Eating Organic and local is ideal, but often local growers at farmer’s markets are not certified organic because they say it’s too expensive to get certified.  Following is a high level guideline for asking the right questions.  It’s probably not enough to ask “do you use pesticides” because they may not, but they may use other chemicals (e.g., Roundup is technically not a pesticide).  Ask the farmers what they use for each of the following:

• Pests
• Diseases
• Weeds
• Fertilizing

If you don’t understand their answers, ask them to explain.

Also check out “How to Find True Organic Food at a Farmers’ Market”