HOUSTON -- From farm to the Houston market, more of us want locally grown, natural produce.  That’s because consumers want to know where their food is coming from and many believe local farmers are more trustworthy than the produce brought in from large out-of-state farms.

With the latest tainted tomato scare, the booths at Houston’s local farmers market are selling out as more people buy fresh organic tomatoes and cucumbers because of the growing fear of contamination.

“All of the tomatoes they grow in Florida, I think they come into big packing sheds.  It could come from one grower or it could come from two growers,” said one concerned customer.

Until the Department of Agriculture can pinpoint the exact origin of the salmonella outbreak, buying from local farms may be the solution to keeping your family safe. Not only do you know where your produce is grown, but you can talk to the farmer who grew it.

“Everything we do is fresh, right on the vine or breaking in the field,” said Mike Atkinson, local farmer.

Like many local growers, Atkinson eliminates the processes of a big packing shed. This reduces produce vulnerability, and that’s good enough for even the most discriminating customers. In fact, urban harvest has become so popular that local chefs, such as Chris Shepherd of Catalan, visit the market every Saturday to buy fresh vegetables and produce to use in their restaurants.

“It’s sourcing it locally and getting the best possible product. I know these were picked yesterday, and I don’t know how long everybody else’s has been sitting there in the cooler getting ripe,” said Sheperd.

So far, there have been 552 cases of salmonella reported in 32 states, with 24 cases in Harris county.