I try to buy organic most of the time to avoid pesticides but I also do worry about transporting produce long distances...plus, local stuff is generally fresher and should have a higher vitamin content just from not sitting around so long.  There's a great farmer's market here that a lot of small farmers use to sell their produce; a local beekeeper sells honey and bee pollen; a nonprofit organization called Native Seeds sell their products; etc.  Several of the farmers raise their items pesticide-free, which is great.  Because they are a community, they usually know each other and they sort of "self-police" to make sure that everyone's being honest about what they have for sale.  There was a scandal a while back and a seller was ousted from the market because the other sellers found out he was misrepresenting his stock. 

I was surprised the article entitled "Keep Pets Naturally Pest Free" stated that garlic is toxic to cats.  This is simply not true! Please check your sources.  Every cat nutrition book I have recommends feeding garlic, especially to help keep cats pest-free.  (authors include: Wendell Belfield, DVM, Anitra Frazier, Dr. Richard Pitcairn, & Pat McKay)