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.

I know, I know. 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 morning.

I’m lucky enough to live just a few blocks from the market, so I know my favorites. The biggest bottle of truffle olive oil costs $75 — and, to me, it is worth every penny. I put it on almost everything.

Then there are those eggs.

They’re $20 a dozen, from Apricot Lane Farms, the Moorpark farm featured in the award-winning documentary “The Biggest Little Farm.”

Even opening the carton is an experience. The multicolored eggs are arranged so that no two of the same color sit next to each other. I was told the chickens are moved to fresh pasture every few days, giving them a more varied diet.

Suddenly, $20 for a dozen eggs doesn’t seem quite so outrageous — especially when I can stretch them across several meals

You can also pick up half a dozen duck eggs for $10. They are richer and creamier than chicken eggs and another tempting splurge.

And then there are the cult favorites. 

In the summertime, I’ve seen people lining up as early as 6 a.m. for prized peaches — two hours before the market officially opens at 8.

I have yet to taste them because I never have time to wait for that long, that early. There’s also a frenzy around the so-called “magic grapes,” with small baskets going for an eye-watering $40. Maybe next season I’ll finally join the line.

Unlike some other farmers markets, where you might browse jewelry, candles or prepared food, the Wednesday Santa Monica market feels much more focused on what you came for: ingredients.

And after walking home with $20 eggs, an $8 avocado, $15 microgreens, $8 tortillas and $15 worth of miniature bananas and pineapple guavas, I had everything I needed for one extremely expensive, and incredible, Santa Monica breakfast burrito.  

Liz Angeles is a massage therapist who runs the top-rated Just What You Knead in Santa Monica.