The best meals in valley country start at the market, not the supermarket. A little planning turns a Saturday morning visit from a pleasant outing into the backbone of the week's cooking.

Go early, but not first thing. The opening hour has the best selection of berries, greens and eggs; the last hour is when growers are happy to sell a full box of tomatoes or peaches at a good price for preserving.

Shop with a loose plan. Decide how many meals you need and roughly what kind, then let the stalls fill in the details. If the asparagus looks wonderful, it becomes Tuesday's supper; if it is past its best, something else will be at its peak.

Talk to the growers. Ask what is coming next week, how they like to cook what they grow and which variety of apple keeps longest. Most are glad to share, and the answers are better than any recipe card.

Bring sturdy bags, a cooler in the car for meat and cheese and small bills for the stalls that do not take cards. Then go home and cook something simple, because food this fresh needs very little help.