Why I pay $20 for a dozen eggs and why you should, too

Prices are crazy in California.But then again, so are we.This week, I paid $20 for a dozen eggs this week.

And somehow, I walked away feeling pretty good about it.Welcome to the Santa Monica Farmers Market, where I headed Wednesday morning, as usual, for my fresh produce.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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Shopping this way comes at a price.The cost of my pasture-raised eggs was more than three times the $5.99 price of a comparable dozen at Trader Joe’s.

And Amazon has pasture-raised eggs for just $3.79.My enormous $8 avocado was nearly six times the $1.39 price at the grocery store.And my supermarket would charge around $4 to $6 for the microgreens I bought — meaning I paid three times as much.Even the $8 tortillas at the farmers market were more than three times the roughly $2.57 price of a 10-pack of flour tortillas through Amazon Fresh.But that’s part of the trade-off.

At the farmers market, I’m paying a premium to buy directly from the people who produce the food — and to ask them exactly how it was grown or raised.It’s a luxury, but it feels like a necessity.Not every stand is certified organic, but several vendors told me they don’t use pesticides on their produce.That’s important to me, and to a lot of other people who might otherwise be paying less.There are also pasture-raised meats at the market, some sold fresh rather than frozen.Then there are the relationships you build.

Shoppers see the same farmers week after week, getting to know them — and picking up tips about everything from growing practices to recipes for dinner.I try to get there early, when the chefs are shopping.I find that a little strategic eavesdropping can pay off.

You inevitably overhear tips about ingenious ways of using whatever is freshest that...