For years I worked a few short blocks from the Santa Monica Farmers Market on Arizona Street. I was able to go there each Wednesday morning. I liked to stroll through before it opened, watching the farmers set up their stands, and developing a shopping list based on what I saw. Then I could circle back and buy the best of what I had seen, and still be at work on time.

My colleagues came to know that they could find fresh strawberries, or newly harvested walnuts, organic honey or even warm baked goods at my desk.

The farmers market taught me about growing seasons, and I learned how to want to eat what’s in season. I also learned how sharing that bounty cemented human relationships that can be strained by the exigencies of corporate life.

There are many farmers markets in the Los Angeles area, but the Wednesday morning one on Arizona is special, and the reason for that is Laura Avery. She has been managing it since I’ve been going there. She personally visits each of the farms, getting to know the people and methods.

I grew to love the cyclical nature of it all: going there every Wednesday for years, coming to know the farmers, seeing the seasons go around, learning what is associated with each season. Above all, I learned how to appreciate the bounty of the state of California, as opposed to the exotic delicacies from distant places.

When I come home from the farmers market with a bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables, I feel rich. I love the experience of being there, and I love having the bounty sustain me through the week.

It’s no longer easy for me to get to that particular market in Santa Monica. Whenever I travel, I try to find local markets where I’m staying. Campo de’ Fiori in Rome, local markets in Asheville, North Carolina and Charlottesville, Virginia, small roadside stands north of Boston: these places are a fundamental part of how I travel.

Sometimes, just to sustain the continuity, I will get up in the dark and drive the 17 miles out to Santa Monica on Wednesday morning, and spend the day munching blueberries or peaches or multi-colored carrots at my desk.