Melinda, everyone should be blessed with the kind of community you describe. And yes, when it comes to taste, home grown wins over store bought every time.
It's like living in a time warp at times. I'm in a very rural back hills part of S. Tennessee but close enough to Knoxville and Chattanooga that we aren't that remote. A lot of the rural parts of TN like mine are very people and community oriented. Each time I have to go to Chattanooga or Knoxville it makes me thankful for my community and glad to be home! Just driving through Chattanooga makes me feel like I just survived a near death experience. :-)