I just did a quick search for Dallas CSA (community supported agriculture) and found this site: www.slowfooddallas.com/members.html Maybe there's info there that you didn't know about.

That was an excellent book and it did make you question the organics that we buy. I live in an area the is very focused on sustainable living and community supported agriculture, so I'm fortunate in that respect. Try looking into the Bioregional animism tribe you could pick up alot of useful information on that tribe.

tribes.tribe.net/bioregionalanimism

I just know I'm going to get shit for this: I don't give a rat's ass about organics or the people who grow them. I live in Oregon (read as: surrounded by yuppies and "small organic" and "grass fed farms"), most of the organic farmers are assholes, I know, I went to school with their kids, who are also assholes. I'm sorry that's just how it's, I'd like to say that they are just as noble as you think, just as honest, but they aren't. They fall into to two categories: Dishonest and self-righteous, I get along well with the first group (mostly because I live in a tourist town and thus hate yuppies as they make up the bulk of all tourists) but the self-righteous ones are the most annoying people in the wold, they always give you things to help quit smoking within secants of learning of your vice, with out ever asking if you want to quit. I like smoking, allot, I don't want to quit. But never ever say that, they wont fucking stop talking for years. By the way check out the definition for "organic", all foods are "organic" and "all natural", guess what else is: A.D.S., the flu, cow shit, human growth hormone, your mom, sperm, night shade, and lots of other things I don't want to eat.

I read this book because I loved The Botany of Desire, and I enjoyed the Omnivores Dilemma, and In Defense of Food as well. what I tend to like about pollan's work is that he uses case studies to familiarize the reader with a certain idea, and then expands upon it.

Hmm... Also being from Oregon, and from a tourist town, all of the nice people who own farms and nurseries I know must have been a fluke (including one of the nicest couples I've ever met, working full time jobs and still managing to run a small farm in Central Oregon). Yeah, some of them are dishonest, yeah, some of them are self righteous, but the majority of the ones I've met have just been people trying to scrape by doing something they enjoy.If you had actually read the book before commenting, you would remember that Pollan actually discusses the rampant dishonesty and/or unyielding self righteous nature of many organic farmers. though he does discuss it in different terms, and with different conclusions than you seem to.

though I like the ideas Pollan brings up in his book(s), and believe that everyone should read this book, I find that his inability to hold each of his three "meals" in Omnivore's Dilemma to the same standards really ruins this book for me (despite my agreement with him in general practice and local organic or wildcrafted diet). If you are going to try to convince me of your opinion/plot, at least hold your only 3 plot elements to the same "science" before preaching to me which is "better."

Pollan holds the first 2 "meals" to a standard he does not hold his "hunter/gatherer"meal to by continually adding up their environmental impact, yet he absolutely and completely disregards the fossil fuels consumed in getting out to hunt his food> not once but twice, with more than one vehicle involved. Plus he conveniently forgets to acknowledge or total in the fuel costs/energy consumed for the months the game required to cure - refrigerated the whole time. If you are going to pick apart fast foods and organic foods and hunted foods, keep right on picking - but consistently - is all I'm asking.

I just moved to Dallas from Oregon this last winter and, yes, it is very hard to find Organic. Yes, I was spoiled in Oregon but here is what I have found locally and I am always open to hearing about other options locally.

Costco: Yep. Costco has a freakin' boatload of organic stuff. You just have to look. I get Annie's organic pizzas, Annie's frozen Indian entrees, organic bread, crackers, spinach, carrots, cheese, green super food, wild Alaska salmon (in season) and TP (and lots of other stuff as well). They also carry organic beef and lamb, although I don't eat either.

Tom Thumb: Tom Thumb is the same chain as Safeway in the NW. They have oodles of organic stuff mixed in all throughout the store. In Oregon, it was all put together in it's own section. here they put it in with similar items. So the organic mustard is sitting next to the other mustards, for example.

There is a place east of Dallas that raises grass fed beef. I believe you have to put in an order earlier in the season and then you gotta have a freezer. I found them by going to the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) website and searching by area. There is one (only one!) local CSA farm up in McKinney and I got on her waiting list last fall. I'm down something like 50 people on her waiting list. Argh!

As a result, I am seriously considering growing my own veggies next year. I bought a house where through a very nice coincidence, the previous owners were into organic and didn't put any chemicals on the yard. I figure, with my work schedule, if I get the raised bed put together this year with the soaker houses and good dirt and mulch, then next year I can plant a real garden and I won't have to wait an eternity for clean veggies. Plus, I'm sure all the gazillions of local bunnies we see everywhere are going to love me!

People have told me about the Dallas Farmers Market and while that sounds nifty, it is clear downtown and with gas approaching $4/gallon, I'm not driving downtown any time soon. Actually, there were 3 of us that moved out here from the Pacific NW to start the Dallas office and right now we carpool in to work to save on time and gas. But with gas prices what they are, we're considering taking the light rail in to work as our company will pay for the monthly pass. Geez. I hope it's not too scary what with Dallas being what it is.