The organic story is larger than just the healthy benefits of clean, nutritious foods. Organic farming, whether tomatoes, grapes, cotton or flowers, helps protect our environment - it's that simple.

Organic farming appealed to me because it involved searching for and discovering nature's pathways, as opposed to the formulaic approach of chemical farming. The appeal of organic farming is boundless; this mountain has no top, this river has no end.

According to analyses conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 100 grams of fresh tomato today has 30 percent less vitamin C, 30 percent less thiamin, 19 percent less niacin, and 62 percent less calcium than it did in the 1960s. But the modern tomato does shame it's counterpart in one area: It contains fourteen times as much sodium.

The organic story is now broadening far beyond the health benefits of pesticide-free foods. Organic farming, whether asparagus, strawberries, cotton or our own beautiful flowers, helps protect Mother Nature -- it's that simple.

This is a matter of supply and choice, rather than supply and demand. The more we make it available, the more people ask for it.

Our preference is local. But I can't find any local organic rose farms.