Today in Organic: September 11, 2009

AquaRanch lettuce / Mark Andrew Boyer

• What's the cost of eating tomatoes in the winter? Some pretty abusive labor conditions at Florida farms, according to Helen York, who works for the Bon Appetit Management Company.

• Gourmet food politics writer Gary Estabrook has some good news to report on the winter tomato front: Chipotle is planning to buy winter tomatoes from a company called the East Coast Growers and Packers, a company that recently signed onto the Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ “Fair Food” program.

• The nonprofit group Fresh Farm Markets got approval to set up a White House farmers market, the New York Times reports. 

• The Rodale Institute is hosting an organic apple festival tomorrow in Maxatawny, PA.

• Grist's Ken Meter sees enormous potential in the USDA's "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative, which could help promote more urban farming.