where you pick produce from seasonal crops

To everything there is a season, and a time . . . . A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted. --Ecclesiastes

F rom apples and apricots to walnuts and zucchini, Southern California produces a succession of crops that ripen almost every month. And, if you prefer produce at its freshest, you can buy from independent farmers who have set up you-pick services.

Vine- or tree-ripened freshness, quality and savings are the main reasons for picking, but, according to Vance Merrill-Corum, marketing specialist with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, some people like to “re-establish contact with their forebears and their rural life style.” He says families pick to can or dry particular crops (tomatoes, for example), as well as for the hands-on experience. In addition, he says, some farmers offer tours and agricultural demonstrations that help an “urbanized public learn what goes into producing a crop.”

For a fruitful day in the country, the following 10 crops can be picked in the Southland. The dates are approximate and depend on weather conditions. Ladders, implements and containers are usually available, but sometimes you have to bring your own. Always call ahead for directions and to determine availability.

Apples--Riley’s Log Cabin, 12201 S. Oak Glen Road, Yucaipa, (714) 797-4061. This 12-acre ranch has four varieties of apples (Red Delicious, Glen Seedling, Winesap and Rome), available from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30. During bumper years, apples sell for 35 cents a pound or $12 a bushel. This year families have been limited to a one-half-peck sack for $3. Between Labor Day and Thanksgiving, there’s a press for making cider or apple juice. This year the crop has been picked, but already-picked apples are supplied so people may press their own jug of cider. Tours of the ranch feature antique farm implements. Also, during snow season, sleigh rides are available by appointment.

Rancho Arnaz, 9504 N. Ventura Ave. (California 33, between Downtown Ventura and Ojai), Ventura, (805) 649-2776. Open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. every day, September through October. This 20-acre ranch, site of the Arnaz adobe built in 1846, grows Red Delicious, Pearmain, Golden Royal and Winesap (35 cents per pound). From parking lot, a truck takes you to the fields.

Apricots--O’Leary Apricot Ranch, 6780 Wheeler Canyon Road, Santa Paula, (805) 525-6358. Open 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. during apricot season, roughly late June through July. Royal apricots growing on this 93-acre ranch depend on good rainfall because no irrigation is used. Ladders and fruit pickers provided, but bring your own containers (25 cents a pound).

Citrus--Orcutt Ranch, 23600 Roscoe Blvd., Canoga Park, (818) 883-6641. Los Angeles City Department of Parks and Recreation grows oranges and grapefruit on this 23-acre site. Bring your own A-frame ladder and fruit pickers. Fruit is picked the month of July, for $1 a grocery bag, $2 a box.

U-Pick Ranch, 45-75 Aladdin St., Indio, (619) 347-2494. (From Los Angeles, exit Interstate 110 on Monroe Street, go two miles, then right on Avenue 46 to Aladdin.) December through June, this 4 1/2-acre ranch offers pink and white grapefruit (8-10 cents per pound) and lemons (20 cents per pound). Also tangerines Dec. 1-Feb. 28 and tangelos Dec. 1-Jan. 31 (20 cents per pound).

Cherries--When cherries are ripe in the month of June, folks in Cherry Valley and Beaumont in Riverside County hold a cherry festival, featuring such special events as sky-diving, arts and crafts and a horse show. For festival information, call Stella Parks, (714) 845-3628.

LaBaw’s Ranch, 9465 Oak Glen Road, Cherry Valley, (714) 845-2975. Two hundred trees of (mostly) Bing cherries. Ladders, buckets, cartons and flats are provided. Crop size varies by year, starting mid-June and perhaps into July. Brochure on request.

Wohlmuth Cherry Orchard, 9578 Avenida San Timoteo, Cherry Valley, (714) 845-4088. The Wohlmuths offer tours for senior citizens and other groups by appointment and encourage evening picking during hot weather. Among the 14 varieties are Early Burlat, Tartarian, Bing, Royal Anne, Hardy Giant, Goldenrod (yellow cherries are good for pies) and Montmerency (for sour-cherry pie). Ripening usually begins by late May, with best picking the middle of June. Prices range from 65 to 85 cents per pound.

