Organic. It's a buzz word. What does it mean? It means that a food was grown without the use of certain chemicals or pesticides or the fabric material was grown and processed without certain things. That's all.

Organic does not mean healthier for the person eating the food or wearing the shirt. It does not mean that fewer resources were consumed in the making, transport and packaging of the item. It does not mean that the workers who picked the tomato were given a living wage.

I know that our local Sugar River Dairy yogurt is created with milk from a few herds of chemical-free local cows. It's not certified organic, but I know a lot more about it than I do about where Stoneyfield yogurt comes from.

I don't care if the person whom I buy my sweet corn from at the local farmer's market is certified organic because I can talk with her and find out how she grows her corn. I can go pick strawberries and build a relationship of trust the with the grower, knowing first hand how she cares for her plants. I can visit the farm where our beef comes from and see for myself how the cows are pastured and treated. By raising our chickens, I know exactly how our egg layers and meat birds were raised.

I'll take locally grown items over certified organic any day. Certified organic foods from the grocery store don't let me build a community with my purchases. By shopping locally, my dollars stay within our community, my relationships in the area grow and I save the resources it took to transport that strawberry from a continent away.

Nothing is better than the strawberry or tomato that only makes the 20' trip from the garden to our kitchen. Nothing else tastes that good or makes me feel as satisfied. But since that isn't an option for all foods thanks to a city yard, I'm happy to also shop local and so thankful for all the choices I have for non-certified organic foods locally.

Please keep supporting your local food vendors. Help the family farm evolve and survive in a new agricultural world.