in the spirit of the organic movement, not just the letter of the organic label law. Most of the problems we hear about are the result of gigantic industry farms going organic to get at the (marginally) higher prices the label promises to growers. Contamination scare stories are never the result of your local farmer mismanaging her resources, because she depends on your continued trust and support. Your local farmer cannot afford to make mistakes that would make you sick, and in all likelihood, she has a philosophy of nourishing her community and caring for her land, some original concepts of the organic movement.

The answer to the dilemma of “what do you get when you buy organic” seemed to be a recommendation to grow your own, which I heartily endorse. And, I would like to add, that especially for new growers, this will be challenging, so, to ensure your best nourishment, I also recommend attending your local farmers market and introducing yourself to all the many fine farmers there. Not just me, goodness knows I can’t grow enough to feed the whole town. We are blessed to live in an area with so many great farmers. So go to the market, meet the farmers living and working in your area, ask them all sorts of questions about how they produce their crops and tell them about your efforts to produce yours, and soon you may even become friends, and everyone knows that friends don’t put nasty things in each others food, so we can all rest easier. When embarking on an effort to grow your own food, consider which crops are easy to grow in your area, or which ones you may have some experience with, or which ones will give you the most personal satisfaction to grow. Choose those crops for your home garden, then go to the farmers market and buy the rest from one of the many fine, upstanding citizens of your local community.

One more thought is about CSA. Community Supported Agriculture gives you a weekly delivery of an assortment of produce with some regular staples and some guest star veggies. If you want to grow your own garden AND support a farmer by purchasing a CSA share, ask the farmer what to expect and to suggest crops that you may want to grow more of than will typically be included in your share.