Rex’s Sweet Cherries U-Pic, 40126 North 95th St., Leona Valley, Calif. 93551. (Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope for flyer) Telephone (805) 270-1465. Black Tartarian, Bing, Hardy Giants and Royal Anne (excellent for making maraschino cherries), plus Lamberts are grown here on five acres and are available from June 1 through mid-July. Prices range from 50 to 75 cents per pound.

Figs--Fig Leaf Farm, Route 1, Box 33400, Paloma Lane, Sun City, (714) 679-4295. This ranch specializes in Adriatic figs, with five sub-varieties, including Brown Turkey (35 cents per pound).

Grapes--K. B. Hall Ranch, 11999 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, Ojai, (805) 525-3170. Dating from the last century, this historical ranch grows many fruits, including 20 acres of apricots, some of which are you-pick, usually available in June and July. It’s one of the few places to pick your own grapes: Mission, Black Prince and varietals (25-35 cents per pound) usually are ripe the end of August. A press for making wine or juice is provided. Peaches, Plums and Pears--Ole-Son Orchard, 8111 E. Avenue U, Littlerock, (805) 944-4203. Peaches and pears (Bartlett and Elberta) are grown on this five-acre ranch. Fruit is picked mid-August through end of September (25 cents per pound). Picking implements provided.

Preschler, 35508 85th St. East, Littlerock, (805) 944-3776. Peaches in early July: Red Globe, Babcock, Rio Oso and Fairtime. Also Italian plums. All fruit 30 cents a pound.

Persimmons--Fig Leaf Farm, Route 1, Box 33400, Paloma Lane, Sun City, (714) 679-4295. Prices for persimmons, which fluctuate, are 35 cents a pound when plentiful, between late October through mid-November.

Pumpkins--Boccali Ranch Pumpkin Patch, 11675 Santa Paula-Ojai Road, Ojai (on California 150 midway between Santa Paula and Ojai), (805) 647-3300. Two acres of the ranch, which also sells corn, melons and avocados at a serve-yourself stand, are devoted to pumpkins. Various types of pumpkin grown here are good for pies, table decorations and jack-o’-lanterns and start at $1. Wagon rides to the field. Choose-and-cut Christmas trees are $3 a foot, with a $12 minimum, starting Sunday after Thanksgiving; weekends 9 a.m. to dark, weekdays noon to dark.

Vargas Produce, corner of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Tulsa Street, Chatsworth, (818) 709-5231. Pick your own pumpkins for Halloween, starting about Oct. 15. Pre-picked fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, corn, tomatoes and cantaloupe available at the stand from February to end of November.

Gless Ranch, 6808 Sundance Trail, Riverside, (714) 653-5991. Pumpkins available in October, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Also choose-and-cut Christmas trees, on weekends, beginning in November, and, after Thanksgiving, choose-and-cut every day.

Vegetables--Tierra Rejada Ranch, 3370 N. Moorpark Road, Moorpark, (805) 529-3690. A you-pick paradise, this ranch grows raspberries (ripe late June to September) and blackberries (mid-May to mid-July). In early summer: lettuce, beets, carrots, peas and onions. Mid-summer: tomatoes, lima beans, okra, peppers, cucumbers and the dill in which to pickle them. Also, several varieties of winter squash and pumpkins for pies and jack-o’-lanterns, starting at $1. You can pick a variety of flowers and gather walnuts, which are shaken from trees the first weekend in October. Apricots in June. Also fresh-picked citrus and avocados available.

Underwood Ranch, 5696 Los Angeles Ave., Somis. (Call for directions to picking field.) Telephone (805) 482-0734. About 50 acres of this general-produce ranch with you-pick Roma (Italian) tomatoes (15 cents a pound), which are ripe mid-summer through Labor Day. One of the largest producers of baby vegetables in the area, this ranch sells general produce and raspberries at $20 a flat.

Al Bussell Ranch. From Los Angeles, take Interstate 5 north to Bakersfield, then Stockdale Highway and follow signs. Telephone (805) 589-2677. This is one of the largest you-pick operations in California, with a fruit (or vegetable) of the month, beginning with strawberries in April. From June through September, you can pick many varieties of peaches and apples, white sweet corn, tomatoes, peppers and squash, among others. The last two weekends in October feature Halloween festivities, with a wagon ride to the pumpkin field to choose your own, for $2 and up.