Store Bought vs Homegrown

Most of my friends buy their food from stores and farmers markets. Much of my food comes from my farm, or my locality via trading and foraging. So.....

                    .....which is better? 

Whoa, I'm not the original author of that question. I'm not judging for the world, nor telling other people what they should do. It's just that I was confronted this morning at the farmers market by someone who thought that I'm pushing this idea of growing food a bit too hard. She was defending buying store bought foods, and asked me specifically which is better, homegrown vs store bought. As I said, I'm not here to judge for other people. But let's explore .........

Which is better? When it comes to hubby and I, of course I believe homegrown and local is better. It's what I'm doing. Let's list some reasons......

... Freshness. 

... Flavor. 

... Being able to harvest at gourmet timing, such as baby squash, baby carrots, edible flowers, etc. 

... Producing foods that I can't buy in a store. (When's the last time that Aunt Molly's ground cherries were in the supermarket?) 

... Supporting local growers. 

... Less chemicals and contamination (but I have to know my suppliers. Not every grower is trustworthy.) 

Store bought has its benefits...,,

... Out of season availability. 

... Selection of foods not available locally. 

... Commercially made "instant food". 

... Getting food to the masses, especially in urban situations. 

... Generally cheaper in the long run for the majority of people. 

Store bought has a lot of downsides that I prefer to avoid --- sugars, salt, chemicals, contaminants. 

Homegrown brings other benefits --- a connection to nature, a feeling of self reliance, the knowledge that I wouldn't miss a meal even if times got rough. 

So you decide. Which is better?