Set among tall elms with endless free parking, the laid-back, organic-certified Encino Farmers Market is uniquely Valley: Buy alfafa-fed beef from Dey Dey's, then jam into G Farms, where Jose sells organic fruit for $2 a pound; then it's on to Given Farms, where Hank hawks great kale, leeks and string beans — and likes to help out TreePeople projects. Mr. Thao's Farm produce is laid out like an art show, boasting six kinds of eggplant and smelling of basil; Energy Bee Raw Honey helps beekeepers peddle cotton blossom and other local honey flavors. Gab with Gene Etheridge, who'll give you the peach-pie recipe he makes for his wife, and sells “ugly” and “gnarly” amazing heritage nectarines. When you're done, Norma at Skyline Flowers will have your tuberoses waiting for you in cold water. 17400 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys. encinofarmersmarket.org. —Jill Stewart

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