Is all the produce at the farmers’ market organic?

It is unlikely that all of the produce at the farmers’ market is organic, but a good portion of it may be. A farm must be certified organic through the USDA National Organic program to sell produce labeled as organic. Although many farmers who sell their produce at farmers’ markets are, in fact, certified organic, some of the produce sold at farmers’ markets is conventional.

At the farmers’ market you are usually buying either directly from the person who farmed the produce or someone else who is knowledgeable about how the food was grown. If a farm is not certified organic, I always ask what their pesticide and fertilizer policies are to see if I am comfortable purchasing the product. While all produce sold at farmers’ markets may not be organic, it should be  local and fresh picked—two major pluses, in my opinion.