If you've been a reader of And Topher Too since the beginning then you know the majority of our groceries come from YDFM (Your DeKalb Farmers Market). We go there instead of the big box grocery stores because it's both cheaper and has a wider selection of local and organic fruits and vegetables. When I have to choose between organic and local I always choose local. This time of year its easy to find vegetables grown in the southeast (YDFM posts the orgin of the item in large letters directly above the bin). In the spring and summer YDFM tends to have more items from California so we then tend to eat things we've grown at home or purchased from our neighborhood farmers market (Grant Park).

My reasons for choosing local food are simple: 1. I want to actively support smaller farmers that are directly related to my city's economy. 2. I'm aware of how much gasoline and pollution are involved with transporting food from the west coast to Atlanta and I don't want to personally contribute to it. 3. GMO's and BigAg creep me out and I associate them with giant factory farms and big box grocery stores.

Those who go, know, the first rule of YDFM: No photography! Even so, I've really wanted to share a glimpse into our great market with our new non-Atlanta friends. Tonight I took advantage of a rare night with no crowds. Apologies for the angles of many of the photos; they were taken from my pocket!