News Nearby: 'Big Organic Garden' Delivers Local Food to Your Doorstep

If you’ve been going through withdrawal ever since the Snellville Farmers Market closed for the season, you can get your local, organic produce fix any time through Big Organic Garden.

And they deliver.

Run by Melinda Hicks and Katrina Moseley, Big Organic Garden offers primarily Georgia-grown fruits and vegetables to its 80 or so customers. There is no commitment, and the produce is available year-round.

Moseley, a Snellville resident, is currently the managing partner, but as Hicks launches her new venture – Little Me Tea – Moseley is prepared to take on the task of ownership.

She began purchasing food from Big Organic Garden two years ago. She didn’t want to drive all the way into Decatur for the International Farmers Market, and she wasn’t satisfied with the look or taste of produce at local grocery stores. About a month after purchasing through Big Organic Garden, she received an email from Hicks asking if she would be interested in working for free food.

“The only requirement was a love of organics and a smiling face,” Moseley recalled.

It was a perfect fit.

“This is my gift and my calling,” she said.

Her customers are more than just customers; they are family, according to Moseley. Big Organic Garden is a community, and community is exactly what people crave. Her own passion for healthy eating and nutrition is contagious, and she loves to educate people on the benefit of eating – and living – organically.

Citing everything health benefit from fewer colds and bouts of the flu to more stable moods, Moseley considers her diet her health insurance. Our current healthcare system, according to Moseley, promotes longevity rather than life. 

Going organic has more than just health benefits, though. Most non-organic fruits are covered in pesticide, even though they are within the legal limits, according to the USDA. An apple, for example, often has up to 48 different types of pesticide residue. 

Additionally, purchasing from local farmers helps our local economy. Beyond that - local food just tastes better. 

Big Organic Garden's system is simple: order a small, medium or large box of produce and pick it up at either the Buford or Dacula drop-off points. You can also ask them if they deliver to your area. 

They may also make Purus Fine Foods, in Snellville, a pick up location. 

Something different is on the "menu" each week. This week for example, a small box, priced at $20, includes three Braeburn apples, one avocado, two bunches of bananas, two oranges, three lemons, one cauliflower, collard greens, squash and tomatoes. 

A large mix, $50, includes four Braeburn apples, four Honey Crisp apples, two avocadoes, two and a half bunches of bananas, five oranges, five lemons, one and a half packs of broccoli, one cauliflower, two bunches of collard greens, one bunch of spinach, squash and tomatoes. 

Obviously the lemons and avocadoes aren't grown in Georgia, but they are certified organic. 

For more information, visit their website or Facebook page. 

This appeared on Snellville Patch.