Texaskitty, you are soooo right. I, as a market gardener, get annoyed by these people who pretend they grow this stuff. Here in East Texas, I see items offered for sale that I know without a doubt can not be grown in our climate. Just to mess with these guys (always seem to be crusty, mean old men) I like to ask how they "do" it! They always give me the same old song and dance (took a long time to learn how to grow this stuff...). They try to talk down to me as if I were some bonehead. When I casually mention that I too am a market gardener and have a degree in horticulture and I STILL have never been able to grow Mangos in zone 8 or shiny red apples in June, they get angry at me. Huhmm... I wonder why?
Bottom line, if it is too pretty, out of season and you have never seen it growing in someone's garden, you KNOW it is not a local product.
You were smart enough to figure this out. Many are not.
Your local farmers market are your best bet. Still, beware...some market managers allow non-vendor grown stuff. You can spot it quickly though. There generally is a rule that forces vendors to have a sign somewhere that states a % of their produce is not local- though it could be hidden behind that lovely basket of Navel Oranges (grown in Dallas, of course
).
