Mondays are a great day to have off; when the house is quiet and everyone else is off at work, I can take some time to do some cooking for the week. I use whatever market goodies have made their way home with me to cook up some basics—like a pot of beans, a pan of roasted root veggies and good homemade stock—that can easily be turned into several week night meals or a brown bag lunch or two. Having great staples in the pantry always makes everything a little more tasty and most of my favorite pantry items come from the farmers market. Here are the essentials I recommend to make your weekly routine a little more delicious:

Dry goods, beans and grains
You can never go wrong with the wide variety of dried beans from Rancho Gordo, sun dried tomatoes from Everything Under the Sun, smoked sweet onions and dried chilies from Tierra Vegetables, brown rice from Massa Organics, cornmeal and cornbread mixes from Ridgecut Gristmill and fresh wheat flour from Eatwell Farms

Oil,vinegar and good things in jars
Olive oil from Bariani or Sciabica and Sons, walnut oil from Glashoff’s, apple cider vinegar and apple balsamic from Apple Farm, pickled beets and dry-farmed ketchup from Happy Girl Kitchen, and SF Bay Area Beekeepers Blend honey from Marshall’s Farm—a must for my allergy relief and tea

Fruits and nuts
Fruit cheeses and preserves from June Taylor, fruit spreads and syrups from Lagier Ranches, dried fruits from Bella Viva Orchards, pickled whole fruit from Happy Girl Kitchen, walnuts and blanched almonds from G.L. Alfieri Farms

Fresh dairy products
Sweet, fresh unsalted butter from Spring Hill Jersey Cheese, plain yogurt by the quart from St. Benoit, and Capricious cheese from Achadinha—perfect for grating over pasta or salads