A few precarious Waze drives across Los Angeles scoping out the neighborhood’s farmers’ market and we’ve finally found our favorite. Just so happens it is right in our Hollywood backyard.

It was love at first sight or, more specifically, love at first sight of the oysters being freshly shucked at the first stall.

Continue up the pavement a few steps, past the casual cool parents with arms around their stylish kids and the effortless beauties holding baskets with flowers fluttering over the wicker edges. Keep going by the chef piling up the freshest ingredients for the night’s service and the person you swear you recognize from Law & Order SVU, and you’ll arrive at a most-colorful stall.

It’s mid- to late-summer and stone fruits are the cream of the crop. Mounds and mounds of peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and pluots await you. Each fruit wearing a different jewel toned coat. Who knew there were twelve varieties of plum? From a golden yellow with a soft and sugar sweet flavor to a deep dark indigo with a tart skin and apricot-esque taste, this farm’s stand has it all. Stock up and enjoy with everything. But most importantly, in my opinion, bake!

Is there a better showcase for summer fruit than pie? There’s something about wrapping peaches or plums in a tender buttery crust and letting the oven bring out the fruit’s fresh and tangy juices that feels incredibly homey and effortless. The fresh ingredients really do the work.

So here we are with Plum Hand Pies; a portable version of your favorite summer pie. I always prefer a homemade crust but feel free to use store bought if that is your preference or if you’re tight on time.