The tomatoes at the Durango Farmers Market look like the juicy fruit they really are – bright red globes of instant, healthy goodness.

But they’re $4 a pound, twice that of some conventionally grown tomatoes at the grocery store.

What’s a cost-conscious, quality-minded shopper to do?

Compare prices, of course. You could be surprised.

Dave Banga’s fingerling potatoes, organically grown at his Mancos farm, are $2 a pound, compared to $3.99 in local grocery stores. His basil is $1 an ounce, a third of the cost at the grocery stores. And his zucchini, firm and glossy green, are $2 a pound, a mere 21 cents more than the conventionally grown ones sold at Albertsons.

But for every one of us who believe that organic is better and local is best, there are two who don’t care.

“I usually don’t pay attention,” said one professional woman in the produce aisle at north City Market, adding that she’ll buy organic if the price is comparable, but otherwise, she buys whatever is most affordable. And going to the Farmers Market on a Saturday morning is more than she has time for.

Lyn Sutton, shopping at north City Market on a weekday afternoon, said the organic produce at the market or the grocery store is too expensive.

“I can’t pay the price for a lot of it,” she said.

Nor is she convinced of the necessity of it.

“A banana is a banana is a banana,” she added.

She makes sure, however, that the peaches, corn and strawberries piled in her basket are grown in Colorado, simply because she believes they taste better.

That’s part of City Market’s strategy to lure customers – promoting produce grown in Colorado, as well as organics. Local shoppers want the freshest produce available, and offering fruit and vegetables from the state helps ensure that. While the Kroger Co., parent company of City Market, is headquartered in Cincinnati, regional stores buy from regional farmers as a way to compete with the local farmers markets.

But let’s be clear – price matters.

“We try to bring in the lowest-priced goods we can,” said Steve Collins, manager of north City Market.

Conventionally grown fruit and vegetables outsell organics by more than 2 to 1, he said. After all, a pound of regular carrots cost 74 cents at his store, as opposed to $3 from most local farmers. Onions are 66 cents a pound, compared to the Farmers Market best price of $1.50.

“I believe cost is important,” he said.

For shoppers who don’t care whether their food is organic or locally grown, Jennifer Wheeling of the Gardens at James Ranch makes her pitch for why they should.

She notes that produce at the Farmers Market is picked within a day or two of being sold and usually takes less than an hour to get to market.

“How many days did those carrots sit at City Market? Carrots can be stored for a year,” she said. “Are there any nutrients left in them?”

Further, she asks, how far did they have to travel before landing in the refrigerated bins at the grocery store? The common wisdom is that most produce travels an average of 1,500 miles before it reaches its selling point. Produce at the Farmers Market must come from La Plata and its four surrounding counties, guaranteeing its freshness.

“Anybody who’s buying asparagus in February has to understand that it’s coming from Argentina,” she said.

Also, almost all local farmers use organic practices – read no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides or artificial fertilizers – to grow their plants, which translates into no toxins in your food.

National food watchdog groups compile a yearly list of the “dirty dozen,” the fruits and vegetables most contaminated by pesticides. This year’s suspects include such common dinner-table fare as cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, sweet peppers, potatoes, spinach, kale, zucchini and summer squash.

That might make it worth paying that extra 21 cents a pound to buy your zucchini at the Farmers Market.

Local chefs certainly think so. Besides serving food that’s healthy and safe, they say the best reason to buy local and organic is obvious – it tastes better. A bursting-with-flavor tomato from a local farm can’t compare to one from the grocery store, even if it’s organic.

“Customers taste our tomatoes and they say they’ve never had one that tastes like that,” said Linda Illsley, owner of Linda’s Local Food Café. “They can taste the freshness.”

Illsley is at the forefront of the restaurant trend to buy produce from local farmers, going all-organic and all-local several years ago. She reels off the benefits – she’s supporting the local economy, improving the local environment and doing her part to turn the American palate away from produce grown with pesticides and artificial fertilizers.

Ryan Lowe, general manager and executive chef at Ore House Restaurant, hopped on the bandwagon three years ago when he removed the steakhouse’s famed salad bar and replaced it with made-to-order salads sourced with ingredients fresh from local farmers.

The transition hasn’t been easy – some customers complain about the higher prices – but Lowe is steadfast.

“We did it because we wanted to serve better food,” he said. “Our price point is higher, but it’s worth it for community reasons, quality reasons and nutrition reasons.”

Sometimes the perfect tomato is worth paying the price.

phasterok@durangoherald.com