Under a green canopy of trees, a stream meanders by a series of raised beds boasting a variety of leafy greens. Through the narrow aisles, volunteers' sandals and work boots pad along. The stream feeding the Local Organic Outpost is one of the last that flows over mud and clay rather than city-engineered concrete channels. It feels a thousand miles from nowhere, or at least a thousand miles from the wild pace of Houston traffic, but this urban gardening adventure is just a hop from both downtown and Interstate 10. Launched in 2001 by Joe Nelson Icet, the garden is fueling the boom in organic farmers' markets and health-minded Houston restaurants. It's also a resource for the organic minorities of Fat City, USA. Here is our town's true counterculture. Like the kale, it is vibrant and growing.