I just came back from the local farmer's market and heard several vendors all say the same thing while I was there: "We're not certified organic, but we use no pesticides."
This might be true: organic certification is expensive and not all farmers can afford it. It also takes time for your pesticide-free soil to qualify for organic certification. Some farmers are growing sustainably but they haven't done it enough years in a row yet to qualify. So I know there are perfectly good reasons why this statement could very well be true.
Unfortunately, it could also be a total lie. Does anyone have any info on how many farmers are legitimately pesticide-free but not organic certified? Are there any questions I could ask that would help me determine if they're telling the truth?
