East Texas Quarterly Magazine Fall 2014 | Page 6

leaves from the stem. Put a pile of leaves the size of small lemon in the middle of a cutting board and cut across with a big butcher knife, raking it back to the center and chopping again a few times. Rake herbs into a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; toss with tomatoes. No salt or pepper necessary. Some people are surprised they don’t find more produce labelled organic at farmers market. To actually claim the “organic” label by USDA standards, the farmer would have to jump through a lot of hoops, pay to have the farm certified a